The Journal of Engineering GeologyISSN:1226-5268(Print) 2287-7169(Online)대한지질공학회

A walking trail environment can be divided into the upper part of the trail, the trail itself, and the lower part of the trail. In this study, based on field investigations, we developed a risk index for trails by considering human/societal factors that affect each of these three trail environments. A checklist was developed for field investigations, and checklist items were scored through relative importance analysis. The relative weights of items were analyzed using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) technique, revealing that the upper environment of a trail is twice as important as the rest of the environment. The importance and score of items belonging to each environment were determined. We define the risk index as the sum of the item scores. Weights were added using data from existing investigations including landslides risk rating and designated risk steep slopes. The risk index has a maximum value of 200, and the maximum and minimum calculated scores of 335 risk sections were 159 and 64.2, respectively. As a result of comparative analysis between field observations and risk index calculations, most sections at relatively low risk had risk values less than 100, and sections with high risks or that had been the site of accident yielded scores that exceeded 140.