Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Walking distance, route choice, and activities while walking: A record of following pedestrians from transit stations in the San Francisco Bay area

  • Original Article
  • Published:
URBAN DESIGN International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

With the goal of making more walkable urban environments, studies on pedestrian behavior heavily rely on surveys or are increasingly using global positioning system tracking as the main vehicle of collecting data. Alternatively, this study adopts following pedestrians, a direct observation method, to examine pedestrians’ walking distance, route choice, and activities while walking from transit stations. Following 139 pedestrians from Glen Park and Rockridge BART stations in the San Francisco Bay Area to their final destinations on weekday afternoons suggests three major findings. Pedestrians walked 548 m on average and up to 1100 m, exceeding 1/4 mile (400 m), a rule-of-thumb distance frequently implemented in practice. Seventy-five per cent of the pedestrians walked along the main streets and twenty-nine per cent chose to walk longer routes. Seventy-four per cent of them engaged in various activities while walking, including shopping, window shopping, conversing with others and using street furniture. This study provides not only quantitative findings that are consistent with those from similar studies, but also descriptive information about pedestrian behavior, which they rarely do.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agrawal, A.W. and Schimek, P. (2007) Extent and correlates of walking in the USA. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 12 (8): 548–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agrawal, A.W., Schlossberg, M. and Irvin, K. (2008) How far, by which route and why? A spatial analysis of pedestrian preference. Journal of Urban Design 13 (1): 81–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alfonzo, M., Boarnet, M.G., Day, K., Mcmillan, T. and Anderson, C.L. (2008) The relationship of neighbourhood built environment features and adult parents’ walking. Journal of Urban Design 13 (1): 29–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Appleyard, D. (1981) Livable Streets. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asakura, Y. and Iryo, T. (2007) Analysis of tourist behaviour based on the tracking data collected using a mobile communication instrument. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 41 (7): 684–690.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bay Area Rapid Transit. (2008) 2008 BART station profile study. BART Marketing and Research Department, http://www.bart.gov/docs/StationProfileStudy/2008StationProfileReport_web.pdf, accessed 12 April 2013.

  • Bay Area Rapid Transit. (2013) Monthly ridership reports. Bay Area Rapid Transit District, http://www.bart.gov/about/reports/ridership.aspx, accessed 12 April.

  • Borgers, A. and Timmermans, H. (1986) A model of pedestrian route choice and demand for retail facilities within inner-city shopping areas. Geographical Analysis 18 (2): 115–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borst, H.C., de Vries, S.I., Graham, J.M.A., van Dongen, J.E.F., Bakker, I. and Miedema, H.M.E. (2009) Influence of environmental street characteristics on walking route choice of elderly people. Journal of Environmental Psychology 29 (4): 477–484.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bosselmann, P., Macdonald, E. and Kronemeyer, T. (1999) Livable streets revisited. Journal of the American Planning Association 65 (2): 168–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, B.B., Werner, C.M., Amburgey, J.W. and Szalay, C. (2007) Walkable route perceptions and physical features converging evidence for en route walking experiences. Environment and Behavior 39 (1): 34–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, C. (1963) Traffic in Towns: A Study of the Long Term Problems of Traffic in Urban Areas. London: Stationery Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calthorpe, P. (1993) The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community, and the American Dream. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cervero, R. and Kockelman, K. (1997) Travel demand and the 3Ds: Density, diversity, and design. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 2 (3): 199–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cho, G.-H., Rodríguez, D.A. and Evenson, K.R. (2011) Identifying walking trips using GPS data. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 43 (2): 365–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J.W. (2008) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 3rd edn. SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dittmar, H. and Ohland, G. (eds.) (2003) The New Transit Town: Best Practices In Transit-Oriented Development. Washington DC: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dumbaugh, E. (2005) Safe streets, livable streets. Journal of the American Planning Association 71 (3): 283–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, M.J. and Mummery, W.K. (2007) GIS or GPS? A comparison of two methods for assessing route taken during active transport. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 33 (1): 51–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, R. and Cervero, R. (2010) Travel and the built environment. Journal of the American Planning Association 76 (3): 265–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, R. and Cervero, R. (2001) Travel and the built environment: A synthesis. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1780: 87–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, R. and Handy, S. (2009) Measuring the unmeasurable: Urban design qualities related to walkability. Journal of Urban Design 14 (1): 65–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fairfax County Planning Commission TOD Committee. (2006) Walking distance research, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning/tod_docs/walking_distance_abstracts.pdf, accessed 3 April 2013.

  • Fruin, J.J. (1971) Pedestrian Planning and Design. New York: Metropolitan Association of Urban Designers and Environmental Planners.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gehl, J. (1987) Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space. Copenhagen, Denmark: The Danish Architecture Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gehl, J. and Gemzøe, L. (2004) Public Spaces Public Life: Copenhagen. Copenhagen, Denmark: The Danish Architecture Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, Z. (2009) Does the pedestrian environment affect the utility of walking? A case of path choice in downtown boston. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 14 (5): 343–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, Z. and Ferreira, J. (2008) Pedestrian environments, transit path choice, and transfer penalties: Understanding land-use impacts on transit travel. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 35 (3): 461–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, Z. and Loo, B.P.Y. (2013) Pedestrian environment and route choice: Evidence from New York city and Hong Kong. Journal of Transport Geography 28: 124–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hess, P., Moudon, A., Snyder, M. and Stanilov, K. (1999) Site design and pedestrian travel. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1674: 9–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillier, B. (2004) Can streets be made safe? Urban Design International 9 (1): 31–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, A. (1993) Great Streets. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, A. and Appleyard, D. (1987) Toward an urban design manifesto. Journal of the American Planning Association 53 (1): 112–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, A., Macdonald, E. and Rofè, Y. (2002) The Boulevard Book: History, Evolution, Design of Multiway Boulevards. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, J. (1961) The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelbaugh, D. (ed.) (1989) Pedestrian Pocket Book. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C. and Moudon, A.V. (2006) The 3Ds+R: Quantifying land use and urban form correlates of walking. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 11 (3): 204–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macdonald, E. (2002) Structuring a landscape, structuring a sense of place: The enduring complexity of olmsted and vaux’s Brooklyn parkways. Journal of Urban Design 7 (2): 117–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcus, C.C. and Francis, C. (1998) People Places: Design Guidelines for Urban Open Space. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moiseeva, A. and Timmermans, H. (2010) Imputing relevant information from multi-day GPS tracers for retail planning and management using data fusion and context-sensitive learning. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 17 (3): 189–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Sullivan, S. and Morrall, J. (1996) Walking distances to and from light-rail transit stations. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1538: 19–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, S. (2008) Defining, Measuring, and Evaluating Path Walkability, and Tesing Its Impacts on Transit Users’ Mode Choice and Walking Distance to the Station. Doctoral Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, CA.

  • Perry, C.A. (1929) The Neighborhood Unit: A Scheme of Arrangement for the Family-Life Community. In: Committee on Regional Plan of New York and Its Environs (ed.) Neighborhood and Community Planning, Regional Plan of New York and Its Environs. New York: Committee on Regional Plan of New York and Its Environs, Regional Plan Association. Volume VII, pp. 22–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pushkarev, B.S. and Zupan, J.M. (1975) Urban Space for Pedestrians: A Quantitative Approach, 1st edn. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudofsky, B. (1969) Streets for People: A Primer for Americans. New York: Doubleday & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seneviratne, P.N. and Morrall, J.F. (1985) Analysis of factors affecting the choice of route of pedestrians. Transportation Planning and Technology 10 (2): 147–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shoval, N. and Isaacson, M. (2006) Application of tracking technologies to the study of pedestrian spatial behavior. The Professional Geographer 58 (2): 172–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sisiopiku, V. and Akin, D. (2003) Pedestrian behaviors at and perceptions towards various pedestrian facilities: An examination based on observation and survey data. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour 6 (4): 249–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Southworth, M. (2005) Designing the walkable city. Journal of Urban Planning and Development 131 (4): 246–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Southworth, M. (1997) Walkable suburbs?: An evaluation of neotraditional communities at the urban edge. Journal of the American Planning Association 63 (1): 28–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Southworth, M. and Ben-Joseph, E. (1997) Streets and the Shaping of Towns and Cities. Washington DC: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Speck, J. (2012) Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suminski, R.R., Petosa, R.L., Poston, W.C.S., Stevens, E. and Katzenmoyer, L. (2006) An observation method for determining the number of children and adults walking/biking to elementary school. Journal of Physical Activity and Health 3 (1): 37–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Timmermans, H., van der Hagen, X. and Borgers, A. (1992) Transportation systems, retail environments and pedestrian trip chaining behaviour: Modelling issues and applications. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological 26 (1): 45–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuan, Y.-F. (1977) Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Untermann, R.K. (1984) Accommodating the Pedestrian: Adapting Towns and Neighborhoods for Walking and Bicycling. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Census. (2010a) Summary file 1: Profile of general population and housing characteristics, http://factfinder2.census.gov, accessed 4 May 2013.

  • U.S. Census. (2010b) Summary file 1: Selected economic characteristics, http://factfinder2.census.gov, accessed 4 May 2013.

  • Whyte, W.H. (1980) The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. New York: Project for Public Spaces.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiehe, S.E. et al (2008) Using GPS-enabled cell phones to track the travel patterns of adolescents. International Journal of Health Geographics 7 (22): 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, J., Guensler, R. and Bachman, W. (2001) Elimination of the travel diary: Experiment to derive trip purpose from global positioning system travel data. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1768: 125–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, Y. and Diez-Roux, A.V. (2012) Walking distance by trip purpose and population subgroups. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 43 (1): 11–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R.K. (2008) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 4th edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I am very grateful for the assistance of SeungYen Hong, Ji Eun Moon, and Kunnatham Santitham in collecting data. I would also like to thank Peter Bosselmann, Wee Kiat Lim, Michael Southworth, and the anonymous reviewers for their excellent suggestions for improving the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore

    Hyungkyoo Kim

Authors
  1. Hyungkyoo Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kim, H. Walking distance, route choice, and activities while walking: A record of following pedestrians from transit stations in the San Francisco Bay area. Urban Des Int 20, 144–157 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1057/udi.2015.2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/udi.2015.2

Keywords

Search

Navigation