Environmental Factors Influencing Pedestrian Walking Speed

Abstract

The present study investigated various factors influencing pedestrian speed. Undergraduate students who were registered in psychology courses participated in three studies (Study 1: N = 71, M age = 20.3 yr., 37 women; Study 2: N = 92, M age = 19.6 yr., 48 women; Study 3: N =108, M age = 20.4 yr., 56 women). They were required to walk within the city of Hradec Králové (Czech Republic) along a route consisting of streets with various amounts of vegetation, traffic intensity, and noise. In Studies 1 to 3, participants tended to walk statistically significantly faster in sections without greenery and with more traffic, higher perceived noise, and more people than in sections with greenery and with less traffic, perceived noise, and fewer people. They also walked statistically significantly faster in less open spaces. In a fourth study, participants ( N = 70, M age = 20.7 yr., 35 women) were asked to evaluate their emotional reactions to the environment (dimensions of pleasure, arousal, and dominance), as well as to the restorative qualities of the environment. In sections where participants reported more positive emotions and higher restoration, the walking speed was statistically significantly slower. The results are discussed in terms of the relationship between urban environmental design and stress reduction.