Effect of Physical Street Characteristics on the Safety of Child Pedestrians in Kawangware Ward

Abstract

Streets are known as the veins of a city. With the growth of cities, emphasis is moving from building large roads to creating streets that support quality places ( NACTO, 2016 ). Child pedestrians from deprived areas such as informal settlements are particularly at risk ( Clarke & Draisin, 2023 ). This study sought to establish whether there is a relationship between the physical characteristics of the streets of an area and the safety of school-going child pedestrians and was undertaken in Kawangware ward, Nairobi City County in Kenya. Data was collected by use of standardized questionnaires and an observation checklist. The questionnaires were issued to a sample of teachers and guardians representing children while the observation checklist was used to collect data on the physical characteristics of Gitanga street in Kawangware. Quantitative analyses were applied and it was found that not only do physical characteristics affect safety, but some are more critical to safety than others.