Vo Dao Chi, Kim Jeongseob
Department of Civil, Urban, Earth and Environmental Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, South Korea.
PLoS One. 2024 Dec 30;19(12):e0315828. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0315828. eCollection 2024.
This study explores the perceived walkability of one-way commercial streets by utilizing immersive 360-degree virtual reality (VR) videos. While one-way roads are often introduced to facilitate smooth traffic flow on narrow roads, providing safe and walkable environments for pedestrians on the one-way roads is crucial, especially in commercial areas with heavy pedestrian traffic. We recruited 40 students to assess the perceived walkability of one-way roads based on ten VR scenarios. For each scenario, variables such as road width, one-way traffic status, vehicle approach direction, and the presence of sidewalks were configured differently. This study found that while there is awareness of one-way road types, the presence of sidewalks is considered critical factor contributing to enhanced perceived walkability on narrow commercial street. In the condition of narrow road width, one-way roads are the only applicable road layout to have a sidewalk, implying the potential of one-way roads for better walkability. Besides, the study also revealed the high correlation between five dimensions of perceived walkability, emphasizing their role to enhance perceived walkability in a setting of one-way roads. This study's findings could be utilized for more systematic walkability assessments and urban design improvements, especially in constrained road spaces.
本研究通过使用沉浸式360度虚拟现实（VR）视频来探索单向商业街的可步行性感知。虽然单向道路通常是为了便于狭窄道路上的交通顺畅而设置的，但为单向道路上的行人提供安全且适宜步行的环境至关重要，尤其是在行人流量大的商业区。我们招募了40名学生，基于十个VR场景来评估单向道路的可步行性感知。对于每个场景，道路宽度、单向交通状况、车辆驶近方向以及人行道的存在等变量都进行了不同的配置。本研究发现，虽然人们对单向道路类型有所认知，但人行道的存在被认为是有助于提高狭窄商业街上可步行性感知的关键因素。在道路宽度较窄的情况下，单向道路是唯一能够设置人行道的适用道路布局，这意味着单向道路在提升可步行性方面具有潜力。此外，该研究还揭示了可步行性感知的五个维度之间的高度相关性，强调了它们在单向道路环境中提升可步行性感知的作用。本研究的结果可用于更系统的可步行性评估和城市设计改进，尤其是在道路空间有限的情况下。
