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Abstract
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Walking and cycling are green transport modes which should be given more attention in future. The quality of footways is not always very good. In most cities, road managers have difficulties in estimating the quality level of their footway network. Maintenance planning and budgeting are mostly based on ad hoc repairs.
The problem is the lack of a complete evaluation method. After a market survey for different types of measurement equipment, we have combined some ideas to develop an evaluation method for footways.
Our approach is based on a network analysis by the manager, with the tool described in this article. Additional information (complaints/defects) is obtained from users, through an application on their smartphones or tablets.
The basic idea is that a main inspection is done by the manager at least once a year. An operator travels on a footway with a wheelchair, which is the most "sensitive" type of footway user. This wheelchair is equipped with sensors (of a smartphone) and a skid resistance measuring device. Three parameters (comfort/longitudinal unevenness in the direction of travel, gradient in the direction of travel, and crossfall) can be measured in one run, and a skid resistance measurement is made in each section of the network. In total we will thus have four technical indicators and the feedback from the user. All this information will help the road manager to maintain his footway network.
We are open to refine this kind of application in consultation with the wheelchair community, using their feedback on the quality of footways. A similar exercise could be done for cycle tracks.
The article will explain the idea behind the method suggested for the evaluation of footways at the network level.
Language: en |