The Effects of On-Street Parking On Pedestrians' Safety along Main Roads in Adama City

Abstract

In both developed and developing nations, the rising population and growing urban areas have been followed by rising car ownership. Adama is a transportation hub for central Ethiopia, connecting various regions. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of on-street parking on pedestrians' safety along the main roads in Adama City, which run from Derartu Square to Wonji Mazoria. In order to create a suitable plan for improving pedestrian safety, the study specifically aims to examine the existing state of the study area's main route in accordance with national requirements as well as the implications of on-street parking on pedestrian safety. In this study, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to achieve the intended objectives. Purposive sampling was used to gather data for this study from 384 respondents using survey questionnaires regarding their perceptions of the built environment's infrastructure, the effect of on-street parking on pedestrian movement, and pedestrian walking. The findings of the study indicate that pedestrians in the study area face a range of safety issues related to on-street parking. Inappropriate parking and the encroachment of vehicles onto sidewalks lead to reduced pedestrian space and increased conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles. The study further reveals problems related to inadequate sidewalk conditions, such as poor maintenance and insufficient width, which further impact pedestrian safety. Furthermore, the study highlights that the current on-street parking situation creates congestion, negatively affecting the flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The presence of illegally parked vehicles obstructs sidewalks and forces pedestrians to navigate through unsafe conditions. To this end, the study developed a strategy and proposed a recommendation for improving a pedestrian walking environment and a better space where pedestrians can walk without any disturbance with the surrounding space through widening sidewalks in line with standards, ensuring proper maintenance and enforcing parking regulations, raising awareness about the importance of pedestrians' safety to enhance the overall pedestrian experience, and ensuring a safer environment. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the proposed strategies be incorporated into the future strategic and master plan of the city to sustainably curb problems related to pedestrian safety.