Travel and Car Ownership of Residents near New Suburban Metro Stations in Shanghai, China

Abstract

Large cities in China are building extensive rail transit systems in combination with transit-oriented development in suburban areas, so that public transportation can play a leading role in supporting rapid urban expansion. Shanghai, China has been a leader in this planning approach. Shanghai's experience can be valuable for other cities facing similar pressures of urbanization, suburbanization, and motorization while striving to improve livability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To gain useful insights from Shanghai, a travel survey of residents in a recently developed suburban metro station area was conducted to examine how the city's mass rapid transit (MRT) has influenced residents’ travel and car ownership. With statistical methods, including logistic regression, it was found that (a) MRT was generally adequate in supporting the station area's economic relationships with the central city and local employment locations; (b) a high percentage of residents intended to commute by the MRT when they moved to the suburban station area, and their original intention positively influenced their current travel and car ownership; and (c) rail transit may help temporarily reduce the pace of motorization in households near suburban metro stations by delaying a car purchase and lowering the probability of car use in commuting. However, it was also found that car ownership had been increasing quite rapidly despite the positive effects of a much expanded and improved metro system, and that once a person owned a car, he or she would most likely drive to work.