Public Transport Infrastructure Research Articles

Taking a deep breath: a qualitative study exploring acceptability and perceived unintended consequences of charging clean air zones and air quality improvement initiatives amongst low-income, multi-ethnic communities in Bradford, UK

BackgroundPoor air quality is the one of the biggest causes of early death and illness across the lifespan. In the UK, 28 local authorities with illegal pollution levels have been mandated by the Government to develop plans to rapidly reduce pollution to legal limits. These plans include consideration of implementing one of four of charging 'Clean Air Zone’ (CAZ) classes in areas of high pollution which would charge older polluting vehicles a daily charge to enter. While this offers a potential to improve air quality, the extent to which CAZ might impact (for example, economically) on socio-economically deprived groups and local businesses is unclear.AimsTo explore the acceptability and perceived unintended consequences of a CAZ and other initiatives to improve air quality with seldom-heard communities living in deprived, multi-ethnic areas within the city of Bradford, UK.MethodsTen semi-structured focus groups were conducted with people who live in areas of high pollution and deprivation. A total of 87 people participated from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds with the majority of Pakistani origin. Recorded data were transcribed, coded and analysed using thematic analysis.FindingsAs poor air quality was not always visible it was seen as a hidden issue by many, and not prioritised over other more visible environmental issues (e.g. fly-tipping, littering). There was resistance to proposals which included charging private vehicles. Many felt that low-income families did not have the resources to purchase compliant vehicles or pay daily charges, placing a disproportionate burden on them. It was also felt that low-income taxi drivers would be disproportionately affected financially by proposals. Public transport infrastructure was felt to be inadequate. Other traffic management or emission reduction activities were also explored. Views towards these initiatives were more positive if they did not directly affect individuals financially.ConclusionAir quality initiatives such as CAZs were felt to be likely to financially disadvantage communities already living in socio-economic and environmental poverty. Policy makers need to carefully consider appropriate mitigation strategies to ensure that health and economic inequalities are not increased by implementation of CAZ. Given air quality is low priority for some groups, careful engagement and communication will be required to increase acceptance interventions such as CAZs.

Scaling up urban infrastructure for physical activity in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Scaling up urban infrastructure for physical activity in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Measurement Research on New Urbanization Development of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan City Cluster Based on the Concept of “Production-Living-Ecology” Space

With the accelerating urbanization process, the urbanization rate is increasing year by year. Taking Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan City Cluster as an example, the evaluation index system of new urbanization in Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan City Cluster is constructed from three dimensions: production space, living space and ecological space. The entropy method, mathematical statistics analysis and exploratory spatial data analysis are adopted, and the time from 2008 to 2020 is taken as the research time node. This paper analyzes the development level of new urbanization in Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan City Cluster from two aspects of time series dynamics and spatial pattern. Through data analysis, it is found that there is a high correlation between new urbanization and population urbanization rate in Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan City Cluster. The growth trend of “quality” and “number” of new urbanization is consistent, and the comprehensive level of new urbanization in Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan City Cluster is constantly improving. At the same time, there are some problems in the new urbanization of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan City Cluster, such as unreasonable industrial structure, backward public transport infrastructure, serious structural unemployment, serious air pollution and large gap between urban and rural areas. Finally, the paper puts forward relevant policy suggestions.

VISUAL NAVIGATION IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT OF THE CITY OF KHARKIV

The urban environment of many cities in Ukraine is characterized by oversaturation and unstructured information and advertising elements, as well as a lack of information and guidance tools, which leads to some discomfort in the stay of both citizens and guests of the cities of our country. The relevance of this issue encourages researchers in the field of design theory to carefully analyze the evolution of graphical navigation systems for identifying their further development. The infrastructure of public transport in Kharkiv, taking into account the growing number of routes and vehicles that provide passenger transportation, needs to develop a set of visual navigation by means of graphic design. The aim of research reveals the necessity of development the comprehensive design of visual navigation in the infrastructure of public transport in Kharkiv. The results can be used to find the optimal solutions of graphic sign systems that may become the basis of visual communications in a dynamically developing urban environment at present stage. The scientific paper describes some of the foreign projects in terms of forming a visual system for the transport infrastructure of the city. Analysis of world experience in the field of navigation systems and trends in public transport indicates the need for an integrated approach to the development of visual navigation. This is a relevant task, as there is an increase in the share of urban residents, an increase in the number of public electric transport as well as the launch of new transport routes. Based on the analysis of foreign projects «Bristol Legible City», «London Legible City» and «Bath Public Realm & Movement Strategy», aimed at solving the problem of urban visual navigation in Bristol, London and Bath, certain components are identified and characterized that can be used to develop a systematic design concept for navigation in public transport in Kharkiv. Among them are common visual language and navigation system throughout the city; taking into account the aspect of unification, which eliminates the inconsistency between the systems in the city; visual color differentiation for different modes of transport; maps of public transport with geographical reference to the area; visual association of subway maps and other types of urban electric transport. Such components are appropriate in the formation of a comprehensive design solution.

Development of public transport system as a factor in greening the urban environment

Public transport is not only an element of a city ensuring the territorial integrity, but also a factor that significantly affects the quality of the urban environment. Improvement of the public transport system and optimization its types make it possible to rebuild the urban space, providing territories for public, recreational and other functions of the city. The transport infrastructure in the urban environment without these functions results in negative consequences.The aim of the work is to identify the advanced trends in the organization of the public transport system based on the experience of cities with a high level of urban comfort.It is shown that without the interaction with external and internal components of the urban and transport systems, the infrastructure of public transport cannot be considered, since transport becomes a competitor for land resources for pedestrian, cycling infrastructure and landscaping. It is found that the optimization of the transport system must be oriented towards the accessibility of urban areas at any time, expanding pedestrian and green areas and reducing the negative impact on the urban environment.

Evaluating Performance of Public Transport Networks by Using Public Transport Criteria Matrix Analytic Hierarchy Process Models—Case Study of Stonnington, Bayswater, and Cockburn Public Transport Network

To mitigate car traffic problems, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) issued a document that provides guidelines for sustainable development and the promotion of public transport. The efficiency of the policies and strategies needs to be evaluated to improve the performance of public transportation networks. To assess the performance of a public transport network, it is first necessary to select evaluation criteria. Based on existing indicators, this research proposes a public transport criteria matrix that includes the basic public transport infrastructure level, public transport service level, economic benefit level, and sustainable development level. A public transport criteria matrix AHP model is established to assess the performance of public transport networks. The established model selects appropriate evaluation criteria based on existing performance standards. It is applied to study the Stonnington, Bayswater, and Cockburn public transport network, representing a series of land use and transport policy backgrounds. The local public transport authorities can apply the established transport criteria matrix AHP model to monitor the performance of a public transport network and provide guidance for its improvement.

An analysis of the impact of investment in public transport on economic growth of metropolitan cities in South Africa

Background: Over the years, the South African government has emphasised improving the metros’ socioeconomic infrastructures because these form an essential catalyst that can boost grassroots development. Despite the considerable increase in investments in transport infrastructure in the metros, the contributions of the metros where all these transport investments are concentrated appear to be making little use of it to promote their grassroots development.Objectives: The study investigated the impact of public transportation on the output growth of South Africa.Method: One-way error component panel analysis is adopted to analyse disaggregated data from eight major metros in the country from 2003 to 2017. Data were mainly sourced on public transport expenditure, total social infrastructure expenditure, total capital formation, labour expenditure and output growth rate from each of the metros.Results: The results were a clear departure from what was obtained by previous studies on transport expenditure and the growth of South Africa. Six of the metros which are the big ones in terms of the population showed a result, which indicated that public transport expenditure did not influence their output significantly; but when combined with other social infrastructure, it exhibited significant impact. However, the results of the remaining two small metros showed that public transport expenditure and its combination with other social infrastructure all had a significant impact on their output growth.Conclusion: This confirms transport infrastructure investment conforms to the theory of the diminishing marginal product of capital. The six big metros should invest more in social infrastructure, which would complement the contemporary transport infrastructure investment. On the other hand, there is still a need to increase public transport infrastructure investments on the smaller metros.

Market-Segmentation Study of Future and Potential Users of the New Réseau Express Métropolitain Light Rail in Montreal, Canada

Goals for public transit agencies and new public transport infrastructure projects include attracting new riders and retaining existing system users. An understanding of the public transport market and its preferences, habits, and attitudes can help public transit agencies reach these goals by shedding light on how to increase customer satisfaction. To understand potential users of one of Montreal’s most recent major transport projects, the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), we conducted a survey in Fall 2019 while the light-rail system was under construction. Drawing on vetted transport market-segmentation frameworks, this study employs an exploratory factor analysis to reveal factors that affect respondents’ propensity to use the REM. A k-means cluster test is applied to the factors to articulate market segments. The analysis returned four clusters that form a clear spectrum of least likely to most likely REM users: car-friendly non-users, urban core potential users, transit-friendly users, and leisure and airport users. Positive opinion, proximity, and desire to use the REM for leisure or non-work trips are three key characteristics of likely users. There is a visible relationship between clusters who are likely to use the REM and clusters who agree that the REM will benefit their neighborhood. Improving people’s perception of the potential benefit of the REM to their neighborhood, better accommodating leisure use, emphasizing and communicating appealing destinations, and highlighting transit connections are four core ways that planners could work to potentially increase the number of people who are likely to use the REM.

Analysing (In)Justice in the Interplay of Urbanisation and Transport: The Case of Agrarian Extractivism in the Region of Urabá in Colombia

Abstract Infrastructural design, transport and mobility policies are strong instruments for interpreting historical urban and regional transformation processes. The paper addresses the intercausalities between both of them. To do so, it briefly sketches debates on the causalities of transport infrastructure and urbanisation and the theory of technological politics, drawing attention to the relationship between transport infrastructure and politics, and how infrastructures and their techno-political frames include means of power and authority. From there, the paper moves to the debate on the relationship between social justice and transport, showing how transport systems embody social processes and social (in)injustice. The history of agrarian extractivism in the region of Urabá in Colombia serves as a case study. The paper shows how existing transport networks of the region of Urabá have supported the expansion of agrarian extractivist industries and more specifically the production of transport (in)justice. It explores the development of the infrastructural network, transport systems and urbanisation of this region from the early 1900s onwards. Results show how the actual agrarian extractivist industries of the region are causing huge challenges related to the overlapping of transport scales, congestion and risks of accidents in urban areas, and how actual transport dynamics in the region are affecting urban development, generating a high segregation characterised by uneven distributions of public services and transport infrastructures. The paper reveals that the existing transport developments in the region of Urabá have no support for local development and are mainly thought for the efficiency of agrarian extractivist industries over local economic development. Agrarian extractivism has been a consistent factor in the economic, political and social spheres, and since colonial times the appropriation of natural resources and the dispossession of territories has been omnipresent. This paper explores the historical role of transport in agrarian extractivism, the long-term impact of the prolongation of old mechanisms, and the interrelations of the latter with current urbanisation and development. It concludes that infrastructural developments in this region have supported agrarian extractivist industries, first in colonial times, but also more recently, showing the deep embeddedness of the relation between mobility and urbanity in the (agrarian extractivist) development history of this region.

Coordinating urban construction and district-level population density for balanced development: An explorative structural equation modeling analysis on Shanghai

Balanced development is essential for sustainable development. Investigating the coordination between urban construction and district-level population density can deepen the knowledge of balanced development on the urban scale and promote better delivery of planning policy. This study took Shanghai as an example to explore the influence of three kinds of urban construction – market-driven urban construction, public transportation infrastructure and public service facilities – on district-level population density with longitudinal data (2003–2017). Nine variables were selected through a comprehensive review of the literature and the policy/planning practices of Shanghai. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and stepwise multivariate linear regression (SMLR) were integrated, forming an explorative SEM analysis framework to analyze the significance of the variables and their interplay. The results showed that market-driven urban construction had the most significant influence on district-level population density. However, it was not well integrated with public service facilities. Additionally, public service facilities and public transportation were not evenly distributed. Therefore, policies on improving the public transportation network and coordinating the three types of urban construction is imperative.

Value Co-Creation between Public Service Organizations and the Private Sector: An Organizational Capabilities Perspective

Theoretically based on public service logic (PSL), this paper explores the barriers and capabilities surrounding public sector value co-creation with private sector organizations in the context of digital transformation. Specifically, value co-creation efforts at a large public transport and rail infrastructure provider are examined from multiple perspectives using an exploratory case study approach. Based on qualitative interview data, six barriers that hinder value co-creation in public service ecosystems and five corresponding organizational capabilities required to overcome them are identified. The study contributes to the field of public management research by shedding light on the concept of value co-creation in public-private sector digitalization collaborations.

SATISFACTION SURVEY IN TOKİ HOUSES: CASE OF KARABÜK

This study aims to reveal the satisfaction level of TOKİ mass house users who live in Karabük province. The survey data were analyzed using the T-test to compare the means of the two groups, the ANOVA test to compare the means of more than two groups, and the tukey test to find out which groups with a significant difference between them. As a result of the field survey, it was determined that the individuals living in TOKİ houses considered that the size of the living room in the houses where they resided, usefulness of the general plan of the house, and the fact that the rooms in the house received daylight were sufficient. However, it can be said that they were undecided about the number and size of the rooms in the houses, kitchen and bathroom sizes, and materials used, sound and insulation, fire measures, exterior paints and their appearance. It was determined that the participants considered that the lighting around the houses was sufficient. However, it was determined that they were undecided about the adequacy of environmental factors such as areas around the houses, parking lot, shopping malls, facilities where cultural activities are implemented, sports facilities, educational institutions, health units, places of worship, landscaping, public transportation facilities, infrastructure services, municipal services and security. It was revealed that the residents of the houses who participated in the study could ask for help from their neighbors and could meet with neighbors at regular intervals at home. However, it is observed that they were undecided about whether they were satisfied with their neighbor relations, meeting with neighbors at building meetings, and the presence of cooperation and solidarity among the neighbors.

Polarized nature of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: associations with population age structure and behaviours

BackgroundAlthough the scale of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was relatively small in Japan compared with the rest of the world, the polarisation of areas into high- and low-COVID-19-incidence areas was observed among the 47 prefectures. The aims of this study were not only identifying the factors associated with the polarised COVID-19 pandemic in Japan but also discussing effective preventive measures.MethodsThis was an ecological study using online survey data which was cross-sectionally conducted by the author. A total of 6000 respondents who resided in 10 low- and 10 high-COVID-19 incidence prefectures, with a wide gap in terms of COVID-19 incidence, in Japan were recruited. Data on COVID-19 cases and geodemographic information were obtained from official government sites. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare variables between the two areas and age groups.ResultsThis study revealed that that age influenced people’s behaviours and perceptions, except one behaviour of ‘wearing facemasks’. The major factors significantly associated with the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people were ‘commuting by private automobile’ (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.444; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.394–0.501), ‘commuting by public transportation’ (AOR, 6.813; 95% CI, 5.567–8.336), ‘washing hands’ (AOR, 1.233; 95% CI, 1.005–1.511), ‘opening windows regularly’ (AOR, 1.248; 95% CI, 1.104–1.412), ‘avoiding crowded places (AOR, 0.757; 95% CI, 0.641–0.893), ‘non-scheduled visits to drinking places’ (AOR, 1.212; 95% CI, 1.054–1.392) and ‘perceived risk of contracting COVID-19’ (AOR, 1.380; 95% CI, 1.180–1.612). These factors were strongly associated with age groups.ConclusionsEffective preventive measures for COVID-19 transmission can be developed by understanding the characteristics of populated areas, such as public transportation infrastructure and younger people’s movements and behaviours in relation to the population age structure to contain the current epidemic and protect the most vulnerable elderly people.

Harnessing land value capture: Perspectives from India’s urban rail corridors

Urban public transportation remains a challenge for Indian cities. The debilitating state of current public transportation infrastructure as well as rising carbon emissions from private vehicles supports that investments be made in public transportation systems that are both efficient and mitigate environmental challenges of reducing carbon emissions. To address the problem, many Indian cities have been experimenting with metro rail systems. Metro rails are capital intensive projects. Given the budgetary constraints and limitations of external borrowing capacity, state governments in India are resorting to land based finances. Land based financing is predicated on the principle of land value capture. A popular mechanism to implement land based financing is to raise revenues through property development or real-estate cross-subsidisation. This study examined two real-estate cross subsidisation projects that were implemented to raise revenues for Bangalore metro project and Kochi metro project each. The study identified some of the key challenges to land based finances in India. In particular, the study analysed conflicts surrounding urban land management as land acquired under the rubric of ‘public purpose’ were transferred for commercial property development to generate finances for the metro projects. The study calls for evaluation of existing policies of land based financing for urban infrastructure projects.

Spatial Econometric Cross-Border Traffic Analysis for Passenger Cars – Hungarian Experience

The role of cross-border commuting needs is remarkable, given that large cross-border cities tend to have high traffic attractiveness. Thus, agglomeration effects are strongly prevalent in populous settlements close to the border. This is due to the fact that both Hungary and the neighboring countries are burdened by spatial inequalities; therefore, the traffic at the individual border crossing points is unbalanced. Our aim is to show the extent to which the introduction of certain public transport modes contributes to the reduction of cross-border passenger car traffic. In order to do this, we have to set up a spatial econometric model that can simultaneously handle the parallel public transport infrastructure, the cross-border attractiveness of border cities, and the impact of spatial inequalities. The results of the research shed light on how the introduction of each means of transport contributes to increasing the competitiveness of border regions. This will demonstrate the effectiveness of policy tools that can improve the competitiveness of a given macroregion.

Spatial Spillover Effects of Economic Growth Based on High-Speed Railways in Northeast China

This paper examines the spatial spillover effects of public transportation infrastructure on regional economy in Northeast China, the “rust belt” region in China. The dataset consists of socioeconomic data from 47 cities in the area during the period of year 2005 through 2015. Accessibility is used as an explanatory variable to reflect the influence of infrastructure on economic development. In order to avoid the endogenous, queen contiguity matrix is used to define the spatial weight matrix. In the paper, the dynamic panel data model is also used to explore the effects of high-speed railways in the whole study area and attempted to confirm the spatial differences among Heilongjiang Province, Jilin Province, and Liaoning Province. The results show that the high-speed railways increase the cities’ connection in terms of accessibility, and a significant positive spillover effect exists after the construction of high-speed railways (HSR), indicating the extensive economic benefits of HSR construction, despite of the overall economic difficulty experienced by this region.

Achieving Transport Efficiency Through The Architectural Design of A Multimodal Transport Terminal In Greater Port Harcourt City

This study reviews the current state of the transport system in Port Harcourt with a view to incorporate a workable multimodal terminal in greater Port Harcourt City. The study highlights that the existing transport system in Port Harcourt still grapples with problems of uncoordinated or poorly maintained public transport infrastructures, proliferation of illegal parks as well as the general deterioration of existing public terminals. Furthermore, there are no specific transport link between the water, road and rail transport network to allow ease of movement of people and goods across the transport modes. The study reviewed existing multimodal terminals in terms in functionality, circulation, spacing and the overall contribution to the transport system. It was found that the multimodal terminals provided a seamless, gapless and cost-effective transport operations which gives transport users maximum flexibility to decide for themselves on the optimum use of combination of different modes in transportation of freight. Hence, the study recommends the design and implementation of functional and aesthetically pleasant multimodal terminal that seeks to drive ease of movement of goods and services, comfort, convenience and contemporary travel experience amongst road and rail commuters in Greater Port Harcourt. With Port Harcourt city being one of the major hubs of economic activities south of Nigeria, the development of a multimodal terminal as well as the overall development of the multimodal transport will help increase the quantum of economic activities and living standards.

The Role of Stakeholders in Public Transportation Services Based on Information Technology

Public transportation in Sidenreng Rappang Regency faces various problems that affect the achievement of tax collection effectiveness. One phenomenon that is often encountered in matters relating to the public transportation tax system is the emergence of an unofficial terminal, irregular tax collection processes, lack of motivation and guidance to tax management officers so that they are less professional in their field duties and public transportation facilities and infrastructure are not yet optimal. For this reason, planning for priority strategies is needed to increase local revenue (PAD). The purpose of this study is to design a priority strategy for increasing local revenue (PAD) through public transportation taxes in Sidenreng Rappang Regency. The research method used is a mixed-methods method. Data were collected through observation and in-depth interviews with stakeholders. Then the data were analyzed using stakeholder analysis methods and process hierarchy analysis. Stakeholders involved in increasing public transport taxes in Sidenreng Rappang Regency are divided into two groups. The first group is the key players. Key player’s group stakeholders must be more actively involved in planning and evaluating policy. The second group is the actors. Stakeholder group can bring risks, so their existence needs to be monitored and managed properly. To optimize the role of stakeholder actors, it is necessary to coordinate with key stakeholder groups in determining policy. The priority scale of the policy in increasing public transport taxes is as follows: 1) optimizing training and education programs in improving the quality of human resources and increasing the dissemination to taxpayers; 2) improve public transportation terminal facilities; 3) evaluating Regional Regulation Number 10 of 2010 concerning tax tariffs; and 4) cooperation between other agencies.

Integration of public open space and pedestrian pathway to the Trans Koetaradja shelter in the Masjid Raya Baiturrahman area

The area of Masjid Raya Baiturrahman is an area that is integrated with public space, pedestrian pathway, and public transportation infrastructure namely Halte Trans Koetaradja. This area is always crowded because of the Masjid Raya Baiturrahman besides as a center of Islamic worship also as a center of Islamic tourism in Banda Aceh. This area is always crowded by motorists and pedestrians who visit and perform activities in the area. Because the still mix of motor vehicles and pedestrians makes the area at certain times very dense so it is not safe and comfortable for pedestrians. This research aims to identify the existing conditions of the pedestrian street in the area of Masjid Raya Baiturrahman Grand and also identify the characteristics of pedestrian movements to determine the level of service from the pedestrian path. This study was conducted using a table based on the list of Ministerial Regulation of Public Works No. 03 the Year 2014 and also the Department of Transport (DOT) to identify the existing conditions of the pedestrian path in the area of Masjid Raya, then conducted a review of the characteristics of pedestrian movements using the formula of pedestrian speed, pedestrian flow and also pedestrian density. The results of this research appointment that the pedestrian pathway in the area of Masjid Raya Baiturrahman when reviewed from the existing service level, it is still a level of service A, but if the review of existing conditions then there is an improvement to the pedestrian pathway. This is because the supporting facilities have not been compactor to the pedestrian pathway by the standard guidelines.

Understanding transportation prerequisites to be integrated with urban development in developing countries: Iran as a Case

Transit Oriented Development (TOD), as an integrated transportation and land use policy and practice, was given attention in recent decades to (re)formulate urban areas worldwide. Amongst different TOD planning dimensions at play in, the transportation design and policies tend to basically form the backbone of TODs, since a multimodal sustainable movement — public transportation (PT) for long trips as well as non-motorized transportation (NMT) for short ones — is on the agenda. Although it is agreed that TOD can provide even greater benefits than in wealthier countries in long term, developing countries (DCs) are characterized with specific transport-related issues such as vexing congestion, inadequate PT infrastructure, financial obstacles, etc., that should be dealt with to deliver successful integrated TOD projects. In this regards, the present study sheds further lights on the transportation prerequisites of transit oriented urban planning in DCs. First, a systematic review of global literature provided a set of transportation dimensions integrated with urban development. Due to the recent national policies on TOD, Iran was selected as a case and a set of semi-structured interviews was conducted with Iranian urban and transport planners along with government officials in April-June 2019. The results showed that although there are some favorable conditions to TOD developments in Iran e.g., amalgamated transportation and urban development ministries, urban transportation is hindered by pro-car policies such as subsidized fuel price and lack of multi-modal infrastructure in comparison with the best practices in such DCs as Curitiba. The findings have also implications for transportation policymakers, city officials, planners, and interested readers and practitioners in Iran and other DCs interested in TOD.