1. Livable Homes and Communities
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Effects Of Temperature And Time Of Day On Pedestrian Walking
Speed
Priyanka Gupta; Yue Li, PhD, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Geoff Fernie, PhD, PEng,
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Researchers have measured pedestrian walking speeds for the purpose of planning pedestrian facilities and assessing facility
performance. To extend the research on pedestrian walking speed in Toronto, this study investigated the pedestrian walking speed-
temperature relationships under various conditions ranging from extreme cold winter weather to hot summer weather. It is believed
that the findings could be used as a reference for design of the sidewalks and improvement of pedestrian safety.
Background
Researchers have measured pedestrian walking speeds for the purpose of planning pedestrian facilities and assessing facility perfor-
mance. Hoogendoorn
Methods
A busy sidewalk in the city of Toronto (Canada) was videotaped with the help of a camera set up on the roof of a building adjacent to
the test site. The test site was 18.8 m long and 3.35 m wide. Temperature and weather data were also collected on a regular basis. The
recorded videos were analyzed to gather the required data. The time taken to cross the selected length of the sidewalk was calculated
by recording the time from when the pedestrian’s foot first stepped into the site until the pedestrian’s foot first stepped outside the site.
The speed of the pedestrian was calculated by dividing the length of the sidewalk by the time taken by the pedestrian. Pedestrians who
did not complete the entire length of the site or who were skateboarding or cycling were not taken into consideration.
Results
A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed the time of day and temperature had significant effects on pedestrian walking
speeds. Post hoc tests indicated that pedestrians walking in colder weather (-15°C and -5°C) had significantly higher walking speeds
than those walking in warm weather (15°C and 25°C) (p<0.02). The mean walking speeds gradually decreased from 1.43 m/s at
-15°C and 1.44 m/s at -5°C to 1.35 m/s at 5°C, to 1.23 m/s at 15°C, and then increased to 1.28 m/s at 25°C. Pedestrians walked faster
between 6pm and 7pm (1.41 m/s) than between 1pm and 2pm (p<0.001). Between 1pm and 2pm, the walking speeds of the pedestri-
ans at -15°C and -5°C were significantly different from those at 5°C, 15°C and 25°C. Between 6pm and 7pm, the walking speeds of
the pedestrians at -15°C, -5°C and 5°C were significantly different from those at 15°C and 25°C.
Conclusions
Our results showed that the mean walking speed is 1.35±0.31 m/s (n= 563) in Toronto urban area which was very close to those
reported by Finnis &Walton (2007), who found that the mean walking speed for flat locations was 1.4±0.23 m/s (n=1071). Pedestrians
had the lowest walking speed when the temperature was 15°C and the fastest speed at -15°C in this study. Pedestrians perceive their
environment as a sum total of many factors. The walking speed of pedestrians depends on sidewalk capacity, quality of walking
environment and individual perceptions of safety (Finnis & Walton). If any of these factors are disturbed, for example if the quality
of walking environment i.e. the temperature condition is not comfortable for the pedestrian, the pedestrian will not walk at his regular
pace. Cold weather, even in the absence of meteorological conditions such as ice and snow, can cause changes in the behavior, reaction
time, and physiological processes of persons, which may affect their risk for a slip or fall injury. Furthermore, it is possible that the
protective clothing worn in the cold can hamper movement and decrease dexterity, possibly making individuals more susceptible to a
slip or fall injury. Bell et al. (2000) found that the proportional injury ratio of slips and falls increased significantly as the temperature
decreased. As the cold weather tends to make people walk faster, this may further increase their risk of slipping and falling, especially
when the sidewalks are covered by ice and/or snow. Further investigation regarding how the sidewalk could be redesigned so as to
decrease slip, trip and fall accidents should be carried out.