The influence of slope on walking activity and the pedestrian modal share

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to research the relation between the slope of the terrain and walking activity, an area that has so far been little researched in transportation science. With the use of pedestrian counts from a busy and steeply sloped street as well as public transport ridership data, the effect of the inclination on the pedestrian modal share is researched. The results show a significant influence of slope on walking attractiveness, which is quantified by representing the walking modal share with a logit model. The model parameters acquired by maximum likelihood estimation suggest that a 1% increase in slope makes a walk roughly 10% less attractive. This value corresponds well with the small number of literature sources that exist on the same topic. The results were obtained with “live” data, acquired in the built environment rather than in a controlled experimental setting. Since this means that the exact origins and destinations or trip purposes of travelers cannot be fully known, the authors express reservation in interpreting the results.