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Main Article Content
Do we think alike? Exploring user perceptions of road aesthetic dimensions in Nairobi
Abstract
Road aesthetics is critical to improving safety, traffic flow, and user experience. This study hypothesises that these aesthetic qualities exist as latent factors in urban roads, influencing how people perceive them. The study aims to examine how different road users perceive these qualities. The study used a mixed-methods approach to collect data from 354 road users and identified coherence, naturalness, and imageability as the inherent aesthetic qualities in the roads. Different road user categories demonstrated distinct perceptions of the aesthetic dimensions. Regarding coherence, there was evidence of a difference in the perceptions by the types of road users; H(2) = 55.684, p .001, among the categories of age groups; H(4) = 15.624, p = .004, and in the frequency of road use; H(2) = 9.006, p = .011. With regards to road naturalness, statistically significant differences were found between pedestrians and motorcyclists U(Npedestrians = 170, Nmotorcyclists = 87) = 3928.00, z = -6.170, p ˂ .001, as well as between pedestrians and drivers U(Npedestrians = 170, Ndrivers = 97) = 5963.00, z = -3.772, p ˂ .001. There was also evidence of a difference in male and female users, H(1) = 12.844, p < .001. Additionally, the one-way ANOVA showed a statistical difference among age groups, F(4,349) = 3.40, p=.010. Finally, the test results for road imageability indicated a difference in the types of road users, H(2) = 31.513, p < .001. It also revealed a statistical difference among groups based on the frequency of use F(2,305) =3.93, p=.021. These findings suggest differences in cognitive loads among different categories of road users and highlight the need to review how road users prioritise self-explaining road principles. The study proposes consideration of diverse user cognitive abilities as a major contributor to the human factors in the initial stages of road planning. This consideration will lead to more inclusive and effective road design strategies, ultimately resulting in safer urban roads.
