Interaction behaviour of active mobility users in shared footpath

Abstract

Active Mobility (AM) devices are increasingly popular around the world. However, the rise in accidents involving these devices has led many countries, like Singapore and France to ban their use on shared footpath. Due to limited land space, Singapore is unable to build designated lanes for AM devices extensively, resulting in the need for pedestrians and AM devices to coexist on shared footpaths, including on Park Connector Networks (PCNs). Prior to its ban on shared footpaths in Singapore, the rise in accidents on shared footpaths has put a strain in the relationship between pedestrians and AM device users – particularly Personal Mobility Device (PMD) users. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to identify the various infrastructural improvements to facilitate the coexistence between pedestrians and PMD users. In this study, four main structural elements such as Lane Widths, Speed Bumps, Bollards, and Solar Studs were chosen to analyse the attitudes of pedestrians towards sharing the footpath with PMD users and cyclists. A survey of 152 respondents was collected in Singapore and analysed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. Results have found that widening the footpath to at least 2.25 m and installing bollards with reflective lights for clear segregation, and better night lighting were key improvements that would make pedestrians more receptive to sharing the footpath with PMD users. These findings provide insights into pedestrians' perspectives on infrastructural elements that can increase their safety and promote the coexistence with PMD users.