: Following Footsteps Through the Seasons: A Study of Seasonal and Locational Variation in Pedestrian Activity across Virginia

Abstract

Walking is a vital and highly sustainable mode of transportation, yet trips remain low in most communities. The influence of road and pedestrian infrastructure on walking is widely studied, but how such influences vary across locations, urban characteristics, and seasonal variations remains less understood, as examining this requires high-resolution pedestrian activity data. This study addresses the gap by examining seasonal differences in pedestrian activity and identifying the transportation infrastructure and built environment covariates associated with them. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) maintains a network of sensors that record pedestrians passing each site in real time, yielding continuous activity data at high spatial and temporal resolution. We filtered data for temporal coverage at counter sites in Arlington, Fairfax, and Roanoke, selecting February, April, June, and November of 2024 to represent the four seasons. We use the graduated symbol map to visualize and count the mean pedestrian count for each counter-site location. Pedestrian activity was highest in spring and summer and lowest in fall, but the disparity varied by location, but the magnitude of that seasonal disparity was widely altered by location. The shared-use trails and bridge crossings in Arlington and along the Roanoke River carried heavy traffic, whereas trails running alongside I-66 in Fairfax averaged close to one pedestrian per hour. Recreational trails retained much of their volume through the year, suggesting that whether a site is recreational or utilitarian, shapes its overall level of use. These findings can help planners and engineers understand walking concentrations and target infrastructure investments accordingly.