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

published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

Whilst transport has repeatedly been identified as an integral component in the tourism system, the relationship between urban public transport networks and visitor behaviour at urban destinations remains largely unexplored. Furthermore, tourist transport is rarely the subject of the same quality benchmarking techniques that are applied to other elements of the tourism product. The thesis reviews the use of service quality and customer satisfaction measures in urban tourism and urban public transport, highlighting dimensions of urban public transport quality which may be of particular relevance to overseas visitors at urban destinations. The results of a survey of overseas visitors to Greater Manchester, employing both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques, are subsequently presented, identifying factors affecting the use of public transport by overseas visitors to Greater Manchester. Attributes of public transport service quality, revealed by the research to be of importance in measuring overseas visitors’ satisfaction with urban public transport performance in Greater Manchester, are reduced by means of principal components analysis to reveal the underlying dimensions of overseas visitors’ satisfaction with Manchester’s public transport system. An ensuing regression analysis reveals the relationships between the dimensions of public transport performance, overall satisfaction with public transport and satisfaction with Manchester as a visitor destination. Additionally, an importance-performance analysis is employed to uncover the strengths and weaknesses of public transport service in Manchester from an overseas visitor perspective. The implications for destination management are discussed.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 120-126). Also available online via the University of Tennessee ETD website (http://web.utk.edu/~thesis/etd.shtml).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-59).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xvi, 141 p.; also includes graphics (some col.). Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Alan T. Murray, Dept. of Geography. Includes bibliographical references (p. 124-141).

Thesis (M.U.D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Accessibility is an enduring concept in Transport Planning, historically relating to the performance of the transport system and more recently to the understanding of social aspects of transport planning and practice. Accessibility Planning, set in the context of addressing social exclusion, is one example of an applied approach to accessibility which seeks to reflect user perspectives. However, translating the concept into practice is problematic. Measurement is dominated by time and distance and separation of people from destinations, rather than reflecting individuals’ perceptions. The core aims of this thesis are to critically appraise dominant approaches to Accessibility Planning and to understand how objective measures relate to perceptions of accessibility. The thesis is structured into two main empirical stages. Firstly a review of current approaches is undertaken through engagement with accessibility practitioners in England and a comparative analysis of accessibility measures in the English Core Accessibility Indicators and National Travel Survey. Secondly a mixed methods case study, utilising household survey and mental mapping interviews in Greater Nottingham, is presented. Statistical analyses are used to compare objective and self-reported measures of accessibility and to explore factors contributing to perceptions of accessibility. Perceived accessibility is more strongly related to selfreported measures than to objective measures. Demographic characteristics and attitudes are also important in explaining variation in perceptions. For example, while an elderly person may perceive accessibility to be worse because of physical mobility issues, car users may perceive inaccessibility due to lack of awareness of alternatives, leading to different policy approaches. A grounded theory analysis of interview data highlights that affective and symbolic factors are useful in understanding perceptions of accessibility, in addition to the instrumental factors more usually studied. Recommendations include a need to incorporate subjective measurement alongside more traditional accessibility measures, in line with wider policy discourses such as the recent development of subjective wellbeing measures by the Office for National Statistics.

No description available.