The Barrier Effect and Pedestrian Mobility/Accessibility on Urban Highways: An Analysis Based on the Belo Horizonte/Minas Gerais/Brazil Ring Road

Abstract

Historically, public policies in Brazil and many developing countries have prioritized individual motorized modes of transport. The urban space of Brazilian cities has been repeatedly remodeled, often to meet the demands of vehicle flow, to the detriment of spaces for pedestrian use. Part of the transport infrastructure, particularly the highways, are obstacles to the population’s mobility, constituting the barrier effect and expanding the physical separation of the communities that reside or transit between the adjacent neighborhoods. Based on the proposed mobility and accessibility indicators extracted from the Origin and Destination Survey databases, this article aims to analyze pedestrian mobility and access to cross the Celso Mello Azevedo Ring Road, located in Belo Horizonte/Brazil. The results indicate that, over the period analyzed, the flows of foot crossings were significantly reduced, even in areas where population growth was recorded. The evidence also shows the prevalence of crossings by motorized modes, whose mobility and access are characterized by a tangible inequality in spatial distribution, linked to the occupation pattern of the surroundings, one consequence of which is the expressive volume of accidents involving pedestrians on the highway.