evaluation of factors affecting pedestrian walking speed in pedestrianized areas (case study: tehran city)

The behavior and reaction of pedestrians play a special role in the development and management of pedestrian facilities, especially in the central business district of cities. pedestrianized areas increase the welfare and safety of pedestrians and help improve economic viability and environmental criteria. through a comprehensive review of relevant studies, it is shown that no study has been conducted so far to evaluate the effect of different parameters such as age, gender, weight, rainfall, and umbrella carrying on the walking speed on crowded and walkable streets in tehran, iran. additionally, to the best of our knowledge, no study has been conducted to determine the average speed of pedestrians under normal and rainy conditions. therefore, the present study applies the walking speed of 5805 pedestrians through the crowded pedestrianized areas of tehran in the year 2019 to compare the walking speed of the pedestrians between normal and rainy conditions. further, factors such as gender, weight, and rainfall on the walking speed of pedestrians are analyzed using the t-test. according to the obtained results, it can be found that based on a 95% confidence level, the difference in speed between men and women is statistically significant for all age and weight groups except teenagers and elderly pedestrians, and males walk faster than females in all conditions. rainfall has shown to have an effect on the walking speed of male pedestrians, and females tend to walk slower than males. the values of 0.79 and 0.99 m/s for the 15th percentile speed and the mean speed of 1.09 and 1.12 through the walkable facilities are recommended for normal and rainy weather, respectively. based on increasing the 15th percentile and the mean speed of pedestrians under rainy conditions, it is suggested that implementing safety measures such as weather-appropriate signage to control walking speed in order to reduce potential hazards and accidents in pedestrianized areas. the results of the present study can also lead to safer and more user-centric urban spaces that prioritize pedestrian comfort, convenience, and inclusivity under various weather conditions.