Pedestrians

Are Perceptions about Worksite Neighborhoods and Policies Associated with Walking?

Schwartz, MA
Aytur, SA
Evenson, KR
Rodriguez, DA
2009
To examine associations of the built environment surrounding worksites and of work policies with walking behaviors. Cross-sectional convenience sample survey. Workplace. Employed adults residing in Montgomery County, Maryland. Four different step measures taken at or near work as recorded using an accelerometer and a fifth measure indicated self-reported walking from work. Participants reported on eight built environment characteristics surrounding the worksite...

Assessing Urban and Rural Neighborhood Characteristics Using Audit and GIS Data: Derivation and Reliability of Constructs

Evenson, KR
Sotres-Alvarez, D
Herring, AH
Messer, L
Laraia, BA
Rodriguez, D
2009

Measures to assess neighborhood environments are needed to better understand the salient features that may enhance outdoor physical activities, such as walking and bicycling for transport or leisure. The purpose of this study was to derive constructs to describe neighborhoods using both primary (neighborhood audit) and secondary (geographic information systems) data. We collected detailed information on 10,770 road segments using an audit and secondary data. The road segment sample was randomly split into an exploratory (60%) and validation sample (40%) for...

Addressing Pedestrian Safety: A Content Analysis of Pedestrian Master Plans in North Carolina

Jones, DK
Evenson, KR
Rodriguez, DA
Aytur, SA
2010

To systematically examine the content of pedestrian master plans in North Carolina in order to assess whether and how these plans were designed to improve pedestrian safety. Methods: All current pedestrian master plans in North Carolina through 2008 were gathered and examined using content analysis. A safety quality index was developed to assess the thoroughness with which a plan addressed safety issues in four categories: (1) goal statement, (2) analysis of current conditions, (3) policy proposals, and (4) program proposals. Plans were also compared according to the implementation...

Disaggregate Land Uses and Walking

McConville, ME
Rodriguez, DA
Clifton, K
Cho, G
Fleischhacker, S
2011
Although researchers have explored associations between mixed-use development and physical activity, few have examined the influence of specific land uses. This study analyzes how the accessibility, intensity, and diversity of nonresidential land uses are related to walking for transportation. Multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate associations between walking for...

Identifying Walking Trips Using GPS Data

Cho, GH
Rodriguez, DA
Evenson, KR
2011

This study developed and tested algorithms to identify outdoor walking trips from portable global positioning system (GPS) units in free-living conditions. Methods: The study included a calibration and a validation phase. For the calibration phase, we determined the best algorithm from 35 person-days of data. Measures of agreement regarding the daily number and duration of diary-reported and GPS-identified trips were used. In the validation phase, the best algorithm was applied to an additional and separate 136 person-days of diary and GPS data. Results: The preferred algorithm in the...

A Spatial Agent-Based Model for the Simulation of Adults' Daily Walking Within a City

Yang, Y
Roux, AV Diez
Auchincloss, AH
Rodriguez, DA
Brown, DG
2011

Environmental effects on walking behavior have received attention in recent years because of the potential for policy interventions to increase ...

Barriers to Municipal Planning for Pedestrians and Bicyclists in North Carolina

Evenson, KR
Aytur, SA
Satinsky, SB
Rodriguez, DA
2011

The Guide to Community Preventive Services recommends implementing community- and street-scale urban design, as well as land use policies and practices, to promote walking and bicycling. To better understand barriers to municipal walking and bicycling projects and policies, we surveyed municipal staff in North Carolina. methods We surveyed all 121 municipalities with at least 5,000 persons, and 62% responded. We also surveyed 216 of 420 municipalities with less than 5,000 persons, and 50% responded. The municipal staff member most knowledgeable about walking and bicycling planning was...

Can Information Promote Transportation-Friendly Location Decisions? A Simulation Experiment

Rodriguez, DA
Levine, J
Agrawal, AW
Song, J
2011
Where people live, work, shop, and recreate fundamentally determines their local travel options. Yet, information problems such as the cost of conducting comprehensive searches and cognitive load have been shown to limit decision-making. In the context of residential decision-making, information problems are likely to influence which locations get chosen. This study examines whether providing people seeking a rental home with map-based information about the transit and...

Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning in Rural Communities: Tools for Active Living

Aytur, SA
Satinsky, SB
Evenson, KR
Rodriguez, DA
2011

Pedestrian and bicycle planning has traditionally been viewed from an urban design perspective, rather than a rural or regional planning perspective. This study examined the prevalence and quality of pedestrian and bicycle plans in North Carolina according to geography, regional planning, and sociodemographics. Plan prevalence was lower, but plan quality tended to be higher, in rural areas compared with urban areas. Correlations between plan prevalence and active commuting were strongest in lower-income rural areas. By engaging in the planning process, rural residents and other...

A Tale of Two Trails: Exploring Different Paths to Success

Walker, JG
Evenson, KR
Davis, WJ
Bors, P
Rodriguez, DA
2011

This comparative case study investigates 2 successful community trail initiatives, using the Active Living By Design (ALBD) Community Action Model as an analytical framework. The model includes 5 strategies: preparation, promotion, programs, policy, and physical projects. Key stakeholders at 2 sites participated in in-depth interviews (N = 14). Data were analyzed for content using Atlas Ti and grouped according to the 5 strategies. Preparation: Securing trail resources was challenging, but shared...