A disaggregate study of urban rail transit feeder transfer penalties including weather effects

Transfers between urban rail transit (URT) and its feeder modes represent a considerable barrier to its ridership and the network-wide usage of public transit. The aim of this research is to quantify the time-independent transfer penalty between URT system and feeder modes and to explore its variability by different factors. Based on Melbourne URT origin and destination survey data, this study focused on URT access and egress journeys and estimated URT feeder transfer penalties by formulating feeder mode choice models. With three-hourly weather data and demographical data introduced, this paper conducted disaggregate analyses to investigate the variability of URT feeder transfer penalty across weather conditions, trip types and individual characteristics. According to the model estimation results, the values of transfer penalty vary according to the direction of transfer and the preference ordering for different transfer combinations is URT-tram, URT-bus, tram-URT, bus-URT and auto-URT. It found that local weather elements in terms of air temperature and precipitation are significant factors resulting in the variability of the transfer perception by URT travellers. Transfer penalties for access journeys increase with the rise of air temperature. The non-linear effects of precipitation on URT feeder transfer penalties were observed. In addition, commuters perceive smaller transfer penalties than other travellers for all of the transfer combinations except for bus-URT transfers. Travelers from remote areas perceive smaller transfer penalties for access trips. Travellers’ loyalty to public transit restrains transfer penalties. The male travellers perceive higher transfer penalties than the female. The elderly travellers impose low transfer penalties to access journeys but high transfer penalties for egress journeys. Finally, the paper explored policy implications and details areas for future research.     

Learning to use transit services: adapting to unfamiliar transit travel

Transportation - Travel behavior change has become an area of interest in many cities around the world, particularly to encourage people to change from car use to transit use. Previous research...     

大型国际活动交通组织规划方法综述

探讨夏季奥运会采用的交通组织规划方法,同时总结世界上最大规模的特殊活动——沙特阿拉伯麦加朝觐/副朝交通组织规划经验。每年一度的麦加朝觐已经延续几个世纪,在最近几十年人数持续增长,朝圣者已增至600万人,包括朝觐一周内300万人和斋月期间100万人。目前,这项活动是历史上规模最大且定期举行的特殊活动,其规模预计还将大幅增长。奥运会是世界上第二大特殊活动,每4年举办一次,在主办城市持续2周。通常奥运会主办城市自身的交通压力已经非常巨大,在奥运会期间同时还要额外满足4万名奥运官员和运动员以及800万名观众的出行需求。因此,奥运会交通组织规划对于保障赛事顺利开展至关重要。通过描述这两项活动的背景和交通供需特征,概述已有交通组织规划方法,旨在分析和总结大型活动交通组织规划的经验教训,探讨可供选择的规划策略。     

Optimizing location and capacity of rail-based Park-and-Ride sites to increase public transport usage

This paper presents a new methodology to identify optimal locations and capacity for rail-based Park-and-Ride (P&R) sites to increase public transport mode share. P&R is usually taken as an important component of policies for the sustainable development of urban transport systems. However, previous studies reveal that arbitrarily determined P&R sites may act to reduce public transport commuting. This paper proposes a methodology for the optimal location and capacity design of P&R sites, with the aim of enhancing public transport usage. A Combined Mode Split and Traffic Assignment (CMSTA) model is proposed for the P&R scheme. Taking the CMSTA model as the lower level, a bi-level mathematical programming model is then built to establish the optimal location and capacity of P&R sites. A heuristic genetic algorithm is adopted to solve this model. Finally, a network example is adopted to test numerically the proposed models and algorithms.     

A new approach to evaluating on-road public transport priority projects: balancing the demand for limited road-space

Despite widespread growth in on-road public transport priority schemes, road management authorities have few tools to evaluate the impacts of these schemes on all road users. This paper describes a methodology developed in Melbourne, Australia to assist the road management authority, VicRoads, evaluate trade-offs in the use of its limited road-space for new bus and tram priority projects. The approach employs traffic micro-simulation modelling to assess road-space re-allocation impacts, travel behaviour modelling to assess changes in travel patterns and a social cost benefit framework to evaluate impacts. The evaluation considers a comprehensive range of impacts including the environmental benefits of improved public transport services. Impacts on public transport reliability improvements are also considered. Although improved bus and tram reliability is a major rationale for traffic priority its use in previous evaluations is rare. The paper critiques previous approaches, describes the proposed method and explores some of the results found in its application. A major finding is that despite a more comprehensive approach to measuring the benefits of bus and tram priority, road-space reallocation is difficult to economically justify in road networks where public transport usage is low and car usage high. Strategies involving the balanced deployment of bus and tram priority measures where the allocation of time and space to PT minimises negative traffic impacts is shown to improve the overall management of road-space. A discussion of the approach is also provided including suggestions for further methodology development.

Investigating links between transport disadvantage, social exclusion and well-being in Melbourne - Updated results

This paper updates results of an international study aimed at quantifying the links between transport disadvantage (TD), social exclusion (SE) and well-being (WB) in Melbourne, Australia. The study extends knowledge associated with SE and transport by quantify social and behavioural implications of lack of public and private transport and the nature of the social WB benefits associated with improving services.Study aims and methodology are outlined. Recent findings covered relate to car ownership on the urban fringe, patterns of transport disadvantage, the analysis of time poverty related to transport disadvantage, measuring the economic value of additional mobility and use of a Structural Equation Model (SEM) to relate WB and SE to TD and a series of explanatory factors.Overall results suggest that those without a car on the urban fringe adjust well with their circumstances by living close to activity centres. They demonstrate sustainable choices, trading off budgets and home location to balance mobility and accessibility. Poorer households with high car ownership value mobility and cheaper more remote fringe dwellings but demonstrate numerous strategies to reduce high car costs which are acknowledged as a significant burden. Analysis identifies 4 key types of transport disadvantage including a ‘vulnerable/impaired’ group which should be of much greater concern for targeted policy than others due to poor scoring on SE and WB scales. The economic value of new mobility is also explored with results suggesting $AUD 20 per average new trip which is four times larger than conventional values for generated travel.Analysis has also suggested that transport disadvantage can relate to socially advantaged as well as socially disadvantaged groups through time poverty. This was found to be an important mitigating factor when relating TD to WB. A statistically reliable structural equation model is developed suggesting the SE-WB link is strong (−.87) with a modest link between TD-SE (.27).Areas for future research in the project are also summarised.