Capturing in-situ Feelings and Experiences of Public Transit Riders Using Smartphones

High-density urban environments are susceptible to ever-growing traffic congestion issues, which speaks to the importance of implementing and maintaining effective and sustainable transportation networks. While transit oriented developments offer the potential to help mitigate traffic congestion issues, transit networks ought to be safe and reliable for ideal transit-user communities. As such, it is imperative to capture meaningful data regarding transit experiences, and deduce how transit networks can be enhanced or modified to continually maintain ideal transit experiences. Historically speaking, it has been relatively tricky to measure how people feel whilst using public transportation, without leaning on recall memory to explain such phenomena. Recall memory can be vague and is often less detailed than recording in-situ observations of the transit-user community. This thesis explores the feasibility of using smartphones to capture meaningful in-situ data to leverage the benefits of the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), while also addressing some limitations. Students travelled along Grand River Transit bus routes in Waterloo, Ontario from Wilfrid Laurier University to Conestoga Mall and back using alternate routes. The mobile survey captured qualitative and quantitative data from 145 students to explore variations in wellbeing, and the extent to which environmental variables can influence transit experiences. There were many findings to consider for future research, especially the overall role anxiety played on transit experiences. In addition, the results indicate that the methodology is appropriate for further research, and can be applied to a wide range of research topics. In particular, it is recommended that a similar study be applied to a much larger, and more representative sample of the transit-user community. Future considerations are discussed as key considerations to leverage the benefits of ESM research, and the promise it can bring towards the enhancement of transit experiences and the cohesion of transit-user communities

Public anticipations of self-driving vehicles in the UK and US

Developers of self-driving vehicles (SDVs) work with a particular idea of a possible and desirable future. Members of the public may not share the assumptions on which this is based. In this paper we analyse free-text responses from surveys of UK (n = 4,860) and US (n = 1,890) publics, which ask respondents what springs to mind when they think of SDVs, and why they should or should not be developed. Responses (averaging a total 27 words per participant) tend to foreground safety hopes and, more regularly, concerns. Many respondents present alternative representations of relationships between the technology, other road users and the future. Rather than accepting a dominant approach to public engagement, which seeks to educate members of the public away from these views, we instead propose that these views should be seen as a source of social intelligence, with potential constructive contributions to building better transport systems. Anticipatory governance, if it is to be inclusive, should seek to understand and integrate public views rather than reject them as irrational or mutable

An Evaluation of Factors Affecting Livability in a Freight-Centric Community in Memphis, Tennessee

Community livability is increasingly being examined and promoted as exemplary practice. The impact of freight on an urban community is significant, yet in the United States few efforts have been devoted to better understanding the concept. A pilot-scale project was conducted in Memphis, Tennessee in a region with heavy freight traffic. Following a broad literature review of globally applied strategies for enhancing livability and solving problems caused by freight, a survey was conducted of various residential stakeholders regarding their perceived definition of livability, barriers to livability, and impact of freight on the livability of their communities. Survey results were analyzed to identify priorities for a livable community and to explore the differences between freight-centric and non-freight-centric responses. Transportation related strategies that may provide a way to enhance livability were also evaluated based on their applicability in Memphis, Tennessee as well as their general applicability and effectiveness in the United States

Prospects & Possibilities for North Dakota

Presents focus group findings about North Dakotans' views of the state and quality of life, civic engagement, and concerns including changing demographics, K-12 and higher education, and access to and cost of quality health care. Proposes solutions

Advancing Communities of Learning: A Collaborative Project between Local Universities, Funding Agencies, and Nonprofits to Develop a Subsidized Senior-Transportation Plan

The growing population of seniors in the United States poses both interesting and challenging transportation policy issues that demand research on alternatives to current transportation systems. This study was motivated by a local foundation’s interest in senior quality-of-life issues in the communities served. The aim of this study was to assess senior transportation needs and systems as a means to move policy makers and funders closer to providing high-quality senior transportation services. The localized nature of senior transportation needs is best examined as a case study. In this article, one mid-sized Indiana community is examined using focus group interviews and individual surveys of senior citizens. In addition, a survey of the literature on senior-transportation models provided critical information relevant to formulating best-practice recommendations for community-level senior-transportation systems. To design effective senior-transportation systems, five critical factors are evaluated. Finally, the article presents a case study highlighting the importance of multisector collaboration in addressing the challenges and opportunities associated with critical senior-transportation issues in upcoming decades

The expected speed and impacts of vehicle automation in passenger and freight transport: a Dissensus Delphi study among UK professionals

Vehicle automation is one of the most researched topics in transport studies but much remains uncertain about the speed of adoption and potential impacts, including if and how it can contribute to greater environmental sustainability. This study adopts a Delphi approach to examine the speed with which 15% of new vehicles will be automated (SAE-3, SAE-4 or SAE-5) and what impacts automation may have on motility, mobility, resource use and externalities in both passenger and freight transport. Although challenges with recruitment mean that all findings must be caveated and seen as exploratory, the analysis demonstrates considerable dissensus regarding the expected speed and impacts of vehicle automation in both passenger and freight transport among the participants. For both aspects, a diversity of views remains once participants were informed about the expectations of other panellists. The range of views is organised around the axes of optimism and certainty about what may happen. Considerable differences between passenger and freight transport can be identified for potential impacts of vehicle automation but not for speed of adoption

Workshop synthesis: Measuring attitudes and perceptions in large scale (quantitative) surveys

This paper presents the main outcomes of the workshop A5 Measuring attitudes and perceptions in large scale (quantitative) surveys. There is a big need in the community to include more questions about psychological factors in surveys, because the travel behavior is getting more divers. The workshop discussion revealed that while there are different survey methods to capture information about the participants’ psychology, Likert scales are mainly used because they are easy to implement and to fill in. However, the reliability of the results must be assessed in light of the survey method and type of analysis. Further research is needed to combine quantitative surveys with methods to collect psychological information

TRA-919: A SURVEY-BASED APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING RESILIENCE IMPLICATIONS OF DISRUPTION TO TRANSIT OPERATION

Recent surge in academic and industry-related interest in transit resilience can be partly attributed to the occurrence and impact of disruptive events like Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Katrina and the July 2005 London bombings. Such events have served not only to highlight the vulnerabilities of our public transit systems to natural disasters, targeted attacks and, broadly speaking, unexpected conditions, but also to garner interest in resilience-based approaches to mitigate and recover from the damage caused. In spite of recent gains in developing better understanding of transit resilience, substantial gaps remain in establishing a clear relationship between resilience and transit planning. This relationship is explored through means of an expert survey, with survey responses used to identify disruptive events to transit operation, critical transit infrastructure, disruption mitigation strategies, and the future relevance of transit resilience. The survey was administered to various individuals in academia and in the transportation consulting and transit planning and operation industries. Responses were received from experts from over 15 Canadian institutions and agencies. Survey findings indicate a common industry interest in the implications of enhancing resilience, and a shared regard of resilience as not merely a relevant topic of consideration in planning and operating future transit systems, but also a critical subject of focus

Assessing the Barriers to Equity in Smart Mobility Systems: A Case Study of Portland, Oregon

There is an active debate about the potential costs and benefits of emerging “smart mobility” systems, especially in how they will serve communities already facing transportation challenges. This paper describes the results of an assessment of these equity issues in the context of lower-income areas of Portland, Oregon, based on a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research. The study found that by lowering costs and improving service for public transit, ridesharing and active transportation, smart mobility systems could address many of the needs of transportation disadvantaged communities. Similar to those found in other case studies, significant barriers prevent smart mobility technologies from benefiting all communities. For example, lower income survey respondents and respondents of color had significantly lower access to the “smart mobility ecosystem” including bank accounts and credit cards, they rely more heavily on paying cash for transit tickets, had lower access to internet at home and work, and were more likely to reduce data use or cancel cell plans because of cost or data restrictions. Respondents were also concerned about information security, as the impacts of loss or theft, especially identity theft can be devastating for lower-income residents. Since integrating payment systems and relying on internet and cell data for mobile applications is a core feature of smart mobility ecosystem, these disparities are significant barriers to the equitable transition to smart mobility. Policy recommendations to address barriers include expanding free and public WiFi, better real-time transit information, improved training, and language translation for phone applications, among other things

Local Government Policy and Planning for Unmanned Aerial Systems

This research identifies key state and local government stakeholders in California for drone policy creation and implementation, and describes their perceptions and understanding of drone policy. The investigation assessed stakeholders’ positions, interests, and influence on issues, with the goal of providing potential policy input to achieve successful drone integration in urban environments and within the national airspace of the United States. The research examined regulatory priorities through the use of a two-tiered Stakeholder Analysis Process. The first tier consisted of a detailed survey sent out to over 450 local agencies and jurisdictions in California. The second tier consisted of an in-person focus group to discuss survey results as well as to gain deeper insights into local policymakers’ current concerns. Results from the two tiers of analysis, as well as recommendations, are provided here