Land use around suburban transit stations

Land use change in some form is cited by both supporters and critics of rapid transit deployment. This paper examines and categorizes land use around twenty stations located in suburban Washington, D.C. and San Francisco/Oakland through the use of aerial photographs and field investigations. As a case study of local economic development, it documents the land use pattern associated with two modern heavy rail, rapid transit networks — BART and METRO.Both BART and METRO impact land use around suburban stations. The primary contributors to station area development are residential and commercial developers in addition to the transportation providers themselves. The trend toward more intense development away from the regional CBD toward suburban station areas indicates a wave of influence moving into the hinterland via transit lines. While trends of land use are apparent, individual station areas seem to be dictated by local conditions such as markets, land use restrictions, accessibility, population, and physical geography.     

Relationship between proximity to transit and ridership for journey-to-work trips in Chicago

The use of privately owned vehicles (POVs) contributes significantly to US energy consumption (EC) and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe). Strategies for reducing POV use include shifting trips to other modes, particularly public transit. Choices to use transit are based on characteristics of travelers, their trips, and the quality of competing transportation services. Here we focus on the proximity of rail stations to trip origins/destinations as a factor affecting mode choice for work trips. Using household travel survey data from Chicago, we evaluate the profile of journey-to-work (JTW) trips, assessing mode share and potential for more travelers to use rail. For work trips having the origin/destination as close as 1 mile from rail transit stations, POVs were still the dominant travel mode, capturing as much as 61%, followed by rail use at 14%. This high degree of POV use coupled with the proportion of JTW trips within close proximity to rail stations indicated that at least some of these trips may be candidates for shifting from POV to rail. For example, shifting all work trips with both the origin/destination within 1 mile of commuter rail stations would potentially reduce the energy associated with all work-related POV driving trips by a maximum of 24%. Based on the analysis of trips having the origin and destination closest to train stations, a complete shift in mode from POV to train could exceed CO₂ reduction goals targeted in the Chicago Climate Action Plan. This could occur with current settlement patterns and the use of existing infrastructure. However, changes in traveler behavior and possibly rail operation would be necessary, making policy to motivate this change essential.     

A causal analysis of car ownership and transit use

The causal structure underlying household mobility is examined in this study using a sample obtained from the Dutch National Mobility Panel survey. The results indicate that car ownership is strongly associated with mode use, but that it has no influence on weekly person trip generation by household members. Characteristics of mode use are examined through a causal analysis of changes in car ownership, number of drivers, number of car trips, and number of transit trips. It is shown that observed changes in mode use cannot be adequately explained by assuming that a change in transit use influences car use. The finding suggests that the increase in car use, which is a consequence of increasing car ownership, may not be suppressed by improving public transit.     

Assessment of the impact of changes in transit systems using intervention analysis

Marketing control enables effective and efficient use of marketing resources. This study uses intervention analysis to assess the effectiveness of a transit system change in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The goal of the change was to improve the effectiveness of the transit system, although, “effectiveness” was not formally defined before the change. In this study, four measures of effectiveness were used: total ridership, total operating revenues, the ratio of total operating revenues to total revenue miles, and the ratio of total passenger trips to total revenue miles. Intervention analysis showed that three out of four of these measures had been improved by the transit system change.     

Optimal transit subsidy policy

The basic justification for transit subsidy is that such a subsidy is necessary, given substantial economies of scale, in order to permit fares to be set at a level which will result in reasonably efficient use of the service. Efficiency is not, however, merely a matter of the level of the fares but even more of the fare structure and pattern. Major changes in fare patterns are needed to permit reasonable efficiency of utilization to be attained, and full advantage derived from subsidy. Differentiation according to time and direction, as well as the distance of travel, is required. Ideally, competing modes such as the private automobile should be priced at marginal cost, differentially by time and place, and the subsidy should be derived from taxes on land values in the areas where such values are enhanced by the presence of transit service at low fares. In the absence of such conditions, fares should differ from marginal cost in ways that take into account the impacts of transit fare variations on auto traffic and congestion, and on the subsidy requirements and the adverse impacts of the taxes imposed to finance the subsidy.In addition to these economic efficiency considerations there may be added considerations of distributional impact and political acceptability, which may modify the optimal solution somewhat but should not greatly change the main outlines of the patterns to be recommended.     

Exploring built environment impacts on transit use – an updated meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

The built environment (BE) is widely accepted to influence transit use (TU). Evidence to date suggests the relationship is dependent on many factors which can be difficult to account for in quantitative studies. This creates barriers to transferring research into practice. Considering many studies together can be useful for accounting for more of the factors impacting transit use. Yet, meta-analysis of research measuring these influences was last undertaken in 2010 based on 18 studies. Since then 90 new quantitative studies have been published. These recent studies use improved methodologies and are conducted in more diverse geographies. This paper reports an improved and updated meta-analysis of built environment impacts on transit use. It compares elasticity estimates from research published pre-and post-2010 and explores the impact of new methods and a more diverse geographical representation on findings. Updated meta-elasticities range from <0.01 to 0.26; a similar range to the 2010 study. However, at the individual indicator levels, more recent results are different. Elasticities for urban density, including population, employment and commercial density, have increased significantly in studies published since 2010, as did that of land use mix. However, measures of local access, design and jobs-housing balance decreased in post-2010 studies. These results confirm the small but imprecise relationship between the BE and TU. Results also suggest that while the range of elasticity impacts is relatively consistent, new study methodologies, notably those that control for regional accessibility and self-selection, and the increasing geographical diversity in study applications, is acting to change BE-TU findings at the indicator level. Research setting and context are important to consider when using empirical results to design BE strategies to promote transit use.     

What determines transit energy use?

A comparison of the energy use per passenger-mile of eight modes of urban transportation is made in terms of eleven variables, resulting in conclusions about the direction transit system design should take to provide adequate transportation with minimum energy use. The method can easily be programmed on a personal computer to be used to study the effects of parameter variations on energy use.     

An integrated measure of accessibility and reliability of mass transit systems

The growth of a city or a metropolis requires well-functioning transit systems to accommodate the ensuing increase in travel demand. As a result, mass transit networks have to develop and expand from simple to complex topological systems over time to meet this demand. Such an evolution in the networks’ structure entails not only a change in network accessibility, but also a change in the level of network reliability on the part of stations and the entire system as well. Network accessibility and reliability are popular measures that have been widely applied to evaluate the resilience and vulnerability of a spatially networked system. However, the use of a single measure, either accessibility or reliability, provides different results, which demand an integrated measure to evaluate the network’s performance comprehensively. In this paper, we propose a set of integrated measures, named ACCREL (Integrated Accessibility and Reliability indicators) that considers both metrics in combination to evaluate a network’s performance and vulnerability. We apply the new measures for hypothetical mass transit system topologies, and a case study of the metro transit system in Seoul follows, highlighting the dynamics of network performance with four evolutionary stages. The main contribution of this study lies in the results from the experiments, which can be used to inform how transport network planning can be prepared to enhance the network functionality, thereby achieving a well-balanced, accessible, and reliable system. Insights on network vulnerability are also drawn for public transportation planners and spatial decision makers.     

Modeling isoexposure to transit users for market potential analysis

Transit operators face a difficult fiscal environment and an imperative to contribute to urban sustainability. Under these circumstances, operators must find innovative ways to make public transportation attractive to broader segments of the public, while simultaneously trying to raise revenue to reduce reliance on public subsidies. Development of commercial partnerships is seen as a promising way to achieve these goals. Previous research has examined the potential of using geodemographics to assist transit agencies in the task of identifying potential partners for developing mutually beneficial commercial agreements. In this paper we describe an approach to model isoexposure to transit users as a tool to assess market potential. The approach is based on the analysis of walking behavior of transit users, and specifically distance walked at the end of their transit trip. Spatial modeling is used to geographically project estimates of walking distance for a desired demographic profile at a specific transit facility. After expanding the estimates using sample weights, overlays of these estimates can be used to generate variations in exposure to transit travelers at different locations in space. The approach is demonstrated using the case of Metro users in Montreal, Canada. The case study demonstrates the use of isoexposure profiles as a novel approach to generate marketing intelligence. This should be of interest to transit agencies and businesses interested in developing partnerships.     

Alterations to the transyt-7F model to represent near-side transit stops

Transit vehicles stopping to load/unload passengers on-line at a signalized intersection can obstruct the flow of other vehicles. The TRANSYT model ignores the delay to other traffic caused by this loading/unloading process. This can cause TRANSYT to use incorrect flow profiles, resulting in signal timings that cater to these profiles rather than the actual ones. This paper describes a new model for representing near-side transit stops in lanes shared by public transit and private vehicles, and its implementation into the TRANSYT-7F program. The results of an initial application of the proposed model are also described. The proposed model, which is a deterministic simulation model, is able to represent the effect of near-side transit stops on the other traffic; this representation covers both total and partial blockage of the approaches during the transit loading. The procedure has been incorporated into the TRANSYT-7F program. This allows appropriate representation of the adverse effects of transit loading on-line during a green phase. It thus encourages the TRANSYT optimizer to push transit loading to the red phases.     

Modeling the commute mode share of transit using continuous accessibility to jobs

This paper presents the results of an accessibility-based model of aggregate commute mode share, focusing on the share of transit relative to auto. It demonstrates the use of continuous accessibility – calculated continuously in time, rather than at a single of a few departure times – for the evaluation of transit systems. These accessibility calculations are accomplished using only publicly-available data sources. A binomial logic model is estimated which predicts the likelihood that a commuter will choose transit rather than auto for a commute trip based on aggregate characteristics of the surrounding area. Variables in this model include demographic factors as well as detailed accessibility calculations for both transit and auto. The mode achieves a ρ² value of 0.597, and analysis of the results suggests that continuous accessibility of transit systems may be a valuable tool for use in modeling and forecasting.     

Time-based life-cycle assessment for environmental policymaking: Greenhouse gas reduction goals and public transit

As decision-makers increasingly embrace life-cycle assessment (LCA) and target transportation services for regional environmental goals, it becomes imperative that outcomes from changes to transportation infrastructure systems are accurately estimated. Greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction policies have created interest in better understanding how public transit systems reduce emissions. Yet the use of average emission factors (e.g., grams CO₂e per distance traveled) persists as the state-of-the-art masking the variations in emissions across time, and confounding the ability to accurately estimate the environmental effects from changes to transit infrastructure and travel behavior. An LCA is developed of the Expo light rail line and a competing car trip (in Los Angeles, California) that includes vehicle, infrastructure, and energy production processes, in addition to propulsion. When results are normalized per passenger kilometer traveled (PKT), life-cycle processes increase energy use and GHG emissions up to 83%, and up to 690% for smog and respiratory impact potentials. However, the use of a time-independent PKT normalization obfuscates a decision-maker’s ability to understand whether the deployment of a transit system reduces emissions below a future year policy target (e.g., 80% of 1990 emissions by 2050). The year-by-year marginal effects of the decision to deploy the Expo line are developed including reductions in automobile travel. The time-based marginal results provide clearer explanations for how environmental effects in a region change and the critical life-cycle processes that should be targeted to achieve policy targets. It shows when environmental impacts payback and how much reduction is achieved by a policy-specified future year.     

Support for a local transit tax

Survey data from a small, blue collar, midwestern U.S. city are analyzed to identify the factors that influence support for a local tax earmarked for transit. In Council Bluffs, Iowa, a telephone survey was carried out to measure willingness to pay a proposed two mil property tax for transit. Two complementary multivariate techniques, Multiple Classification Analysis and Automatic Interaction Detector, are applied to measure the roles of a series of user and nonuser benefits in support for the tax. The benefits affecting support most strongly proved to be those accruing to nonusers-specificially, the beliefs that transit contributes to cleaner air, stimulates business within the city, and helps the poor to find or keep jobs. The belief that urban government is performing well also strongly affects support. Personal use of transit, use by other members of one's househols, and the view that transit is back-up transportation mode have a very minor effect on support. The conclusion is reached that transit planning should take into consideration social objectives as well as performance measures to ensure continued support.     

Public transit and alternative fuels – The costs associated with using biodiesel and CNG in comparison to diesel for U.S. public transit systems

This study addresses the dearth of research that examines the impacts of alternative fuel use on operational costs of public transit in the U.S. Specifically, the study examines the impact on operational costs of shifting diesel gallons to biodiesel or to compressed natural gas (CNG) for an unbalanced panel of 269 public transit systems in the U.S. from 2008 through 2012, using an econometric cost function approach. We find that shifting all diesel gallons to biodiesel results in operational cost increases ranging from 1 to 12 percent, with smaller cost increases being realized with increases in system size. Shifting all diesel gallons to CNG results in operational cost increases between 5 and 10 percent – again with smaller impacts for larger systems. These findings suggest that there are some economies of using biodiesel and CNG with large scale production. That is, the cost increases associated with increased fuel prices, decreased fuel economy, increased maintenance costs, and increased fueling costs associated with biodiesel and CNG are mitigated somewhat by large scale production. The findings of this study suggest that increased operational costs are an important consideration in policies aimed at encouraging the use of alternative fuels by U.S. public transit systems.     

Mass transit in developing cities

Using case study material, this paper examines the relative merit of metros and high performance bus systems in use in Third World cities. It demonstrates that buses with suitable priority measures are capable of meeting high passenger demands. The paper also shows that despite the poor financial performance and other shortcomings of metros, they can yield a respectable economic return. The paper draws on studies undertaken as part of the research program of the Overseas Unit of the Transport Research Laboratory.     

Strategic management of organizational turnarounds in the transit industry

The traditional wisdom that there are increasing returns to scale among bus transit systems has been shaken with recent research findings. The implication from the literature is that unless many transit systems restructure along new organizational lines the financial and service provision difficulties will continue. Very few public transit systems have attempted to strategically manage change and turnaround organizationally.The objectives of this research were to identify the salient factors in organizational turnarounds and to determine whether these factors were evident within transit organizations that have attempted to manage change strategically. The author reviewed the corporate turnaround literature and conducted four case studies of strategic planning/management within the transit industry.All four cases exhibited organizational declines or perceived declines as imminent. They initiated turnarounds through reorganizations and efforts at strategic management. The reorganizations that occurred at all four cases were relatively minor, involving some changes in function. Only minor changes in management occurred and commitment to strategic management varied. Strategic objectives were not quantifiable. All of the cases could have improved their communication below the middle-management levels. The measures of performance in general did not relate a specific strategy and program to a particular turnaround effect. Through management commitment and some minor organizational restructuring two cases achieved some degree of turnaround. Total commitment to strategic management, organizational change, adequate communication, and accurate performance measures are keys to definitive turnarounds.     

Ridership estimation procedure for a transit corridor with new bus rapid transit service

Ridership estimation is a critical step in the planning of a new transit route or change in service. Very often, when a new transit route is introduced, the existing routes will be modified, vehicle capacities changed, or service headways adjusted. This has made ridership forecasts for the new, existing, and modified routes challenging. This paper proposes and demonstrates a procedure that forecasts the ridership of all transit routes along a corridor when a new bus rapid transit (BRT) service is introduced and existing regular bus services are adjusted. The procedure uses demographic data along the corridor, a recent origin–destination survey data, and new and existing transit service features as inputs. It consists of two stages of transit assignment. In the first stage, a transit assignment is performed with the existing transit demand on the proposed BRT and existing bus routes, so that adjustments to the existing bus services can be identified. This transit assignment is performed iteratively until there is no adjustment in transit services. In the second stage, the transit assignment is carried out with the new BRT and adjusted regular bus services, but incorporates a potential growth in ridership because of the new BRT service. The final outputs of the procedure are ridership for all routes and route segments, boarding and alighting volumes at all stops, and a stop‐by‐stop trip matrix. The proposed ridership estimation procedure is applicable to a new BRT route with and without competing regular bus routes and with BRT vehicles traveling in dedicated lanes or in mixed traffic. The application of the proposed procedure is demonstrated via a case study along the Alameda Corridor in El Paso, Texas. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Emissions of demand responsive services as an alternative to conventional transit systems

The environmental performance of public transport plays a key role in improving air quality in urban areas. An important way of improving existing transit services is to use innovative propulsive systems; however, this needs considerable financial resources that are not always available. Here we assess how the organizational form of the transit system may impact the environment relying on a new methodology that permits comparisons in terms of distance traveled between a traditional fixed-route and a demand responsive transit service. We apply an emission model to find the least polluting transit system under a broad range of scenarios with different road networks, service quality levels and demand densities. Results indicate that demand responsive transit services minimize emissions for high quality service level and low demand density scenarios. Furthermore, the possibility of employing smaller vans with lower emission factors guarantees additional substantial benefits in terms of atmospheric pollution for demand responsive transit services, thereby giving them a competitive advantage in virtually every case.     

Enhancing the developmental impact of rail transit

A number of forces currently at work in the United States are fostering the rebirth of urban rail transportation. In order to maximize the beneficial economic and developmental impact of future rail investment, certain procedures and techniques must be employed in the planning, design, and implementation of rail systems. The paper offers a set of guidelines and principles for transportation and land use policy makers.     

Research contributions to managing transit service reliability

Service reliability problems are a major concern shared by transit system users and operators. Unreliable service leads to additional vehicle requirements and higher operating costs; passengers suffer increased wait time and higher travel time uncertainty, leading to a general dissatisfaction with service and the possibility of seeking other means of transport. Because of the significance of this problem, considerable research attention has been focused in recent years on developing ways to improve service reliability. This paper examines contributions which have been made to managing transit service reliability. This topic encompasses the subjects of vehicle run time, run time variation, headway variation, passenger wait time, and reliability control. Both theoretical and empirical approaches have been undertaken, and each has contributed to our knowledge in addressing the overall problem. Significant contributions to the state-of-the-art are reported and the implications on present practice are discussed.