4037ENV Transport Planning

Analysis of Pedestrian Count

Assignment 3
Brendan Ferris (2835927)
6/13/2014

Word Count: 1, 831

This report will focus solely on the data acquired from two pedestrian counts on the 27th
April 2013 and 3rd May 2014 respectively. The data from 2013 will be separately analysed
and then compared against 2014 data to identify the most important data trends.

1. 2013
1.1.Key differences in counts between all locations?
Through examining the data, an important trend has been identified where differences in
count numbers are attributed to the location of each count. For example, the total amount of
pedestrians is considerably higher in certain places such as Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.
This is due to these locations being known as tourist hot spots which attract large amounts of
people (Zacharias 2001). In addition to this, the total amount of people sitting at cafs is
significantly higher in Broadbeach (Location 16) and Surfers Paradise (Location 9) compared
to Southport (Location 2). This is because there are a lot more cafs and restaurants for
people to choose from, hence attracting a larger amount of people. Another difference which
shows the importance of each count location is the amount of people counted at night. As you
can see in Table 1, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach have much higher counts as they are
known for leisure activities. On the other hand, location 7 and 13 are places where you would
not normally socialise at night.
Table 1. Total number of people counted from 6-10pm.

Location

Total walkers counted

Southport (Location 4)

249

Main beach (Location 7)

178

Surfers Paradise (Location 8)

1,094

Isle of Capri (Location 13)

116

Broad Beach (Location15)

1,305

1.2.Which sites have the greatest differences throughout the day?

Location 4 in Southport has a substantial difference in counts between day and night. During
the day, the counts are consistently above 100 but then once night time appears, the numbers
drop down to as low as 40. The reason for this trend is the area within location 4 is situated
(Zacharias 2001). As the count is location is on the back of Australia Fair, the count numbers
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would be reasonably high as it is a Saturday and most people would be shopping. When the
shops close at night, the numbers drop off as there are as limited options for people to
socialise and enjoy leisure activities. On the other hand, location 15 in Broadbeach is the
opposite as there are more leisure activities (pubs/clubs/restaurants) available at night than
during the day.
1.3. What are the differences in standing and sitting between all staying areas?
As you can see in Figure 1, the difference between people standing and sitting varies for each
location. In Surfers Paradise (Location 9) there are much more people standing than sitting,
whilst in Broadbeach there are far more people sitting. The differences in counts could be
attributed to various aspects such as the weather, time of day and availability of services. For
instance in Broadbeach, the weather might have been quite pleasant which meant people
would be constantly moving around and taking advantage of the numerous activities available
such as shopping (Miranda-Moreno & Lahti 2013). On the other hand, the high amount of
people sitting in Surfers Paradise could be due to the design and atmosphere of the public
space which encourages people to sit down and take in the sights (Zacharias 2001).
Differences between standing and sitting
2013
Broadbeach
Surfers
Southport
0

200

400

Sitting

600

800

1000 1200

Standing

Figure 1. Difference between total people standing and total people sitting in all staying areas 2013.

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1.4. Is there a relationship between pedestrian and cyclist activity and adjacent land uses?
Figure 2 shows the total amount of people walking and cycling for two different locations. As
you can see there are vast differences in counts between the two locations with location 8
having predominately more walkers whilst in location 5 there were more cyclists. This is due
to the adjacent land uses influencing whether a person walks or rides (McClintock & Cleary
1996). For example, location 5 is situated on a bridge that connects two different parks
together and has ample amount of riding spaces. In contrast, location 8 is situated within a
retail area where it is much busier and therefore making it harder to cycle. Therefore land use
planning can significantly influence how people move around different areas.
Difference between total walkers and total cyclists
3000
2500
2000
Walker

1500

Cyclist

1000
500
0
Main Beach (Location 5)

Surfers Paradise (Location 8)

Figure 2. Difference between total walkers and total cyclists for two separate locations.

2. 2014
2.1. Key differences in counts between all locations?
As you can see in Table 2, there was a substantial increase in the amount of walkers between
2013 and 2014. Several factor (such as weather) could have been a major contributor to the
increase in numbers between the two years. It should be noted that in 2013 the construction
of the light rail was well under way which could have hindered the amount of walkers in
areas such as Southport and Surfers Paradise.
Once again Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach had significantly more walkers in 2014 due to
both areas being well known areas of leisure and tourist hot spots (Zacharias 2001). However
the vast difference in numbers for location 4 in Southport should be noted. This was

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attributed to a special event where an exceptional amount of people walked past the site
which would not normally have been the case.
Table 2. Comparison of total number of walkers counted for 2013 and 2014.

Location

Total walkers counted 2013

Total walkers counted 2014

Southport (Location 4)

249

1950

Main beach (Location 7)

178

434

1,094

1651

Isle of Capri (Location 13)

116

338

Broad Beach (Location15)

1,305

1869

Surfers Paradise (Location 8)

2.2. Is there a difference between 2013 and 2014 in the number of people sitting at cafes?
Figure 3 indicates that the total amount of people sitting at cafs in 2014 is down from the
numbers in 2013. Various factors could contribute to this such as weather, special events and
time of year. Despite this difference, both Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise have
considerably larger numbers than that of Southport. Once again this can be attributed to
Southport not being as much of a social hub as the other two locations. In adding to this, the
construction of the light rail has a greater impact on the cafs of Southport as the rail lines are
situated closer to the cafs and could deter customers due to the noise which it creates.
Total number of people sitting at cafes in 2013 and 2014
3500
3000
2013

2014

2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Southport

Surfers Paradise

Broadbeach

Figure 3. Comparison of total number of people sitting at cafs.

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2.3. What are differences in standing and sitting between all staying areas?
As you can see in Figure 4, there are significantly more people standing than sitting at all
staying areas (Locations 2, 9 and 16). Much like the 2013 data (see Figure 1), the reason for
this trend could be due to what leisure activities are available and how each public space is
designed. A noteworthy feature of the 2013 and 2014 data is the contrasting numbers of
location 9 in Surfers Paradise. In 2013 there was a major difference in the amount of people
sitting than standing; however in 2014 this trend was reversed. Possible explanations for this
contrast in numbers are the weather and special events which might have influenced whether
a person sat or stood (Miranda-Moreno & Lahti 2013).
Difference between standing and sitting 2014
1200
1000
800
600

Standing
Sitting

400
200
0
Southport

Surfers Paradise

Brroadbeach

Figure 4. Difference between total people standing and total people sitting in all staying areas 2014.

2.4. Is there a relationship between location and cyclist numbers?

Table 3 highlights the total amount of cyclists counted for each area in 2013 and 2013
respectively. The data highlights that there was a drop in cyclists for the majority of areas in
2014. Unfavourable weather conditions could have possibly altered the count in 2014 as well
as other aspects such as special events (Miranda-Moreno & Lahti 2013). Regardless of the
declining overall numbers, both Main Beach and Surfers Paradise were the most popular
areas for cyclists in 2013 and 2014. In Main Beach and Surfers Paradise there are numerous
cycle tracks and plenty of scenic open spaces that encourage people to ride. In addition to
this, there are also a sufficient amount of cycle lanes that allow cyclists to ride on the road.
On the other hand, Southport (which recorded the lowest cyclist numbers for 2013 and 2014),
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has less options for cyclists as well as frequent disruptions from the construction of the light
rail. However, it should be noted that the method of the pedestrian count could alter the
outcome. For instance, the locations for Southport were centred towards the business part of
the suburb where there are predominately more walkers than cyclists. Furthermore, students
were only required to count for 10 minute intervals so many cyclists may not have been
counted. Therefore for a more accurate analysis of this relationship, a more detailed
pedestrian count would be required.
Table 3. Total number of cyclists for each area in 2013 and 2014.

Area
Southport
Main Beach
Surfers Paradise
Isle of Capri
Broadbeach
Average (N)

2013
52
173
159
70
64
103.6

2014
43
140
136
75
72
93.2

2.5. What are the busiest times for walkers and cyclists in 2013 and 2014?
As you can see in Table 4, there are different data trends for each separate year. In 2013, the
total amount of walkers gradually increased throughout the day. Conversely, the trend was
reversed in 2014 with a gradual decrease in walkers throughout the day. Several factors could
have contributed to this reversed trend. Firstly, the 2014 data stated that there was a union
march during mid-day at location 4 in Southport. This saw the count number grow
exponentially from 99 walkers at 12-1pm to 1000 walkers from 1-2pm. Therefore the march
would have drastically altered the numbers for that location. Another important factor that
could have influenced the amount of walkers is the weather. As the numbers declined
throughout the day, so could have the weather which would have forced most people to stay
inside. Finally, other special events such as sporting matches and live music concerts may
have contributed to the rise in walkers in 2013. Numerous people could have attended such
events and then decided to stay out afterwards which would result in more walkers at night
than during the day.

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Cyclist numbers throughout the day were quite similar in 2013 and 2014. As Table 4
illustrates, both years had a substantial decrease in cyclist numbers between the time slots of
2pm-6pm and 6pm-10pm. A possible reason for this trend is safety. For example, during the
day there is optimal vision and cyclists can see and be seen quite easily. However at night
vision is deteriorated which may affect how safe cyclists feel when riding on and near roads.
In addition to this, bad weather may have also contributed to the decline in numbers as the
majority of cyclists would not ride in unfavourable conditions (McClintock & Cleary 1996).
Table 4. Total amount of walkers and cyclists throughout the day.

Time slot
10am-2pm
2pm-6pm
6pm-10pm

Walkers
3250
3438
3702

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2013
Cyclists
204
222
87

Walkers
3434
3279
2291

2014
Cyclists
265
196
56

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Reference List

McClintock, H. & Cleary, J. 1996, Cycle facilities and cyclists safety, Transport Policy,
vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 67-77.
Miranda-Moreno, L. & Lahti, A. 2013, Temporal trends and the effect of weather on
pedestrian volumes: A case of Montreal, Canada, Transportation Research Part D,
vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 54-59.
Zacharias, J. 2001, Pedestrian behaviour and perception in urban walking environments,
Journal of Planning Literature, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 3-18.

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