Street walkability is an indication of the suitability of the built environment to walking. Walkability of any street will increase when safe, comfortable and accessible infrastructure is provided for pedestrians. Urban designs influence how an individual perceives the built environment, including the desirability of walking and all other physical activities involved. Three street factors (accessibility, congestion and cleanliness) along a 900 meters long central seg ment of Ngei Street in Machakos Town were directly measured by use of standardized questionnaires. The number of pedestrians in the segment was estimated using Fischer’s formula and 96 of them where sampled using judgmental technique. Majority (51%) of pedestrians who responded to the questionnaire indicated that the street was wide enough and accessible while 12%, 15%, 3% and 17% strongly agreed, disagreed, neutral and agreed respectively. In addition, the results revealed that densities of movement increase with increased width of the walkways. With little consideration of pedestrians and other road users’ this has led to high congestion in Ngei Street which was affirmed by 47% of the majority respondents. Lastly, 56% of the respondent confirmed that the Ngei Street (understudy) was well maintained a nd clean. This study recommends improvement and addition of non-continuous pedestrian walkways, designation of pedestrian crossing across all street segments to ease traffic management and reduce vehicle congestion in addition to periodic walkways maintenance and regular pavement cleaning.
KeywordsStreet WalkabilityBuilt EnvironmentPedestrianDesirabilityCleanliness and Maintenance
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