Abstract
Public transport transforms urban communities and the lives of citizens living in them by stimulating economic growth, promoting sustainable lifestyles and providing a greater quality of life. Globally, the healthiest cities have one thing in common, a public and active transport network that does not depend on each person owning a personal motorised vehicle. Growing dependence on the automobile has created a multitude of problems, some of which public transport can help solve. Adverse social, environmental and health effects related to automobile emissions and car-dependency suggest that using public transport will result in a decrease in an individual’s carbon footprint, will lessen overall CO2 emissions, and will help to ease urban traffic congestion as well as encourage more effective and efficient land use. With many urban areas experiencing ongoing traffic problems, it is acknowledged that any sustainable long-term solution must entail a significant public transport element. The aim of this research study, conducted in November and December 2017, was to obtain essential baseline information on service user satisfaction levels with the existing public bus services in Galway City, Ireland. By measuring levels of satisfaction, it is possible to build our overall knowledge of the public transport network and thus identify improvements in the service that would lead to an increase in bus passenger numbers and result in reductions in the amount of cars on the roads. Results suggest deficiencies in public transport infrastructure, such as Dedicated Bus Lanes, and the lack of attention to customer services are hindering improvements in the public bus service.
Highlights
As urbanisation intensifies, traffic congestion and the adverse effects of car dependency continue to blight the healthy sustainable growth of many cities and increasingly the challenges of meeting climate change goals will dominate the design and development of urban transport policy over the coming years
Less than 10% of the city road network have Dedicated Bus Lanes (DBL), but commitment was reaffirmed in the Galway Transport
For cities to develop in a sustainable manner, an efficient, affordable and reliable public transport system must be central to all planning and transportation decisions
Summary
Traffic congestion and the adverse effects of car dependency continue to blight the healthy sustainable growth of many cities and increasingly the challenges of meeting climate change goals will dominate the design and development of urban transport policy over the coming years. The unprecedented growth and use of the private car in cities and towns intensifies environmental concerns and contributes to numerous social and economic problems such as road traffic accidents and congestion, air and noise pollution, poor personal health, reduced economic opportunities and the quality of life for urban inhabitants [1,2,3,4]. Public transport is critical to a city’s overall transportation system and the economic and social quality of life of all citizens, a sustainable and practical alternative to private car use [5,6]. Urban Sci. 2018, 2, 102 that the key characteristics of the sustainable city are that it should have a population of over 25,000 people—preferably over 50,000—with medium densities of over 40 persons per hectare, with mixed use developments, and with preference given to developments in public transport accessible corridors and near to highly public transport accessible connections [7]. Public transport services can attract private car users by improving the quality of the service they provide, but exactly what improvements must be made depends on the perspective of each targeted group and their motivations for using their car in the first instance [11]
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