Inadequate and uncertain transportation funding have in recent years resulted in a renewed emphasis on using investments that can be recovered by toll charges to finance new roads and modernize existing roads. This has raised questions about environmental justice (EJ) and how it pertains to tolling. In 2004, TxDOT Project 0-5208 was funded to propose an approach for the identification, measurement, and mitigation of disproportionately high or adverse impacts imposed on minority and low-income (EJ) communities by toll roads relative to non-tolled facilities. The methodology proposed had two equally important components: an analysis/quantitative component and an effective EJ participation component. However, the research raised concerns about the ability of various available analytical tools and analysis techniques to measure the potential impacts imposed on EJ communities by toll roads relative to non-toll roads. The objective of this thesis study was to extend the work that was conducted under TxDOT Research Project 0-5208 by (a) reviewing the ability of available tools and analysis techniques to quantify and qualitatively describe the EJ impacts associated with toll road projects and toll road systems through an evaluation of state-of-the-practice applications, and (b) recommending a suitable approach to assess the EJ impacts of toll roads and toll road systems on EJ communities. The research conducted to meet the study objectives has culminated in this thesis. / text

Despite the continued interest in transportation accessibility, it is still unclear how different types of accessibility measures relate to one another and which situations are best for each. The current study undertakes a statistical comparison among six transit accessibility measures (representing three main categories of accessibility models) to determine whether they are comparable and/or interchangeable. Specifically, this analysis considers a case study to measure individuals’ access to healthcare via paratransit. Results indicate that the three categories of accessibility measures provide drastically different interpretations of accessibility that cannot be duplicated by each other. Furthermore, the more closely accessibility models capture individuals’ perceptions and true access to activity opportunities, the more consistent and evenly distributed the results. / text

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 183-202).