The First and Last Mile Travel Choice Effects of Crime: An Examination of the Location of Crime and its Association with Sustainable and Healthy Access to Transit

While several studies have investigated the links between crime travel behavior, little research estimates the direct effects on mode choice of crime along different lengths of a person’s route, from home origin to station destination, particularly as it relates to the first and/or last mile of the trip-a key area for encouraging alternative modes. A long-standing goal among transit planners has been to reduce driving trips and trip distances for environmental, economic and public health reasons. However, if there is a perceived threat to their personal security along their journey, people may choose to drive instead of walking or bicycling, potentially presenting serious consequences for the environment and society. While most previous studies of travel behavior, criminal activity look only at origin characteristics, this research uses multinomial logit (MNL) regression to estimate the impact of criminal activity along the route, from origin to destination, as well as at the destination. This study runs several different models in order to provide meaningful policy guidance, as follows: Station area crime appears to present the strongest association with mode choice, with crimes along the route and around the home in distant third place. This study helps a) our understanding of the importance of connection between various crimes and mode choice, and the location, which can help b) decide where to place police resources, and finally c) tie the placement of police resources to important sustainability and health goals, as they relate to active and healthy transportation choices.

• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AP045 Intermodal Transfer Facilities.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Appleyard, Bruce
• 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: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 23p
• Monograph Title: TRB 94th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crimes; Mode choice; Multinomial logits; Origin and destination; Public transit; Travel behavior
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01556552
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 15-5001
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 9 2015 7:53AM