Modeling and application of AHP approach for development of pedestrian safety index (PSI) model for safety of pedestrian flows in urban areas of developing countries

The study aims at developing a hierarchy pedestrian safety index model that will help in decision-making by choosing, ranking and prioritizing the various safety dimensions and indicators. The model helps to decide the best criteria perceived by pedestrians affecting their safety. To develop the model and examine the decision of pedestrian safety using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Prioritized Criteria Approach and Ranking Criteria Approach have been used. Ten different stretches of roads with side-walks, in and around CBD areas of Srinagar Metropolitan Area were selected for the study. The data were collected from the road stretches of 20 kms total length for the development of the model. The pedestrian safety dimension criteria selected are convenience (C1), connectivity (C2), comfort (C3), conviviality (C4), safety (S5) and security (S6). Various safety indicators explaining each of the safety dimensions are identified and coded. The AHP is then performed in a step by step procedure. Priority weights of pedestrian safety dimensions are determined, based on which ranking and priorities for the criteria are obtained. Local preferences are derived for the selected variables and overall priorities and overall rankings are determined. After estimating criteria priorities and overall priorities of pedestrian safety indicators, sensitivity analysis was conducted to check the model performance. It is seen that the convenience has the second criteria priority whereas comfort has the fourth criteria priority. The third best criteria priority was found to be for safety and security followed by conviviality. It is also seen that safety and security, the new criterion introduced in this study, is a very important criterion affecting the safety of pedestrians. The model is quite useful for application to any urban area especially in developing countries because of high number of variables affecting the pedestrian safety decisions and hence more number of criteria to be considered.