Corak pergerakan pejalan kaki dan kesannya ke atas daya tarikan perniagaan di jalan Wong Ah Fook

Abstract

Pedestrian movement patterns in a city are influenced by various factors including direction, motivation, comfort and safety. Node or focus, for this case study, Customs and Immigration Complex in Johor Bahru is one other factor that affects the pattern of pedestrian movement. Nodes related theories are important in understanding the impact of nodes towards pedestrians and businesses. Nodes are the main focus for the pedestrian to walk. When Customs and Immigration Complex was transferred to a new site in 2009, there were numerous complaints, especially from the business owners at Jalan Wong Ah Fook on the number of pedestrian passing by their shops. The transfer of the node caused changes in the direction of pedestrian‟s movement and was said to affect their business. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the business condition at Jalan Wong Ah Fook, before and after the Customs and Immigration Complex transfer. The historical fact of the business district at Jalan Wong Ah Fook was analyzed to understand the changes. The objective of this analysis was to identify the decrease in the number of businesses within the study area after the transfer of the node to other location. The second objective is to study the impact on the movement patterns towards pedestrians and to the attractiveness of the business district along Jalan Wong Ah Fook. The number of pedestrians and their movement patterns were investigated. The purpose was to analyse the number of pedestrians between the years 2008 and 2011. This is to find the differences before and after the nodes transfer. From the observations, it was found that the transfer of node gives impact on the direction of the pedestrian flow because the majority of pedestrians move towards the node. Therefore, businesses that are not located along pedestrian movement have less pedestrians passing by. Interviews were conducted to enhance the understanding on the direction of pedestrian in Jalan Wong Ah Fook. The importance of conducting interviews was to obtain qualitative data and opinion directly from the pedestrians on the impact of the nodes transfer. Interviews were also conducted on businesses owners within the study area to find out their opinion. Results from the interviews showed that businesses that do not depend on pedestrians are less affected by the transfer. In conclusion, it was found that the number of businesses closure is low and the location of nodes effect the pedestrian movement patterns, but does not affect all types of businesses.