Contribution of the physical environment to socioeconomic gradients in walking in the Whitehall II study

Socioeconomic gradients in walking are well documented but the underlying reasons remain unclear. We examined the contribution of objective measures of the physical environment at residence to socioeconomic gradients in walking in 3363 participants (50-74years) from the Whitehall II study (2002-2004). Individual-level socioeconomic position was measured as most recent employment grade. The contribution of multiple measures of the physical environment to socioeconomic position gradients in self-reported log transformed minutes walking/week was examined by linear regression. Objective measures of the physical environment contributed only to a small extent to socioeconomic gradients in walking in middle-aged and older adults living in Greater London, UK. Of these, only the number of killed and seriously injured road traffic casualties per km of road was predictive of walking. More walking in areas with high rates of road traffic casualties per km of road may signal an effect not of injury risk but of more central locations with multiple destinations within short distances ('compact neighbourhoods'). This has potential implications for urban planning to promote physical activity

Rail Connected City-Regions: the Significance of Concerted Policies and Alternative Funding Options

One should not be enthusiastic of Far East mega-cities easily sustaining urban rail systems to understand that high densities slow down land consumption and increase ridership. An objective of the paper is to investigate the case of a mutually supportive land use and urban rail planning in two European cities. A parallel objective is to demonstrate that singular measures like urban rail stations or dense mixed uses are not sufficient to achieve a sustainable growth. The macro-connectivity of the city-region by rail as well as local parking constraints are important factors for successful sustainability. A particular (chrono-)logical planning sequence of action packages is suggested, in order to maximize the desired impacts. Next to the conceptual part, two relevant case studies are demonstrated. First, the Swiss City-Rail project of Bern. It concerns the two employment poles Ausserholligen west of, and Wankdorf east of the Central Station, where suburban rail interchanges are planned. Each pole will contain a development of 600.000 sq.m. Gross Floor Area of mixed uses, staged up to 2020. The wide range of concerted policies effectuated is analysed. Second, the case of Athens, one of the seven European mega-cities with more than 4 mi. inhabitants is discussed. Within the framework of the Metro Development Study (MDS), a multimodal transportation plan for Athens with the horizon 2020 has been developed. A calibrated Garin-Lowry land use – transportation model forecasts job and population figures at the level of 1230 traffic zones. The MDS 2020 plan contains 106 km metro, 46 km tramway, and 328 km suburban rail. High urban rail investments have already taken place in Athens, also in view of the Olympic Games. The paper discusses planning opportunities for concentrated service development at suitable rail interchanges proposed by the MDS. Two types of structural actions are considered. First, upzoning and new development around three suburban rail interchanges, especially along the suburban rail corridor leading from Athens to the Airport. A recent mall development in one of these interchanges is critically discussed. Rail use is better suited for employees and people seeking entertainment than shopping in this respect. Second, rezoning and recycled development at built-up areas around three peripheral metro interchanges, while protecting the existing housing. Finally, a comparative review of the planning frameworks in Bern and in Athens is performed, with a special emphasis on revealed planning deficits.

Promoting Intermodal Connectivity at California’s High Speed Rail Stations

High-speed rail (HSR) has emerged as one of the most revolutionary and transformative transportation technologies, having a profound impact on urban-regional accessibility and inter-city travel across Europe, Japan, and more recently China and other Asian countries. One of HSR’s biggest advantages over air travel is that it offers passengers a one-seat ride into the center of major cities, eliminating time-consuming airport transfers and wait times, and providing ample opportunities for intermodal transfers at these locales. Thus, HSR passengers are typically able to arrive at stations that are only a short walk away from central business districts and major tourist attractions, without experiencing any of the stress that car drivers often experience in negotiating such highly congested environments. Such an approach requires a high level of coordination and planning of the infrastructural and spatial aspects of the HSR service, and a high degree of intermodal connectivity. But what key elements can help the US high-speed rail system blend successfully with other existing rail and transit services? That question is critically important now that high-speed rail is under construction in California. The study seeks to understand the requirements for high levels of connectivity and spatial and operational integration of HSR stations and offer recommendations for seamless, and convenient integrated service in California intercity rail/HSR stations. The study draws data from a review of the literature on the connectivity, intermodality, and spatial and operational integration of transit systems; a survey of 26 high-speed rail experts from six different European countries; and an in-depth look of the German and Spanish HSR systems and some of their stations, which are deemed as exemplary models of station connectivity. The study offers recommendations on how to enhance both the spatial and the operational connectivity of high-speed rail systems giving emphasis on four spatial zones: the station, the station neighborhood, the municipality at large, and the region

Bus rapid transit

Effective public transit is central to development. For the vast majority of developing city residents, public transit is the only practical means to access employment, education, and public services, especially when such services are beyond the viable distance of walking or cycling. Unfortunately, the current state of public transit services in developing cities often does little to serve the actual mobility needs of the population. Bus services are too often unreliable, inconvenient and dangerous. In response, transport planners and public officials have sometimes turned to extremely costly mass transit alternatives such as rail-based metros. Due to the high costs of rail infrastructure, cities can only construct such systems over a few kilometres in a few limited corridors. The result is a system that does not meet the broader transport needs of the population. Nevertheless, the municipality ends up with a long-term debt that can affect investment in more pressing areas such as health, education, water, and sanitation. However, there is an alternative between poor public transit service and high municipal debt. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) can provide high-quality, metro-like transit service at a fraction of the cost of other options. This document provides municipal officials, non-governmental organizations, consultants, and others with an introduction to the concept of BRT as well as a step-by-step process for successfully planning a BRT system

Investigating impacts of environmental factors on the cycling behavior of bicycle-sharing users

As it is widely accepted, cycling tends to produce health benefits and reduce air pollution. Policymakers encourage people to use bikes by improving cycling facilities as well as developing bicycle-sharing systems (BSS). It is increasingly interesting to investigate how environmental factors influence the cycling behavior of users of bicycle-sharing systems, as users of bicycle-sharing systems tend to be different from regular cyclists. Although earlier studies have examined effects of safety and convenience on the cycling behavior of regular riders, they rarely explored effects of safety and convenience on the cycling behavior of BSS riders. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate how road safety, convenience, and public safety affect the cycling behavior of BSS riders by controlling for other environmental factors. Specifically, in this study, we investigated the impacts of environmental characteristics, including population density, employment density, land use mix, accessibility to point-of-interests (schools, shops, parks and gyms), road infrastructure, public transit accessibility, road safety, convenience, and public safety on the usage of BSS. Additionally, for a more accurate measure of public transit accessibility, road safety, convenience, and public safety, we used spatiotemporally varying measurements instead of spatially varying measurements, which have been widely used in earlier studies. We conducted an empirical investigation in Chicago with cycling data from a BSS called Divvy. In this study, we particularly attempted to answer the following questions: (1) how traffic accidents and congestion influence the usage of BSS; (2) how violent crime influences the usage of BSS; and (3) how public transit accessibility influences the usage of BSS. Moreover, we tried to offer implications for policies aiming to increase the usage of BSS or for the site selection of new docking stations. Empirical results demonstrate that density of bicycle lanes, public transit accessibility, and public safety influence the usage of BSS, which provides answers for our research questions. Empirical results also suggest policy implications that improving bicycle facilities and reducing the rate of violent crime rates tend to increase the usage of BSS. Moreover, some environmental factors could be considered in selecting a site for a new docking station

Changes in Transit Use and Service and Associated Changes in Driving Near a New Light Rail Transit Line, MTI Report 12-44

Los Angeles is pursuing possibly the most ambitious rail transit investment program in the nation with plans to open six new rail transit lines between now and 2019. The report provides policy makes and planners a better understanding of the potential impacts of Los Angeles Metro’s rail transit investment program by assessing the changes in transit use of nearby residents and nearby bus service associated with the Expo Line, the first of the six new lines. Our findings indicate that changes in bus service that are coincident with the introduction of new light rail transit can negatively affect the overall transit ridership in the corridor. In addition, we find that households living near new Expo Line light rail stations reduced their vehicle miles traveled (VMT), but those households living near bus stops that were eliminated as part of the service change increased their VMT

Transport energy and emissions: urban public transport

This chapter explores how to measure energy and emissions from urban transport. It then provides information to make a comparison between energy use and CO2 emissions for urban travel by car, train, tram and bus. A substantial difference is noted between the figures for peak and off-peak travel, associated with patterns of vehicle loadings. The chapter concludes with a discussion on how energy efficiency can be improved and the need to shift from a vehicle to a systems level to fully evaluate policy options

Transit proximity effects : Capital MetroRail and its impact on land prices in Austin, Texas

textSince its first operation in 2010, the 32-mile Austin Capital MetroRail has connected downtown Austin to the city of Leander with 9 stations operating in total. Currently, no research has investigated the impact of the Austin MetroRail on property values. This study fills the research gap by understanding its impacts on property values and other socio-economical influences. Hedonic models have been constructed to assess the effects of transit proximity on land price in this research. The model suggests Austin MetroRail has a positive impact on property values- for properties in the study area, every 100 feet further away from the train station, property values will decrease $13,068/acre. Another analysis of the rail only focused on 7 stations located in the city of Austin and suggests transit premium varies by different neighborhood. In high-income neighborhoods, transit proximity impact is positive; and in middle or low- income neighborhoods, it is negative. When stations were grouped into different study areas, models reveal transit proximity has different effects throughout the system. The research findings confirm the positive effect of Austin MetroRail although in some neighborhoods the effects vary and suggest a series of value-capture strategies to help finance future development.Community and Regional Plannin

A Comparative Analysis of High-Speed Rail Station Development into Destination and Multi-Use Facilities: The Case of San Jose Diridon

As a burgeoning literature on high-speed rail development indicates, good station-area planning is a very important prerequisite for the eventual successful operation of a high-speed rail station; it can also trigger opportunities for economic development in the station area and the station-city. At the same time, “on the ground” experiences from international examples of high-speed rail stations can provide valuable lessons for the California high-speed rail system in general, and the San Jose Diridon station in particular. This study identifies and draws lessons from European HSR stations that share similarities across several criteria with the San Jose area context. From an initial consideration of twenty European HSR stations, the researchers chose five stations for in depth case studies: Euralille and Lyon Part Dieu in France, Rotterdam Centraal and Utrecht Centraal in the Netherlands, and Torino Porta Susa in Italy. Additionally, the study drew information from relevant local actors and stakeholders to better tailor recommendations to the particular California context.Through the undertaking of different research tasks–literature review, case studies of European railway stations, survey of existing station plans and other planning documents for the Diridon station, station area analysis, and interviews with station area planners and designers–the study compiles timely recommendations for the successful planning of the Diridon station and other stations along the California high-speed rail corridor

Hidden in Plain Sight: Capturing the Demand for Housing Near Transit

The study looks at: national real estate and consumer trends that affect the potential market for housing within a 1/2-mile of fixed guideway transit stops (TOD); the demographics and travel behavior of residents who live near transit; the potential demand for housing within walking distance of transit stations in the year 2025; and the ability of transit-served regions to accommodate this emerging consumer market.The study result in four major accomplishments: analysis of CTOD's national TOD database -- a GIS platform for analyzing conditions around the nation's 3,353 fixed transit stops and the 638 additional stations that will be built by 2025; regional housing demand projections for the types of households that show a preference for living in transit-oriented communities; a methodology for assessing the unused capacity of areas within walking distance of transit, which can be used to help measure a region's potential for TOD; and a test of the study's methodology in seven case study regions