An integrated assessment of factors affecting modal choice: towards a better understanding of the causal effects of built environment

This paper discusses the methodological challenges in understanding causal relationships between urban form and travel behavior and uses a holistic quasi-experimental approach to investigate the separable marginal influence of each of several urban form factors on mode choice as well as the complex relationships between those factors and a wide range of personal traits. Data analysis and models are used to reveal the effect of such interactions on mode choice for both work and non-work trips in Rome, Italy. It is found that population density does not have a significant marginal positive effect on sustainable mode choice for work trips. Conversely, this factor decreases sustainable mode choice for non-work trips. Small scale street design quality alone increases sustainable mode choice for non-work trips. This is while presence of street network integration alone increases automobile use for all trip purposes. The results point to the importance of incorporating all the urban form factors of diversity, design and street network integration if the goal is to increase the use of more sustainable modes of transportation for both work and non-work trips, but also show that attitudes and preferences can modify the response to urban design factors. The findings suggest that thoughtful policies triggering certain attitudes (cost sensitivity, sensitivity to peer pressure regarding the value attributed to sustainable transportation, and transit preference) can be adopted to significantly increase sustainable mode choice even in the neighborhoods with specific physical restrictions.     

Water transit and excess travel: discrete choice modelling of bus and ferry trips in Brisbane,Australia

Recent investment in urban ferry transport has created interest in what value such systems provide in a public transport network. In some cases, ferry services are in direct competition with other land-based transport, and despite often longer travel times passengers still choose water transport. This paper seeks to identify a premium attached to urban water transit through an identification of excess travel patterns. A one-month sample of smart card transaction data for Brisbane, Australia, was used to compare bus and ferry origin–destination pairs between a selected suburban location and the central business district. Logistic regression of the data found that ferry travel tended towards longer travel times (OR?=?2.282), suggesting passengers do derive positive utility from ferry journeys. The research suggests the further need to incorporate non-traditional measures other than travel time for deciding the value of water transit systems.     

Residents’ expectations for new rail stops: optimistic neighborhood perceptions relate to subsequent transit ridership

Transportation - Although complete street policies are proliferating, little is known about how nearby residents perceive and act on their new active transportation opportunities. We survey the...     

Assessing the social costs of urban transport infrastructure options in low and middle income countries

ABSTRACT

This paper develops cost models for urban transport infrastructure options in situations where motorcycles and various forms of taxis are important modes of transport. The total social costs (TSCs) of conventional bus, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Monorail, Metro (Elevated Rail), car, motorcycle, Taxi and Uber are calculated for an urban corridor covering operator, user and external costs. Based on the parameters for a 7?km corridor in Hanoi, Vietnam, the results show the lowest average social cost (ASC) transport modes for different ranges of demand. Motorcycle might be the best option at low demand levels while conventional bus has advantages with low-medium demand. At medium demand levels, bus-based technologies and Monorail are competitive options while Metro, with a higher person capacity, is the best alternative at the highest demand levels. Compared to other modes, the ASCs of car and Taxi/Uber are greater because of high capital cost (related to vehicles) per passenger and low occupancy. Transport planners and decision makers in low and middle income countries (LMICs) can draw on the findings of this study. However, various limitations are identified and additional research is suggested.     

Competition and Ownership in Land Passenger Transport: The Sixth International Conference,Cape Town,South Africa,September 1999 - Part 1

The ability of conventional South African travel analysis practices to analyse adequately the travel needs of the poor is examined. The origins and nature of conventional practices are described, and it is observed that typically their scope has been limited to motorized modes, commutes and peaks. The paper reports on the findings of an activity diary survey administered in Cape Town that extended the conventional scope of analysis. An activity‐based survey method was selected because it typically yields higher rates of trip recall than other methods and is therefore relatively well suited to investigating travel behaviour in its fuller complexity. Selected findings of the survey are presented to demonstrate that travel occurring by non‐motorized modes, for non‐work purposes and during off‐peak periods, is considerable. It is argued that the conventional limitation in analytical scope can create serious misconceptions of the true nature of travel behaviour, particularly of low‐income households. By restricting the focus of analysis to motorized, work and peak period trip‐making, there is a risk of a routine bias being introduced in the way the urban passenger transport problem is understood, and in the nature of the interventions that are implemented as a result.     

Universities and the cycling culture

Environmental analysis consistently shows transport as being amongst the top three contributors to a university’s ecological footprint. This paper reports on a study undertaken at the Mawson Lakes Campus of the University of South Australia into cycling as a sustainable transport option. First, the paper analyzes the campus as a text: an artifact which addresses a particular audience and is actively read and interpreted by those who travel through it. In reading the campus, we go beyond examining levels of cycling infrastructure provision to consider the way infrastructure provision constitutes and positions different travelers as (ab)normal. Second, the paper looks at different groups of cyclists on campus, why some commuted to university and others did not and the experiences of each of these groups. It is found that cyclists are largely written out of the Mawson Lakes text which challenges their legitimacy as travelers and as users of campus space. The research also found substantial differences between groups of commuter and non-commuter cyclists and this division fell along staff and student lines. We conclude by suggesting ways that this and other universities might legitimize cyclists and facilitate cycling as a mode of travel.     

Workshop report - Public policy and transport

This workshop considered the wider public policy goals of a range of transport interventions. Particular attention was paid to assessing the role of integration of the different components of the transport system and of the integration of transport with other economic sectors. This assessment was informed by Ray Pawson’s realist evaluation approach, with its emphasis on the inter-relationships between context, process and outcome. The context was provided by case studies covering small urban areas, large urban areas and inter-urban corridors. The three key processes identified related to a regulated system with public ownership and control, a deregulated system with private sector ownership (‘competition in the market’) and a system in which there was public planning of the transport system but private provision (‘competition for the market’). Outcomes can be assessed using cost-benefit analysis tools to determine impacts on economic welfare or more qualitative approaches can be used to determine the extent to which accessibility or sustainability goals have been achieved. The evidence provided suggests that wider public policy goals are more important for urban than for inter-urban transport and it thus in urban areas where integration should be pursued with most vigour. The most relevant process for achieving this would seem to be variants of the competition for the market model. Some policy recommendations are made and implications for further research and for future conferences assessed.     

What’s so funny about peace, love and transport integration?

The 1998 White Paper proposed integration as the solution to Great Britain’s land transport problems. Most commentators agree that this much vaunted New Deal for Transport has been a failure. Yet some ten years later policy papers from bodies such as the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Centre for Cities are still proposing integration as a possible panacea.There are a number of reasons for the failure of integrated transport over the last decade. The first is the failure to define the concept. The second is the failure to operationalise the concept. The third is the lack of an evidence base on the success of integrated transport policies. Evidence is now emerging in Britain on the benefits (and indeed the costs) of some aspects of integrated transport policies. The fourth, and perhaps the most crucial, is the lack of will in terms of politicians, civil servants and the public at large, to adopt the behavioural changes necessary for an integrated transport policy to be successful. A series of organisational and funding changes are proposed that could advance the prospects for integration.     

Road safety: Research and reality 6th Reuben Smeed memorial lecture

Research has had a major influence in advancing road safety in Britain over more than 60 years. Lessons learnt in the early years provide a model for effective conduct of research of high quality to aid and influence practice and policy making. As the control of road safety research has become more widespread over the last decade and effort more diffused, problems have arisen which militate against the appropriateness and successful application of findings. Conflicts between researchers, practitioners and policy makers stem from lack of mutual understanding of their roles, the need to balance scientific rigour against the urgency of government and practice, and inadequate coherent communication.The potential for road casualty reduction in Britain has been addressed at intervals since the early 1960s. Assessment of the latest trends in casualties, set against current activities to achieve target reductions, shows the need for a further update to redefine priorities. For future advancement of road safety, a 20-point plan of activities is suggested. Technical, social, economic and institutional difficulties, of varying degrees, will need to be overcome to achieve the objectives of the plan. Most importantly, the academic and professional standing of road safety workers needs to be raised.     

Driving Forces behind the Growth of Per‐capita Car Driving Distance in the UK, 1970–2000

Abstract

Although per‐capita car trip distance (measured in passenger‐km) and car driving distance (measured in vehicle‐km) in the UK have kept increasing, their growth rates slowed considerably in the 1990s when compared with the 1970s and 1980s. The paper investigates the main driving forces behind the changes in car trip and car driving distances, and it examines the determining factors for the slow down of growth in the 1990s on the basis of the analysis of data from the National Travel Survey (1975/76, 1989/91, 1992/94, 1995/97 and 1999/2001). In particular, it emphasizes the significance of changes in car ownership levels as a key driving force and attempts to separate this ‘car ownership effect’ from other effects. The log‐mean Divisia index decomposition method is applied to measure the relative contribution of each effect. Separate analyses are undertaken according to trip purpose. Other underlying causes, such as changes in fuel price and road capacity, are also examined.