Effects of street pattern, traffic, road infrastructure, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics on public transit ridership

Abstract

Travel demand is increasing in many countries and the transportation sector produces about 14% of the global greenhouse gas emission, which has been linked to the current climate change. As the oil and gas capital of Canada, the City of Calgary has a very high carbon footprint per population. Hence, the increase usage of transit and the reduction of auto dependency is an important policy goal for the city, and understanding the determinants of transit ridership is a critical first step to achieving this goal. The objective of the study is to identify the effects of different street patterns, traffic, road infrastructure, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics on public transit ridership in 185 community areas of the city. Our results suggest that several street patterns have a significant effect on public transit usage and thus should be considered in the development of new communities for promoting public transit. Also, increases in commercial areas, expressways or highways and train stations are associated with greater transit use. In addition to these physical attributes, a number of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics related to income, age, living pattern and minority or immigrant populations are important determinants of public transit use.