The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Transit Oriented Development (TOD) program has been expanding the number of stations being considered for development of surface parking lots and into the air rights over certain rail stations. As of 2015, MARTA has six rail stations in various stages of TOD development, which will increase multi-modal options for metro Atlanta residents. The overarching goal of TOD development is to increase transit ridership and reduce auto-dependency; hence quantifying the potential benefits of TOD development in terms of ridership is paramount. Despite several drawbacks, travel demand models have historically been utilized to forecast ridership for land use changes and transit improvements. Direct ridership models (DRMs) are transit demand forecasting methods that can be applied to land development in cases where traditional travel demand models (TDMs) are not well suited. DRMs leverage geographic tools commonly used by planners to take advantage of small scale pedestrian environment factors immediately surrounding transit stations. Although DRM data and methods can achieve greater precision in predicting local walk-access transit trips, the lack of regional and large-scale datasets reduces the ability to model ridership generated from riders outside the immediate vicinity of the rail stations. Stations that have high multi-modal access trips, particularly via personal vehicle and connecting buses, are not typically accounted for by DRMs. Hence, this study focuses on pedestrian-based rail boardings only, a metric that also allows the use of a large scale onboard survey distributed by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) in late 2009 and early 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. Analysis of the large scale on-board ridership survey also reveals variables that may be useful in forecasting ridership at the station level when coupled with available census data. Comparison of variables such as income, age, gender, ethnicity, and race from census data with the large scale survey guided the selection of candidate variables to be included in a DRM for MARTA rail stations. Results from the comparison showed that using census data in DRMs does not always accurately reflect the ridership demographics. Notable differences in pedestrian-based ridership and transit catchments appear to occur in populations making less than $40,000, African American populations, and the young and elderly populations. Large differences in the survey and census data reported around the stations raise questions about the usability of census data in predicting ridership at rail stations. Despite the shortcomings of using census data to directly predict walk access transit ridership, an ordinary least squared (OLS) regression model predicts a high proportion of variance of pedestrian-based ridership in Atlanta, Georgia. A small number of variables were incorporated into a DRM to show the strong relationship of employment density with pedestrian based ridership. The number of low income residents was also influential in increasing ridership via walk access.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

The population of Austin, Texas is projected to reach 1.6 million people by the year 2040, which doubles the city’s current population. The populations of cities in neighboring counties, Hays and Williamson, are projected to experience even more growth within the same time frame. For the first time in history, over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, so sustainable development is currently relevant for urban planning. Until 2010, Austin lacked a mass public transportation system. Currently, Capital Metro, Austin’s main public transportation operator, operates the Red Line of the MetroRail, a commuter rail system. The Red Line only serves a specific subset of the population in Austin and its northern neighbors, running from the city of Leander, through northern Austin, before its final stop in downtown Austin. Because of this, Capital Metro will begin operations on a new method of rapid mass transit: a bus rapid transit system called MetroRapid. With two lines opening in 2014, MetroRapid will function as a mass rapid public transit option for two of the busiest north-south corridors in the city. The opening of MetroRapid will provide opportunities to stimulate growth in areas focused around this transit system. Transit-oriented development can be a method of guiding Austin’s future growth that will theoretically facilitate and encourage public transit use. The benefits to such growth would be reduced congestion, less dependency on automobiles and fostering communities that are vibrant and self-sustaining. This paper defines Transit-Oriented Developments (TODs), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and analyzes the MetroRapid stations themselves as Austin moves toward becoming a sustainable city. / text

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has adopted characteristics of rail systems to deliver a highquality transport service in a cost-effective way. Many cities across the globe have recently adopted BRT schemes as a promising strategy for relieving traffic problems. However, as a relatively new form of Mass Transit, the ability of BRT to provide a high quality transport service and its potential to stimulate land development remain largely unexplored. Following a review of international literature on the current issues relating to the land development impact of BRT, the thesis provides empirical-based evidence that examines the performance and effects of ITS-led BRT in Beijing, China. The study makes use of qualitative (interviews with stakeholders) and quantitative analysis (the questionnaire survey of passengers and longitudinal analysis of property price data) to investigate the impact of Beijing Southern BRT Line 1 on public transport service quality and land development along its corridor. The study clearly illustrates that the BRT system is an innovative approach of providing a high-quality transport service, comparable to a rail service but at a relatively low cost and short implementation time. The research suggests that a high-quality BRT system can offer accessibility advantage (specifically travel time savings) to adjacent properties and increase their attractiveness. The statistical analysis suggests improved accessibility conferred by BRT is capitalized into higher real-estate prices. The capitalization effect mostly occurs after the full operation of BRT, and is more evident over time and particularly observed in a place which lacks the alternative mobility opportunity offered by a Mass Transit system.

The continued decentralization of employment in U.S. regions has led to the emergence of large employment centers outside of traditional Central Business Districts. Edge Cities in particular, with their high office space densities, significantly influence surrounding land uses and regional commuting patterns. However, existing transit systems tend to be oriented to historic Central Business Districts and the level of service for transit in suburban areas remains considerably below that of central cities. Adequately serving suburban Edge Cities with transit is critical in maintaining and improving access to jobs by transit and mitigating automobile congestion. This study explores the suitability of a Bus Rapid Transit system along the Veterans Boulevard corridor in Greater New Orleans. It does this by analyzing residential and employment densities and existing commuting patterns along the corridor. It also explores the potential impact of BRT improvements on transit ridership in the corridor.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has a demonstrated capacity to improve safety, mobility and accessibility for multiple types of road users. In India, where road safety is an ongoing problem, the national government has supported cities’ efforts to implement BRT as a cost-effective tool to improve urban travel. The case of Indore’s iBus attests to the cultural and institutional barriers that Indian cities may face in gaining public support for BRT. After a contentious implementation process, the High Court ruled to open the dedicated bus lane to private automobiles, resulting in drops in ridership and increases in accidents and travel delay. This study examines the competing, public narratives that framed the issues during and after project construction. Contested notions of the public interest, the cause of traffic problems, and community participation informed the basis for the arguments that culminated in the court ruling.

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Civil (Vias de Comunicação). Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2013

<p>Kusoffsky, Magnus (2010) <em>Spårväg eller trådbuss – Idéstudie om strukturerande kollektivtrafik i Örebroregionen</em> [Light rail or high-capacity trolleybus: A proposal for high-quality public transport in the Örebro area] Kulturgeografiska institutionen, avancerad nivå Masteruppsats för masterexamen i Samhällsplanering, 30 ECTS credits Handledare: Lennart Tonell Språk: Svenska</p><p>Den här uppsatsen handlar om samhällsplanering och kollektivtrafik i regionen omkring Örebro, Kumla och Hallsberg. Uppsatsens syfte är att presentera en vision för en långsiktigt hållbar Örebroregion, med ett hållbart transportsystem där kollektivtrafiken har en hög marknadsandel.</p><p>Visionen preciseras i två <em>scenarier</em>, som bygger på två olika trafiksystem, nämligen spårväg och duospårväg, respektive prioriterad busstrafik med trådbuss. Båda scenarierna bygger på det nuvarande busslinjenätet i Örebro, och båda innehåller en direkt anslutning från Örebro universitet till Kumla och Hallsberg.</p><p>Metoder som används i uppsatsen är scenarioplanering, backcasting, semi-struktrurerade intervjuer och deltagande observation.</p><p>Avhandlingen innehåller en litteraturstudie, som bygger på tre målbilder för samhällsplanering i Sverige: <em>integrerad trafik- och samhällsplanering med kollektivtrafik som norm</em>, <em>kollektivtrafik med strukturerande egenskaper</em>, och <em>integrering av lokal och regional kollektivtrafik</em>.</p><p>I två scenarierna beskrivs bland annat grundläggande tekniska specifikationer, linjenät, täckningsgrad, restider, kostnadsberäkningar, konsekvenser för stadsmiljö och samhällsplanering. Systemens för- och nackdelar jämförs, och rekommendationer lämnas för åtgärder på kortare sikt i kommunerna Örebro, Kumla och Hallsberg. Med hjälp av backcasting presenteras ett förslag på tidsplan för att förverkliga visionen inom 20 år.</p><p>Nyckelord: <em>Kollektivtrafik</em>, <em>Integrerad planering</em>, <em>Backcasting, Spårväg</em>,<em> Duospårväg</em>,<em> Trådbuss</em>, <em>Bus rapid transit</em>, <em>Örebro län.</em></p>

Kusoffsky, Magnus (2010) Spårväg eller trådbuss – Idéstudie om strukturerande kollektivtrafik i Örebroregionen [Light rail or high-capacity trolleybus: A proposal for high-quality public transport in the Örebro area] Kulturgeografiska institutionen, avancerad nivå Masteruppsats för masterexamen i Samhällsplanering, 30 ECTS credits Handledare: Lennart Tonell Språk: Svenska Den här uppsatsen handlar om samhällsplanering och kollektivtrafik i regionen omkring Örebro, Kumla och Hallsberg. Uppsatsens syfte är att presentera en vision för en långsiktigt hållbar Örebroregion, med ett hållbart transportsystem där kollektivtrafiken har en hög marknadsandel. Visionen preciseras i två scenarier, som bygger på två olika trafiksystem, nämligen spårväg och duospårväg, respektive prioriterad busstrafik med trådbuss. Båda scenarierna bygger på det nuvarande busslinjenätet i Örebro, och båda innehåller en direkt anslutning från Örebro universitet till Kumla och Hallsberg. Metoder som används i uppsatsen är scenarioplanering, backcasting, semi-struktrurerade intervjuer och deltagande observation. Avhandlingen innehåller en litteraturstudie, som bygger på tre målbilder för samhällsplanering i Sverige: integrerad trafik- och samhällsplanering med kollektivtrafik som norm, kollektivtrafik med strukturerande egenskaper, och integrering av lokal och regional kollektivtrafik. I två scenarierna beskrivs bland annat grundläggande tekniska specifikationer, linjenät, täckningsgrad, restider, kostnadsberäkningar, konsekvenser för stadsmiljö och samhällsplanering. Systemens för- och nackdelar jämförs, och rekommendationer lämnas för åtgärder på kortare sikt i kommunerna Örebro, Kumla och Hallsberg. Med hjälp av backcasting presenteras ett förslag på tidsplan för att förverkliga visionen inom 20 år. Nyckelord: Kollektivtrafik, Integrerad planering, Backcasting, Spårväg, Duospårväg, Trådbuss, Bus rapid transit, Örebro län.