IMPACT OF ROADSIDE VENDORS AND INADEQUATE WALKABILITY INFRASTRUCTURES ON PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IN ADDIS ABABA: A CASE STUDY OF GULELE SUB-CITY
Creators: name: MITIKU ADARE TUFA
Publisher: name: National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia
Year: 2019
Subjects: Gulele Sub-city, Pedestrians, Street Vendors, Walkability, Disability, Level of Service,

description: Pedestrians are the most vulnerable to traffic accidents. This study aimed at assessing the prevalent pedestrian mobility in Addis Ababa and further examine the adverse impact of roadside vendors and inadequate walkability infrastructures on pedestrian safety and propose rational solutions with particular focus on Gulele Sub-city. The population expansion of Addis Ababa (Finfinnee) in the last two and a half decades was significant due to mass migration of the youth from rural areas for search of different jobs including street vending. Inadequate walkability infrastructures, poor road management and on street vending are the major factors causing pedestrians encroach into the main carriageway adversely affecting the normal flow of vehicles. In this regard, most of the urban poor and persons with disabilities have difficulties of walking. To meet the objectives of this research; factors affecting pedestrian safety, walkway continuity and system coherence, pedestrian amenities and comfort, security from crime and secondary data like pedestrian accidents by time variation, road surface conditions, land use types, road intersection types, weather and light conditions, pedestrian age, work type, pedestrian health and movement conditions were given attention. Primary data were collected from pertinent organization through questionnaire/interviews. The results of the study showed the existence of large difference in road traffic accident victims by road characters, land use types, surface conditions, weather and light conditions, pedestrian work type, health and their movement conditions and age. In this respect, it was observed that road traffic accidents in the Sub-city mostly victimized age categories of between 18-30 followed by age categories of between 31-50. It was also observed that the road traffic accidents extremely affected economically active citizens and students. The result also showed that most of Pedestrian facilities like pedestrian amenities, availability and visibility conditions of crossing areas, streetlight and walkway surface quality, and walkway management was very poor. There is were no designated places for street venders and so they use spaces meant for pedestrian movement. In residential areas, accidents found high, so the government should provide a walkable environment clustering to form towns of compatible mixed uses in order to reduce car dependence for access to employment, retail and community services. In view of the foregoing, recommendations have been forwarded in respect of road engineering, traffic regulations enforcement, adequate provision of road safety education, offering of definite land use policy like vending, disability infrastructures, raised zebra crossing, marking zebra crossing, constructing, maintenance and management of walkway. Improvement needs that can be achieved based on pedestrian’s perception of the condition of the sidewalk found that the absence of disability infrastructures, impact of street vending, narrow and in accessibility of walkways are the first most that need prioritization for improvements.