Passive transit accessibility: Modelling and application for transit gap analysis and station area assessment

Abstract

This paper presents a passive transit accessibility model and showcases its applications to Brisbane, Australia, as a robust decision support tool for transport and urban planning. Active accessibility describes how easy it is for a person to reach essential activities such as work, education or shopping, while passive accessibility refers to the ease of an activity located in a given area being reached by potential users such as workers, students or shoppers. The passive accessibility measure can help determine the location of new activity centres where good transit access is essential to serve nearby communities. Two case studies are presented to demonstrate the application of the model. First, the model is used to examine the passive transit accessibility of major employment and commercial areas in Brisbane, Australia, to identify areas deemed in needs of transit service improvement. Second, the model is incorporated into the node–place modelling framework for assessment of potential transit oriented development (TOD). The node–place model offers a conceptual framework for evaluating the (re)development potential or enhancing the transit supply of station areas. The node–place model is used to classify 1186 analysis zones in Brisbane. The study identifies areas that have potential for transforming into TODs after improving transit accessibility or changing land use or development.