Assessment of the transfer penalty to transit trips in Downtown Boston : a GIS-based disaggregate modeling approach

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (p. 101).This research aims to examine the impacts of transfers since transfer activities have significant implications not only for the daily operation of a transit system, but also the integration and coordination between transit lines. Transfers affect transit system performance in at least two respects. On the one hand, the use of transfers in the design of transit services provides more options for the transit operator in terms of area coverage, resource allocation, and flexibility. These factors result in better overall service. On the other hand, transit users do not seek to make transfers on their trips unless there is no alternative or the transfer offers a compelling performance advantage for a given trip. Exploring this trade off associated with transfers helps in understanding passenger dissatisfaction with the transfer, or the transfer penalty. A trade off between making a transfer and extra walking time is explored using a binary logit choice model to review the existence of the transfer penalty, the components inside the penalty, the effects of the urban environment outside the transit system, and the variation of the penalty across trip and personal characteristics. The MBTA subway system in Downtown Boston is used for the analysis, and GIS techniques are used extensively for data processing and results display. The study shows that there is indeed a perceived transfer penalty among MBTA subway riders. Transfer walking time, transfer waiting time, the change of level, and the existence of concession capture the majority of the penalty. The remaining part is explained by the general condition of the subway transfer station, and the in-vehicle travel time spent on making a transfer. The study also shows there is a variation of the transfer penalty across different transfer stations. The urban environment in Downtown Boston as explained by measures, such as sidewalk width, land use, open space, and topology, also has a significant impact on the transfer penalty. In particular pedestrian friendly Downtown area encourage riders to leave the subway system early and walk further. The penalty is found to be largely independent on the trip and demographic characteristics though this finding may be affected by the population being limited to those who already choose the subway system to reach their final destinations in Downtown Boston.by Zhan Guo.M.C.P

Transfers and path choice in urban public transport systems

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (p. 285-294).Transfers are endemic in public transport systems. Empirical evidence shows that a large portion of public transport journeys involve at least one change of vehicles, and that the transfer experience significantly affects the travelers' satisfaction with the public transport service, and whether they view public transport as an effective option. Despite their importance, however, transfers have long been overlooked by decision-makers, transportation planners, and analysts. Transfer-related research, practice, and investments are rare compared with many other aspects of transportation planning, probably because (1) the underlying transfer behavior is too complex; (2) the analysis methods are too primitive; and (3) the applications are not straightforward. This dissertation focuses on these issues and contributes to current literature in three aspects: methodology development, behavior exploration, and applications in practice. In this research, I adopt a path-choice approach based on travelers' revealed preference to measure the disutility associated with transfer, or the so-called transfer penalty. I am able to quantify transfer experience in a variety of situations in great spatial detail, and reduce the external "noises" that might contaminate the model estimation. I then apply the method to two public transport networks: a relative small and simple rail network (subway and commuter rail) in Boston and a large and complex network (Underground) in London. Both networks offer a large variability of transfer environment and transfer activities. Estimation results show high system-wide transfer penalties in both studies, indicating that transfer experience can have a very negative impact on the performance and competitiveness of public transport. They also suggest that the system-average value has limited applications in planning and operation because the transfer penalty varies greatly across station and movement. Such variation is largely caused by different transfer environments, not by different personal characteristics, attitudes, preferences, or perceptions, at least in the two investigated networks.The two applications to the London Underground network illustrate that the lack of careful consideration of transfer effect can lead to inaccurate passenger flow estimation as well as less credible project evaluation and investment justification. The results further confirm the potential, as well as the importance, of transfer planning in major multimodal public transport networks.by Zhan Guo.Ph.D

Regional Socioeconomic Impact Analysis and Modeling

Reviews regional economic theories and models and provides students with experience in using alternative economic impact assessment models on microcomputers. Problem sets are oriented around infrastructure, housing, energy, and environmental issues. Students work with a client generally in Boston and make a presentation to the client. Emphasis on written and oral presentation skills. From the course home page: Course Description The advanced graduate seminar is designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of selected regional economic theories and techniques and with experience in using alternative socioeconomic impact assessment models and related regional techniques on microcomputers. Discussions will be held on particular theoretical modeling and economic issues; linkages among theories, accounts, and policies; relationships between national and regional economic structures; and methods of adjusting and estimating regional input-output accounts and tables. Examples from the Boston area and other U.S. cities/regions will be used to illustrate points throughout the seminar. This year we will also examine international employment outsourcing from Boston industries and the economic impacts on the local economy. New material on analyzing regional-development issues will also be covered