Discussing equity and social exclusion in accessibility evaluations

Ex ante evaluations of transport policy options (including infrastructure plans) are generally based on cost-benefit analyses (CBA). Accessibility changes are included in such analyses indirectly, via a utilitarian perspective. But accessibility is broader than is assumed by this perspective and also incorporates equity and related distribution effects as well as social exclusion. This paper aims to give an overview of the relevance of distribution effects and equity, and social exclusion for accessibility, based on the literature. The most important conclusions of our paper is that the two subjects are poorly addressed in transport appraisal in general, and in CBA in particular. Additional ethical theories could add value to the utilitarian perspective, egalitarian theories being a major competitor. Equity analysis is however complex because there are several types of equity, various ways to categorize people for equity analysis, numerous impacts to consider, and various ways of measuring these impacts. And such analysis requires normative judgements, in addition to simply presenting distribution effects. Several options are available to express distribution effects. Important choices to be made if such effects need to be reported relate to the unit of comparison (e.g. the household versus the individual), the indicator to be used, and the value of each unit to be compared (e.g. accessibility) for all units of comparison (e.g. households). We also conclude that CBA is not suitable for evaluating social exclusion policies. Based on this overview we propose an agenda for potential future research in the area of ethics and accessibility

The architecture of miracle-working statues in the Southern Netherlands

In the 17th century, the Southern Netherlands saw the erection or restoration of numerous sanctuaries dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In many cases, they housed a miracle-working statue. This essay analyzes the architecture of these sanctuaries through the histories that were written about their statues. It examines how the history of the statues, as recorded in contemporary textual and visual sources, represents and interprets their material surroundings, including the architecture, in order to understand how the statues were thought to relate to these surroundings. Three types of historical narratives are distinguished, each explaining the presence and actions of a statue on its site. These three types will, in turn, shed light on the characteristics and development of the material surroundings of the miracle-working statues

Does Accessibility Planning address what matters? A review of current practice and practitioner perspectives

'Accessibility' has become commonplace in transport planning and as such there is a plethora of interpretations of what accessibility means, what constitutes a good measure of accessibility, and how this might be applied in practice. This paper presents an overview of approaches to measuring accessibility and presents a case study of Accessibility Planning in England — one approach to formalising the concept of accessibility. Results of semi-structured interviews with local authority officers are discussed to establish whether current approaches, allow their desired outcomes to be met. This approach demonstrates where there might be gaps between measured or modelled accessibility and the perceptions of the individuals. Findings suggest that while the process is deemed useful in raising the profile of accessibility issues, measures of accessibility do not necessarily easily translate into quantifying benefits of those improvements that are perceived by practitioners to improve accessibility and reduce transport disadvantage

Editorial

From the papers in this special issue it can be concluded that an environmentally sustainable transport system is attainable with a broad-based and concerted commitment. Environmentally sustainable transport will result in significant changes in the type of passenger and freight transport provided, but this does not lead to economic collapse. Important challenges lie in the acceptability of the goals, targets, and strategies and their component instruments. The realisation of the 80% CO2-emission reduction target for the transport sector can be concluded to be the most ambitious one. If the CO2 emission reduction target for the transport sector is assumed to be lower, or the time period for implementing EST longer, the contribution of technological changes to attaining EST is likely to increase, thus decreasing societal impacts and increasing public support. Moreover, recent model studies indicate that global greenhouse gases can - in accordance with the EU climate objective - be effectively reduced by 20%, compared to current levels, by 2040 (i.e. a 50% decrease compared 2040 to baseline projections) through global cap-and-trade emission trading systems and carbon taxation (on average about 100 euro per tonne of CO2) (Bollen et al., 2004). These taxation levels do not strongly affect the transport sector, as other sectors may provide CO2 emission reductions at far lower costs (Van Rompuy et al, 2003). However, it is difficult to imagine that significant reductions in climate change emissions in the post Kyoto era are attained without efforts to reduce emissions in the transport sector. The EST studies for Germany, the CEI countries and also Sweden show that encouraging environmental, societal and economic impacts can be achieved with an extension of the time period (50% emission reduction by 2030) to allow transition towards EST

Modelling observed and unobserved factors in cycling to railway stations: application to transit-oriented-developments in the Netherlands

Typically, mode choice behaviour is studied as a function of observed travel factors. Given the importance of unobservable factors on choice behaviour, this paper deviates from this approach. We analysed cycling as mode choice to access railway stations, incorporating latent variables and psychometric data to capture relatively intangible factors that influence mode choice. Such factors are not observable, but can manifest themselves through adjustable indicators. The database used for this paper contains 12000 observations of journeys carried out in the Rotterdam - The Hague area in the Netherlands, covering thirty-five railway stations. In addition to using a traditional binary logit model, we estimated three hybrid choice models for access mode choice. These hybrid choice models represented observed and unobserved factors simultaneously, including the train users' perception of connectivity, attitude towards station environment and perceived quality of bicycle facilities. The results show that both attitudes and observable travel-related elements are important in the decision to cycle to the station or not. Variations in these perceptions and attitudes significantly affect the bicycle-train share. At the same time, improvements in unguarded bicycle parking facilities may increase the number of people who cycle to the train station more than improvements in guarded bicycle parking would. Moreover, the availability of the parking facilities is crucial during rush hours. Another conclusion is that transport strategies to encourage bicycle-train use must be implemented by station type, i.e. measures to encourage bicycle access at larger stations. Further research would develop a hybrid choice model for egress, and a stated choice experiment would compare these results

The future of European communication and transportation research: a research agenda

Our mobility system is changing rapidly. We are at the crossroad of major changes in the way we travel and deliver goods. Research agendas are adapting to this changed environment with new challenges and opportunities. This paper presents a research agenda for the future of transportation research structured along eight cluster topics of the Network on European Communication and Transport Activities Research (NECTAR).  The research agenda firstly highlights the growing complexity and need for multi- and interdisciplinary transportation research. Secondly, sustainability needs to be addressed in transportation research in its full meaning, including relationships between policy-making investigations and environmental and equity effects. Thirdly, ICTs and digitalisation, the development of (shared) autonomous vehicles and shared mobility will have profound impacts on economies and spatial interactions all-around the world, and availability of high resolution spatial and transportation data. Digitalisation generates many new research opportunities but also give rise to new concerns about privacy, safety, equity and public health

Accessibility Planning tools for sustainable and integrated Land Use/Transport (LUT) development: an application to Rome

The paper fits into the themes of sustainable accessibility planning in urban areas, that can be defined as the integration of transport and land use planning to achieve sustainable development. In particular the study proposes a tool to support the choices of activities location, which is based on a new aggregate (zone-specific) indicator: the ‘Marginal Activity Access Cost’, providing estimation in monetary terms of the impacts on mobility and on the environment of locating one new activity in a specific zone of the urban area. The proposed indicator is validated through an application to the urban area of Rome

Backcasting as a Tool for Sustainable Transport Policy Making

This paper describes the backcasting approach used in the OECD’s Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Study, in which several countries participated. The backcasting approach can be seen as an innovative tool for policy making, which aims at generating alternative images of the future. These images have been thoroughly analysed as to their feasibility, consequences and policy implications. Here, results and implications for backcasting shown in the Netherlands case study are highlighted and conclusions drawn that EST criteria will only be attainable if a substantial increase in development of technology and stringent behavioural adaptations, with changes in economic structures at an international level, are assumed. If EST is to be realised, measures will have to be taken and instruments will have to be implemented in the short term. Timely implementation will probably mean a necessary radical change in the current Dutch policy ‘life cycle’

The spatial–temporal dynamics in job accessibility by car in the Netherlands during the crisis

This paper analyzes the changes in spatial–temporal job accessibility by car in the Netherlands during the economic crisis (2009–14). It also assesses which component change is the most determinant in accessibility changes per municipality and part of the day. The paper shows that changes in job distribution reduced accessibility in almost the entire country, except around Amsterdam. Improvements in the road network capacity increased accessibility in the central provinces, particularly during peak hours. In summary, the values of job accessibility by car in the Netherlands became more transport dependent, except in the Amsterdam region. Document type: Articl

Editorial

That land-use and transport systems are interdependent and characterized by a two-way interaction is a well-known fact. The spatial configuration of activities influences the level and characteristics of transportation demand, and conversely, the location and quality of transportation infrastructure affects how activities are organized in space. Since the 1960s, several methodologies and models have been developed and used to examine the land-use and transport patterns and change. The research issues addressed using these models have, since the 1990s, been broadened to include sustainability impacts in transport policy, thereby strongly increasing modelling demands and raising several research challenges. This was the theme of a special session on ‘Land Use Transport Interaction Modelling and Sustainability’, as part of the international conference ‘Framing Land Use Dynamics’ held in April 2003 at Utrecht University (UU) in the Netherlands. The conference was organised as part of the Utrecht University’s multidisciplinary research programme, ‘Networks in the Delta’, aimed at developing a theoretical and methodological framework for understanding and modelling the complex interactions between socio-economic and environmental systems (see website Networks in the Delta (2004) for a full description). The papers included in this special issue of the European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research were presented at the conference under the theme, ‘Infrastructure, mobility and land-use planning’, focusing on transportation and land-use dynamics. Papers describe experiences with land-use and transport interaction models as impact assessment and policy appraisal tools, with contributions covering different local, regional and national spatial scales in Western European contexts, in particular, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands.&nbsp