Citation

Tokunaga R, Takahashi N, Asano M. Transp. Res. Circular 2004; (E-C063): 237-247.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, U.S. National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A primary goal of the study was to identify residents' preference among a wide variety of walkway features in order to suggest an evaluation method for winter pedestrian mobility in Sapporo, the metropolitan city in Japan that receives the most snowfall. The approach is basically about answering the following two questions: How can transportation engineers recognize residents' diverse needs for pedestrian settings in winter? How can professionals evaluate the quality of maintenance service resulting from the increase of public participation? To answer these questions involved a critical reflection on the meaning of winter livability in Sapporo, and what it meant for the urban landscape to be a pedestrian-friendly winter environment. Pedestrians' satisfaction level with different sidewalk conditions in winter was gauged through a self-administered survey based on the conjoint approach. Conducted at Sapporo's two main railroad stations, the study found that icy, uneven surfaces between crosswalks and sidewalks without antislipping procedures were the most difficult portions to walk for pedestrians. Additionally, the results showed that pedestrians considered an icy or snowy sidewalk as the most important among a wide variety of winter walkway features; with or without antislipping procedures ranks the second. This indicated that pedestrians would have liked to have antislipping procedures set on the sidewalk when walkways become slippery. Thus, the demonstrative finding can be thought as an explanation for the potential rewards of the conjoint approach to determine customer satisfaction in winter walkway maintenance.