Existing and Potential Train Users: What Difference Does the Built Environment Make?

Concerns about the high levels of congestion and air pollution in the Randstad Southwing of the Netherlands have resulted in a search for more sustainable alternatives to car use. Providing high frequency transit is one of the alternatives currently being considered. Stimulating the construction of new housing nearby transit stops, rather than in areas that are less well connected by public transport, is expected to yield the increased transit ridership levels needed to justify investing in such high frequency timetable-free transit services. Such Transit Oriented Development (TOD) assumes that people living closer to transit stops, are more likely to travel by public transport than by car. However, there is a lack of information on who is willing to live near transit stops in the Randstad Southwing, and who is more likely to use the transit provided. Survey results for 1295 car or train commuters residing and/or working in the Randstad Southwing collected in 2013, are used to examine 1) the relative importance of distance to transit for mode choice, 2) the willingness to live closer to public transport to facilitate train use, and 3) characteristics of people willing to live closer to transit. The results indicate that built environment characteristics around the employment location are more related to train use than those around the residential location. Whereas existing train commuters are more willing to live closer to transit than car commuters, about 13 percent of current car commuters would like to travel by train more often.

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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AP025 Public Transportation Planning and Development.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Hubers, Christa
  • Maat, Kees
  • Kasraian, Dena
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2015-1-11 to 2015-1-15
• Date: 2015

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 16p
• Monograph Title: TRB 94th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Commuters; Housing; Location; Mode choice; Public transit; Ridership; Surveys; Transit oriented development; Workplaces
• Geographic Terms: Norway
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Railroads; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01556502
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 15-4520
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 6 2015 1:46PM