Abstract:
My research seeks to understand what types of pedestrian and
bicycle facilities and design elements are most comfortable for a
variety of user types. Comfort is used as a measurement because it
offers insights into the likelihood of use by pedestrians and cyclists
of different skill levels. Those highly skilled users are likely to walk
or ride on all types of facilities, whereas those users who are less
skilled may require certain facilities or design elements offering
increased safety or comfort. Planning and engineering pedestrian
and bicycle facilities and specific design elements should take into
consideration the users to ensure the needs of a broad spectrum of
the population are met. Using input from community members, this
study rates the comfort level of a variety of facility and design
elements.
Description:
Examining committee: Robert Parker, chair, Bethany Johnson, Rob Inerfeld