System-wide | Aviation | Bicycling | Bridges | Freight | Highway | Parking | Pedestrian | Transit
Pedestrian
Growing demand to walk, but limited, safe facilities
The Landscapes2 public opinion survey documented County residents’ frustration with congestion and their preference towards alternative modes of travel such as walking and biking. Overall, there is a limited supply of safe pedestrian facilities within the County. Especially within suburban areas, the sidewalk network is generally incomplete and contains missing links and stub segments. In addition to lack of sidewalk facilities, narrow roadway shoulders, bridges, underpasses, and busy intersections restrict pedestrian activity. The effect of this limited supply is that it discourages walking, biking, and transit usage and requires additional driving even for short activities and errands. Two experiences have proven the adage “build it and they will come.” The Struble Trail is so popular that in certain hours bicyclists must find alternative routings. On Route 52 in southern Chester County, shoulder improvements have generated dramatic increases in pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
Pedestrian accommodation in the suburban environment
Suburban land uses within the County are frequently criticized for their lack of design, diversity, and density, with a lack of amenities for pedestrian, cyclists, and transit users. Additionally, residential development designs that contain culs-de-sac and dead-end streets discourage walking, unless access easements are obtained for sidewalk cut-through. Land use decisions have clear implications on the transportation alternatives that are available for County residents.
Improved pedestrian accommodation: imperative to transit success
Because every transit rider—at some point—is a pedestrian, the success of transit within the County is intrinsically tied to the pedestrian network. Many train stations have poor pedestrian access and most bus stops lack pedestrian connections to the surrounding land uses. Additionally, there are limited bus shelters along existing bus routes. Therefore, the County’s pedestrian network may be limiting transit usage.
Cars vs. pedestrians
The conflict between vehicles and pedestrians is widespread. Urban centers must be able to provide safe pedestrian flow yet many of those pedestrians drive into the centers. Suburban roadways sometimes create barrier that inhibit walking. Rural centers also experience this conflict. In all cases, traffic signal timings and road designs have to find a balance of moving vehicles while safely accommodating pedestrian traffic. “Traffic calming’ will play a greater role in finding this balance.
Printable version of ALL issues (PDF, 83 KB)
System-wide | Aviation | Bicycling | Bridges | Freight | Highway | Parking | Pedestrian | Transit