These Boots Are Made for Walking: A Qualitative Study on the Perceived Barriers to Pedestrian Mobility in Madrid

Abstract

As an active mode of transportation, walking has proven to be an effective strategy to tackle environmental problems while improving health. The current paper highlights the main factors that either encourage or deter pedestrians in their daily trips by analyzing the arisen discussions in three different Focus Groups (FGs), which were later synthesized into factors ranking according to their positive or negative outcomes. The results help identify these factors and show how a variety of target groups (seniors, young adults, middle-aged adults, divided by male and female perspective) perceive the city in different ways: younger adults prioritize accessibility and quality of the infrastructure, females highlighted the insecurity suffered during nighttime trips, and older adults emphasized the relevance of street maintenance. Finally, the benefits of walking on physical and mental health are viewed positively amongst all target groups, considering walking as a means to help people reduce stress.

Keywords

• barriers
• pedestrian mobility
• walkability
• travel behaviour
• sustainable transportation