Understanding how individuals perceive changes in the built environment and the transport system after implementing a BRT system. The case of Barranquilla, Colombia

Abstract

Implementing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) may impact travel patterns and the activity systems in its surroundings. Such impacts include land-use and environmental changes, capitalisation of land value, and mobility improvements. Even though the literature reports the above impacts extensively, there is a need for more research to understand individual perceptions about these impacts, which may differ geographically and influence the usage level and the acceptance of transportation systems. This paper contributes to filling this gap by assessing how respondents perceive changes in the transport system and the built environment after implementing Transmetro, the BRT system of the Metropolitan Area of Barranquilla, Colombia. The study uses a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach to analyse data from 305 surveys collected in low-income neighbourhoods, including a treatment sub-sample with access and a control sub-sample without access to the BRT. The results suggest an overall positive perception of change in the urban environment after the Transmetro implementation; however, individuals without access to the BRT have an even more positive perception of its impacts than individuals inside the influence area. The perception of the BRT impacts correlates with the perception regarding urban environment changes at the neighbourhood level. Finally, we found that socioeconomics, travel, and accessibility conditions strongly influence the system's impact perceptions.