Pedestrian's Hierarchy of Needs

Why Walk

Walk, run or cycle. People who regularly exercise know their benefits: it makes them feel better and it makes them happier. The Surgeon General has recommended 30 minutes of exercise daily for adults (60 for children), yet most Americans do not get enough exercise. Why?

One reason is time (and effort). Exercising is hard and it takes time from our already busy days. But it is not just time that keeps people rooted to their couches. Choosing to be a pedestrian, the simplest form of exercise, means fighting our incumbent car-first infrastructure nearly every step of the way.

As a society, if we want to reap the many social, economic, health and environmental benefits of people power, then we need to create an environment where pedestrians are not just tolerated, but encouraged. Fortunately, the costs of active transportation infrastructure are comparatively low (especially if included in a project from the beginning) when compared with automobile costs, while the benefits extend far beyond just the individual walker or cyclist.

What do Pedestrians Need?

For the most part pedestrian needs are simple: they want to reach their destination without being killed. But the more welcome pedestrians feel, the more they will choose to walk, run or cycle. Making a community pedestrian friendly requires several considerations, which can be described by borrowing Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. This lists pedestrian's needs, starting with the most basic and necessary.

1. Achievable - Corresponding to Maslow's physiological needs, if a person is not capable of walking, if the desired route is not available (i.e. there is a foot of snow on the ground) or there are insurmountable barriers (such as crossing a highway or river) then any pedestrian activity is not feasible.
2. Safe - Once an viable route is selected, one of the next considerations is safety. If I follow a route from A to B will I be safe? Is the route safe from external hazards. Are there sidewalks and crosswalks along the way? Are there protected bike lanes? Will drivers expect to see me and is there space for them to react in a safe and predictable manner? What is the traffic volume, speed differential and proximity between car traffic and pedestrian traffic?
   
   This is why programs like Complete Streets and Safe Routes to School have been so important. This is why so many communities are creating multi-use paths that are totally separated from traffic.
   
   Personal safety extends beyond tension with vehicular traffic. In some areas there is a threat of violent crime. Dark, lonely routes at night through seedy areas should be avoided. If I choose to drive to the start of my walking route, will my car and possessions still be there when I return?
   
   Many pedestrian trips never happen because no safe route exists.
   
   
3. Convenient - Can I get to my route easily. Is it available when I want to use it? Ideally, every front door is a trail head...but that is not the reality. In our town we have a beautiful, wildly popular rail trail with the sad irony that most, if not all, users drive to reach it. The overflow lot is across a speedy town artery and although there is a crosswalk, many drivers fail to see and therefore stop, for people waiting to cross.
   
   Cyclists know many great routes that are only rideable in the early hours of Sunday morning, before drivers wake up and stumble out to get their iced flabbaccinos and pancakes.
   
   
4. Rewarding - Most people who walk, run or ride realize that the act is its own reward but to engage more people either the route or the destination should provide a reward. Our rail trail ranges along a river and through a beautiful valley. For many, the time spent close to nature, in a safe, quiet, car-free environment where they can chat with friends, or use the time to reflect on something or nothing is all the reward they need. But, not every trip needs to be through pristine woods or include scenic vistas.
   
   Riding a bike to a desirable destination such as a coffee shop, restaurant, drug store, even work, is a reward. Taken to its extreme, the reward could be as simple as not being penalized for choosing to be a pedestrian: hostile traffic, no sidewalks and crosswalks, no place to lock your bike, etc.
   
   There are other, less obvious ways that walking can be rewarded. Pokemon Go is a video game that not only encourages walking, it requires it. Step counters, Fitness Challenges and other "gamifications" have quantified activities in a way that motivates users to not break the streak.
   
   
5. Repeatable - No action can become a habit if it is not repeatable. If a user wants to walk again tomorrow, will they be able to? Will they enjoy the same success as on previous trips? Ciclovias and popup bike lanes are great, but they are not habit forming. Is the route only rideable on the weekends? Is it only available seasonally? Are leaves removed in the fall? Is the snow cleared in the winter? Are limbs and branches quickly removed after a storm?
   
   
6. Multipurpose - One size does not fit all. The biker's needs are different from the walker's needs. Routes and infrastructure should accommodate all activities and users with any ability.
   
   
7. Comfortable - Is the route accommodating? Does it offer physical niceties such as water and sanitary services? Are there benches to stop and rest? Are there picnic areas? Is it covered with tree canopy to avoid the summer heat and does it offer covered shelters to wait out a flash thunderstorm? Are users made to feel like this is a place where they are welcomed or just tolerated?
   

Pedestrian's Hierarchy of Needs

The Pedestrian Hierarchy of Needs

The more a community provides elements from the above list, the further they move up the hierarchy, the more walkable a community becomes. A more walkable community will encourage more people to get out and be pedestrians, and more pedestrians means fewer cars, a healthier community and a happier society.