Analyzing pedestrian behavior on roads with pedestrian facilities in Kampala city; A case study of Makerere hill road and Bombo road.

Abstract

This study was conducted to establish the pedestrian behavior in relation to roads with pedestrian’s facilities in Kampala city, cases in study being Makerere hill road and Bombo road. The research aimed at identifying the available pedestrian facilities to support walking along these roads, how pedestrians behave while walking along these roads and what factors influence their behavior. This research was carried out by cross sectional survey, and data was collected using questionnaires and interview responses from respondents selected through random sampling techniques. The data was represented and analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques which was then represented by using graphs and explanations This research work contains the views of the technical team especially the Physical Planner, the division engineer for Kawempe division and traffic officers in charge of the roads in study. It also contains different views pedestrians walking along these roads, the people working along adjacent to these roads, other road users and the scholars that wrote about the areas of concern of the research topic in the section of literature view. The research established that the available pedestrian facilities were generally in good condition and the pedestrian behaviors varied while using different pedestrian facilities. The study also revealed the various factors that influence the pedestrian behaviors among which was the behavior of other road users, the placement of the road facilities, the size and nature of facilities and the design of facilities and most especially their perception of these facilities. Therefore the researcher then drew conclusion from the study and suggested possible and implementable solutions to improve walkability within Kampala city among which was to ensure clear significance of the pedestrian facilities, sensitizing the public on the importance of walking and the functionality of the pedestrian facilities.