Alternative ways of measuring activities and movement patterns of transients in urban areas: International experiences

Five methods of measuring pedestrian movement can be distinguished: tracking, observing by means of cameras, interviewing, questionnaires and using high tech equipment like RFID, GPS, cell phones and yR. This paper reports on and discusses the collection of data of pedestrian movement and activities in central shopping areas in cities in the Netherlands, China, Japan, and South Korea. The data have been collected by means of interviews or questionnaires. Aspects regarding sample, survey instrument and design, administration, data cleaning, and experiences have been dealt with. Next, questions concerning the timing and location of intercepting respondents, how to elicit destinations visited and routes walked through the study area have been discussed. It has been concluded that in order to improve data quality pedestrians should be intercepted when leaving the study area and immediately be interviewed on the spot.