Utilization of pedestrian crossing along the major highways; The case of Sam Nujoma and Mandela roads in Dar es Salaam city

Abstract

Context and background Walking is a primary mode of transport for both developed and developing countries. According to UN-Habitat (2022) about 78% of the people in urban areas walk for daily travels to different destinations to access healthcare, education, shops, and to perform different activities. Through movements at different locations people are forced to cross the road for different purposes at different locations. Safe crossing necessitated pedestrian crossings to be designed and formally indicated on urban roads to facilitate smooth crossing from one side of the road to another. However, some of the cross-ways are merely formulated offhandedly by road users and used by the pedestrians to cross the roads. Within the highways, the location of crossing signs are determined by the demand analysed from population, activities and urban functions on both sides of the road which attracts number of people to move from one side to another. The emergency of new developments, redesign and expansion of roadways, concentration of activities and the rapid increase of populations are among the driving forces towards formation of informal pedestrian crossing on highways. Goal and objectives The goal is to explore the driving forces towards formation of informal pedestrian crossings and suggest the measures of restricting, controlling and avoiding risks of utilization of informal pedestrian crossings along the major roads in urban areas. Objectives of the study; i) to determine the behavioral characteristics towards the formation of pedestrian crossings. ii) to analyse the consequences of using informal coss-ways along the major roads in urban areas, and iii) suggest mechanisms of controlling development and usability of informal pedestrian crossings in highways. Methodology The study applied both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative approach were applied in collection of data on signalized, non-signalized and at informal pedestrian crossings. Interviews were conducted to adults and school going children who has crossed the road using a respective pedestrian crossing. Qualitative approaches were applied to conduct official interviews. Results • It is indicated that the number of people using informal crossings is adequately increasing. • Business and shopping activities together with work related movements use more informal pedestrian crossing as compared by school, leisure and relative related travels. • Crushes along the pedestrian crossing are very much increasing due to negligence of drivers that hit pedestrian during crossing. • Long distances between formal pedestrian crossings and long waiting time during peak hours influence the formation of informal pedestrian crossings.

Keywords

• Key word
• Pedestrian crossing
• formal and informal crossing
• design and formation of crossing