I Only Get Some Satisfaction: Introducing Satisfaction into Measures of Accessibility

Improving accessibility is a goal pursued by many metropolitan regions to address a variety of objectives. Accessibility, or the ease of reaching destinations, is traditionally measured using observed travel time and has of yet not accounted for user satisfaction with these travel times. As trip satisfaction is a major component of the underlying psychology of travel, the authors introduce satisfaction into accessibility measures and demonstrate its viability for future use. To do so, they generate a new satisfaction-based measure of accessibility where the impedance functions are determined from the travel time data of satisfying trips gathered from the 2017/2018 McGill Transport Survey. This satisfaction-based measure is used to calculate accessibility to jobs by four modes (public transport, car, walking, and cycling) in the Montreal metropolitan region, with the results then compared to a standard gravity-based measure of accessibility. This comparison suggests an overestimation of accessibility when using a standard gravity-based measure, particularly for public transport users. The authors demonstrate how a satisfaction-based measure combined with mode share data can identify areas with high levels of dissatisfied, mode-dependent commuters, and discuss its implications for targeting transport interventions using a measure of social vulnerability. The study demonstrates the importance of including satisfaction in accessibility measures and allows for a more nuanced interpretation of the ease of access by researchers, planners, and policy-makers.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD30 Standing Committee on Transportation and Land Development.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Chaloux, Nick
  • Boisjoly, Geneviève
  • Gris�, Emily
  • El-Geneidy, Ahmed
  • Levinson, David
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2019-1-13 to 2019-1-17
• Date: 2019

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 18p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Automobiles; Bicycling; Commuting; Customer satisfaction; Equity; Psychological aspects; Public transit; Travel time; Walking
• Geographic Terms: Montreal (Canada)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01697978
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 19-03141
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 1 2019 3:51PM