Developing a South African pedestrian environment assessment tool: Tshwane case study

Authors

  • Patricia Albers University of Pretoria
  • Caradee Wright CSIR
  • Jane Olwoch University of Pretoria

Keywords:

audit tool, fatalities, roadside environment, road users, South Africa

Abstract

Pedestrians, comprising approximately 60% of the population, are among the most vulnerable road users in South Africa. The roadside environment may be an important factor influencing the nature and frequency of pedestrian fatalities. While there are audit tools for assessing the pedestrian environment in other countries, no such tool exists for South Africa. This study evaluated existing audit tools in relation to South African issues and conditions and developed a South African Pedestrian Environment Assessment Tool (PEAT). PEAT was tested at five sites in the Tshwane Metropolitan Area in Gauteng to assess its applicability. PEAT was simple to use and provided valuable information, however, appropriate measures need to be taken to address fieldworker security, especially for night-time assessments when several roadside factors, such as lighting, should be evaluated. Although it was not the focus of our study, based on our results, we suggest that the lack of pavements, pedestrian crossings and pedestrian lighting are factors that, potentially, could increase pedestrian vulnerability.

Author Biography

  • Patricia Albers, University of Pretoria
    Environmental Health Research Group,

    Natural Resources and the Environment,

    CSIR,

    South Africa

Published

2010-10-04

Issue

Section

Research Articles

How to Cite

Albers, P., Wright, C., & Olwoch, J. (2010). Developing a South African pedestrian environment assessment tool: Tshwane case study. South African Journal of Science, 106(9/10), 8 pages. https://sajs.co.za/article/view/10112
Views
  • Abstract 160
  • PDF (187 KB) 95
  • HTML 137
  • XML 82
  • Figure 1 0
  • Table 1 0
  • Table 2 0
  • Table 3 0
  • Table 4 0

Most read articles by the same author(s)