Transportation Research Record 1604January 1997
In traditional travel forecasting models, a limited set of attributes are used to describe transit utility. The transit access environment is one of the characteristics of the travel experience often ignored by the models in use today. A quantitative approach to incorporating the effects of the transit access environment into transportation planning models is presented. A measure called the transit friendliness factor, which is defined as a function of the characteristics of the area surrounding a transit stop, is proposed. These characteristics include the quality of the pedestrian facilities, the character of nearby streets, the presence of amenities at the stop, and the proximity to potential destinations. A method for evaluating both the existing and the future value of the transit friendliness factor is described. Application of the proposed approach is illustrated by its successful implementation in the mode choice model used in a study for the Triangle Transit Authority in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. In conclusion, the lessons learned and suggested future applications are discussed.
Evans, J., V. Perincherry, and B. Douglas, “Transit Friendliness Factor: An Approach to Quantifying the Transit Access Environment in a Transportation Planning Model.” Transportation Research Record 1604, TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 1997, pp. 32-39.
