Weather-informed Pedestrian Activity by Senior Citizens: Modified Impedance Functions for Path-Specific Activity Modeling

Walking infrastructure is important for livable and sustainable cities, especially for vulnerable populations. However, extreme temperatures can increase walk time and potentially cause health concerns. Due to their sensitivity to extreme temperatures, more frequent use of the sidewalk network, and reduced trip elasticity, senior citizens are particularly vulnerable to extreme temperatures. The proposed study will extend Georgia Tech’s previous effort in designing its family of mode and path-specific multi-modal transportation simulator elements, in parallel support of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s ITS4US project. This research will first model apparent temperature (also known as heat index, or perceived equivalence temperature) using open source data and widely validated models. Then, the mapped temperature will be used to update impedance cost functions for pedestrian activity for both walking time and health risk. The impedance functions in the SidewalkSim model will be updated to include user-group-specific tradeoff factors between the two types of costs. A user route choice predictor function will be included in preparation for future deployment as a navigation app. A case study application will be performed for senior citizen pedestrians that reside in Gwinnett County, GA, to investigate the relationship between age, weather condition, and travel behavior. The results of this study will help planners understand how changes in extreme weather conditions over time may adversely affect vulnerable user communities.

• Record URL:
  https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/weather-informed-pedestrian-activity-senior-citizens-modified-impedance-functions-path

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $60000
• Contract Numbers:

  DOT 69A3551747114

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority

  Atlanta,   United States 

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

  790 Atlantic Drive
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30332-0355
• Project Managers:

  Iacobucci, Lauren

• Performing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

  790 Atlantic Drive
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30332-0355
• Principal Investigators:

  Fan, Huiying

  Guin, Angshuman

  Guensler, Randall

• Start Date: 20220901
• Expected Completion Date: 20220630
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged pedestrians; Pedestrian movement; Route choice; Sidewalks; Simulation; Temperature; Walking; Weather conditions
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01857972
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
• Contract Numbers: DOT 69A3551747114
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 19 2022 9:05PM