Due to the current practices of street design in countries with hot and humid climates that prioritise air-conditioned cars as the favoured mode of transport, the physical and spatial characteristics of the street space have failed to retain much or any user-friendliness for walking or for sustaining street life. Moreover, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the increasingly sedentary lifestyle is leading to significant health problems and prevalence of lifestyle diseases. However, there has been limited research conducted on the use of urban streets under hot and humid conditions, and even less is known about the impact of certain sociocultural aspects in, for example, Muslim countries, on the design of streets for walking. Such a situation poses challenges to the urban space researcher and designer interested in gaining a better understanding of how walking can be restored into the street space. This thesis contributes to the advancement of knowledge in this area by integrating three influential factors connected to walking in a single study; an approach which has not been elaborated previously. This thesis aimed to broaden the understanding of pedestrians’ requirements, attitudes and preferences in order to identify ways in which the neglected street space can be reclaimed for walking under hot-humid climatic conditions and to inform decision-making into improved street design. The scope of this research centred on combining an understanding of pedestrians’ thermal comfort in a hot and humid urban environment, that of the city of Dammam in Saudi Arabia, where the problem is particularly acute, coupled with exploration into the socio-cultural aspects through which behaviour such as undertaking increased physical activity is governed. The research postulated an interactive relationship between the existing conditions of the street space and these two factors. Owing to the multifaceted nature of the factors affecting an individual’s choice to walk, there are few accepted theoretical frameworks, hence studying the cause-and-effect relationship between street design and walking is challenging. Following the literature review and analysis of existing street characteristics; the strategy of mixed-method data collection combining participant observation with interviews and a questionnaire was conducted. The findings revealed the dual impact of key street characteristics on pedestrians’ reluctance to walk on streets and this led to two levels of simultaneous interventions being suggested: physical and spatial. The analytical process (1) identified the upper thermal comfort limit for pedestrians by application of the Physiological Equivalent Temperature index, ‘PET’, through use of the RayMan Software; (2) revealed that physical proximity to other people while on the street is the most sensitive socio-cultural issue in the outdoor spaces of Saudi, particularly between the opposite sexes, and that the existing pavements are generally too narrow to accommodate the preferred personal distance; (3) identified appropriate design interventions at the microscale of the street space to introduce improved shading and create air movement to reduce the impact of solar radiation and humidity and thus to contribute towards encouraging more use of streets for walking; and (4) marking the pavement to indicate distance walked along with high quality streetscape elements was shown to attract pedestrians effectively. Such findings have significant implications for restoring the place of walking on streets in hot and humid cities and the research concludes by emphasising: (1) it is the design of the street space in climatically responsive and socio-culturally compatible ways, rather than the configuration of the urban form that is most associated with increasing physical activity; (2) there is a crucial need to redistribute the street space away from cars and towards pedestrians by widening the existing pavements both for satisfying the average personal comfort distance between pedestrians and for incorporating appropriate streetscape elements.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Road traffic accidents have been a global concern facing all countries. Approximately 1.2 million people are killed annually as a result of traffic accidents and 50 million are injured. More than 90 percent of road fatalities occur in the developing world which has only 48 percent of the world’s registered vehicles. Beyond the problem of road fatalities, road traffic accidents result in disability and long term injury. They also cause considerable economic losses to victims and their families and damage properties and infrastructures. In South Africa, pedestrian fatalities account for about 40 percent of all road traffic accidents. Behaviour patterns of both pedestrians and motorists at pedestrian crossings are the main influential factors of pedestrian accidents. This study investigates behaviour patterns of pedestrians negotiating different types of crossing facilities in the town of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. A total number of 17 pedestrian crossings were selected for the study on the basis of their geometric and operational characteristics. Video-based observations together with on-street interviews were used to understand crossing behaviour patterns, namely pedestrian walking speed, pedestrian delay, gaze behaviour, pedestrian-vehicle conflicts, pedestrian compliance with road traffic rules and gap-acceptance behaviour. Results of the study showed that male pedestrians walk more than female pedestrians. The 15th percentile crossing speed for all pedestrians observed while crossing was found to be 1.13 m/s whereas the mean crossing speed was found to be 1.48 m/s. Demographic variables appeared to significantly influence pedestrian walking speed. Male and younger pedestrians exhibited higher walking speeds than female and older pedestrians. Pedestrian walking speed was also found to be affected by group size, encumbrance, type of pedestrian facility and distraction while walking. However, no effects of conflicts and the presence of a pedestrian refuge on pedestrian walking speed were found in this study. A mean total delay of 5.10 seconds was found in this study. Male and younger pedestrians experienced shorter delay compared to female and older pedestrians. The type of pedestrian facility and traffic signals during which pedestrians arrived at the kerb and crossed appeared to be other influential factors of pedestrian delay. With regard to gaze behaviour, an average number of head movements ranged from 2 to 5 at the kerb and from 3 to 5 while crossing. Conflicts with motorists peaked where crossing distances were longer and traffic volume was heavy. A red light violation ranging from 82 to 87 percent was observed in this study and on-street surveys indicated that beliefs and attitudes towards traffic control devices and traffic environment significantly explained pedestrians’ unsafe crossing behaviour. The calculated critical gap and critical lag ranged from 2.19 to 3.90 seconds and the effect of crossing distance on gap-acceptance emerged in this study. Possible interventions are finally suggested. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Padongelukke is 'n wêreldwye probleem wat al die lande in die gesig staar. Ongeveer 1,2 miljoen mense sterf jaarliks as 'n gevolg van verkeersongelukke en 50 miljoen word beseer. Meer as 90 persent van padsterftes kom voor in die ontwikkelende wêreld met slegs 48 persent van die wêreld se geregistreerde voertuie. Bo en behalwe die probleem van padsterftes, het padongelukke gestremdheid en lang termyn beserings tot gevolg. Dit veroorsaak ook aansienlike ekonomiese verliese vir die slagoffers en hul gesinne en skade aan eiendomme en infrastruktuur. In Suid-Afrika is voetgangersterftes verantwoordelik vir sowat 40% van alle padongelukke. Gedragspatrone van beide voetgangers en motoriste by voetoorgange is die belangrikste bepalende faktore van voetganger-ongelukke. Hierdie studie ondersoek gedragspatrone van voetgangers by verskillende tipes kruisings in die dorp van Stellenbosch Suid-Afrika. ʼn Totale aantal van 17 voetoorgange is gekies vir die studie op die basis van hul geometriese en operasionele eienskappe. Video-gebaseerde waarnemings saam met op-straat onderhoude is gebruik om kruising-gedragspatrone, naamlik voetganger stapspoed, voetganger vertraging, kyk gedrag, voetganger-voertuig konflikte, voetganger nakoming van padverkeersreëls en gaping-aanvaarding gedrag te verstaan. Resultate van die studie het getoon dat manlike voetgangers vinniger loop as vroulike voetgangers. Die 15de persentiel kruising spoed vir alle voetgangers waargeneem binne kruisings was 1,13 m/s, terwyl die gemiddelde kruising spoed 1,48 m/s is. Demografiese veranderlikes beïnvloed voetgangers loop-spoed. Manlik en jonger voetgangers loop vinniger as vroulike en ouer voetgangers. Voetgangers loop-spoed word ook geraak deur die grootte van die groep, die dra van items, die tipe voetganger-fasiliteit en afleiding terwyl geloop word. Daar is egter geen gevolge van konflikte op voetgangers loop-spoed in hierdie studie gevind nie. 'n Gemiddelde totale vertraging van 5,10 sekondes is in hierdie studie gevind. Manlik en jonger voetgangers ervaar korter vertraging in vergelyking met die vroulike en ouer voetgangers. Die tipe voetgangerfasiliteit en verkeerseine was ander invloedryke faktore van voetganger vertraging. Vir waarneming van die verkeer is gevind dat die gemiddelde aantal kopbewegings gewissel het van 2 tot 5 teen die randsteen en van 3 tot 5, tydens die kruising. Konflikte met motoriste het ʼn hoogtepunt bereik waar kruising afstande langer en verkeersvolume hoër was. Rooi lig oortredings wat wissel van 82 tot 87 persent is in hierdie studie waargeneem en op-straat opnames het aangedui dat houdings teenoor verkeer-beheer toestelle en die verkeersomgewing die voetgangers se onveilige kruising-gedrag verduidelik. Die berekende kritiese gaping het gewissel van 2,19 tot 3,90 sekondes en die effek van die kruisinglengte op gaping-aanvaarding het in hierdie studie na vore gekom. Moontlike intervensies word voorgestel.

This is a case study of a rural school in the Moloto area. The objective of the enquiry is to explore the responses of children to road safety input that they receive at school. Children’s experiences as road users were gathered through intensive interviews with them, their parents and teachers and corroborated by my observation of children using the Moloto road and other arterial roads in the village. The study was informed by the interpretivist paradigm. Road safety education is part of the mainstream curriculum in South African schools but the environment for delivering it effectively is counterproductive in a school that lacks resource materials and trained teachers. The little that is taking place, as the study shows, is class-based, lacks context and focuses on teaching pedestrian skills with no practical input. The community’s unsafe road use behaviour of walking in the middle of the road and crossing the road everywhere undermines whatever road safety skills children might have learnt at home or at school. Key findings of the study are: children’s development of pedestrian skills; children’s constructions of road safety knowledge and their value of life and road signs; the negative influence of the unsafe “road environment”; and children’s attitude to road safety. Although children theoretically know what to do when using the road, in practice they do not show safe road use behaviour. Their construction of road safety knowledge is mainly informed by the practices of the broad community. This paradox between what the literature prescribes, what the national curriculum entails and what the children apply in their everyday use of the roads is the main finding of the study. Although children are enthusiastic about road safety education the same cannot be said about the teachers who are demoralised and not sure whether what they are doing is right or wrong. However, the children understand the value of life and the danger of using the road infrastructure recklessly even though their road use behaviour suggests otherwise. The low level of formal education among parents and the lack of support for teachers from road safety officers do not help the situation. Effective road safety education delivery depends on a number of variables or factors. Where these conditions are not available, the whole process becomes a futile exercise. In conclusion, road safety education can be summarised as a process with sequenced goals: The provision of information about injury risks and how to avoid them, changing attitudes towards risk and safety, and altering behaviour. Training should include the development of clearly defined pedestrian skills through guidance by a more skilled individual and practice in the road environment. Education can thus underpin both legislative and environmental measures by creating a climate of opinion that enhances a culture of safety which is not evident in the Moloto community. It will take political will and resource allocation for road safety education for any meaningful impact to be made in delivering road safety education and pedestrian skills effectively in a rural school like the Moloto primary school in Mpumalanga. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Early Childhood Education / unrestricted