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Public Transport Policy and the Impact on Communities

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 21341

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Subeh Chowdhury

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Engineering, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Interests: land use and sustainable transportation; public transport (policy, operation, and user behaviour); active modes (walking and cycling); paratransit

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to welcome you to submit a paper to the Special Issue in Sustainability, “Public Transport Policy and the Impact on Communities”. Public transport is a public good, and the benefits of the service should be accessible to everyone. Policies have a direct impact on how well these services are accessible to different communities. The recent focus has been on improving transport equity through the means of examining disadvantaged public transport users. The motivation of this new stream of research has been ignited from certain groups of the population being deprived from the benefits of public transport services. For some disadvantaged communities, this deprivation can cause them to stay in a poverty cycle. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide readers with a comprehensive collection of the most recent work in transport equity and how communities can benefit from policies which promote fairness. Recommendations based on empirical evidence will forge a path to better public transport policies which help communities to thrive.

Dr. Subeh Chowdhury
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Public transport
Equity
Ridership
Policy
Community

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 313 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Planning for the First and Last Mile: A Review of Practices at Selected Transit Agencies in the United States

by Hossain Mohiuddin

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2222; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042222 - 19 Feb 2021

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5606

Abstract

A transit trip involves travel to and from transit stops or stations. The quality of what are commonly known as first and last mile connections (regardless of their length) can have an important impact on transit ridership. Transit agencies throughout the world are developing innovative approaches to improving first and last mile connections, for example, by partnering with ride-hailing and other emerging mobility services. A small but growing number of transit agencies in the U.S. have adopted first and last mile (FLM) plans with the goal of increasing ridership. As this is a relatively new practice by transit agencies, a review of these plans can inform other transit agencies and assist them in preparing their own. Four FLM plans were selected from diverse geographic contexts for review: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), Riverside (CA) Transit Agency (RTA), and Denver Regional Transit District (RTD), and City of Richmond, CA. Based on the literature, we developed a framework with an emphasis on transportation equity to examine these plans. We identified five common approaches to addressing the FLM issue: spatial gap analysis with a focus on socio-demographics and locational characteristics, incorporation of emerging mobility services, innovative funding approaches for plan implementation, equity and transportation remedies for marginalized communities, and development of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructures surrounding transit stations. Strategies in three of the plans are aligned with regional goals for emissions reductions. LA Metro and Riverside Transit incorporate detailed design guidelines for the improvement of transit stations. As these plans are still relatively new, it will take time to evaluate their impact on ridership and their communities’ overall transit experience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Transport Policy and the Impact on Communities)

20 pages, 957 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Elderly Users’ Satisfaction with Public Transport in Thailand Using Different Importance Performance Analysis Approaches

by Methawadee Chaisomboon, Sajjakaj Jomnonkwao and Vatanavongs Ratanavaraha

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9066; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219066 - 31 Oct 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3202

Abstract

Due to the rapid increase in population and the change in age structure toward the elderly, the phenomenon of societal ageing is being witnessed in many countries. The elderly travel less than the adult population due to decreasing mobility with an increasing age. In this study, we aimed to analyze the expectations and satisfaction of public transport users in Thailand using traditional importance performance analysis (IPA), gap analysis, and IPA integrated with competitor performance. We aimed to explain the differences in the analysis results produced by the three methods. The data were obtained from surveying 2250 elderly and 450 non-elderly adults. This study presents guidelines for improving the public transport service quality in Thailand to meet user needs. The results of this research showed that each approach provides its own distinctive aspects and theoretical differences, which lead to different interpretations. The results from the three approaches showed that equipment that increases safety for public transportation service users is an important factor for all elderly passengers that must be improved. Public transportation services in different regions should be developed to provide more reliable and regular services. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Transport Policy and the Impact on Communities)

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21 pages, 2669 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Examining the Social Outcomes from Urban Transport Infrastructure: Long-Term Consequences of Spatial Changes and Varied Interests at Multiple Levels

by Juhyun Lee, Jos Arts, Frank Vanclay and John Ward

Sustainability 2020, 12(15), 5907; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12155907 - 22 Jul 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4009

Abstract

This paper investigates how social outcomes from urban transport projects typically play out by reflecting on multi-scale spatial changes induced by projects over time, and the extent to which such changes meet varied interests in project outcomes. We use a multi-methods case study approach using two exemplars, a metro project in London and Seoul, which established extensive public transport networks to support urban growth. Our study highlighted that urban transport network expansion does not always enhance life opportunities for all due to intermediate and cumulative impacts of spatial changes induced by projects. Immediate benefits such as enhanced accessibility were often undermined by long-term consequences of incremental spatial changes at local scales. This study also indicated that differential patterns of spatial changes around nodes between centre and periphery could be attributed to multiple negative impacts on people living in the most deprived areas. To enhance social outcomes, we suggest an integrated approach to urban transport and spatial development that focuses on scale and temporal dimensions of spatial transformation enacted by projects. In conclusion, achieving sustainable and equitable effects from urban transport infrastructure requires careful examination of broader societal consequences of long-term spatial changes and locational contexts, especially function and socio-economic conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Transport Policy and the Impact on Communities)

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25 pages, 5070 KiB

Open AccessArticle

System Dynamics Analysis of the Relationship between Transit Metropolis Construction and Sustainable Development of Urban Transportation—Case Study of Nanchang City, China

by Yunqiang Xue, Lin Cheng, Kuang Wang, Jing An and Hongzhi Guan

Sustainability 2020, 12(7), 3028; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12073028 - 09 Apr 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3476

Abstract

In order to systematically analyze the benefits of transit metropolis construction, the system dynamics (SD) theory was used to construct the transit metropolis SD simulation model from the four subsystems of economy, society, environment, and transportation supply and demand. The validity of the SD model was verified by the social and economic data of Nanchang City and the operational data of the bus company, and the quantitative simulation analysis was carried out by taking the construction of the transit metropolis in Nanchang as an example. The simulation results show that, in 2020, the number of motor vehicles in Nanchang will reach 1.13 million and the urban population will reach 5.71 million. It is necessary to build a transit metropolis for the sustainable development of urban transportation. In order to complete the transit metropolis creation goal of 60% of the public transit mobility sharing rate, the proportion of public transport investment in the total transportation investment needs to be adjusted from 0.25 to 0.35. As a result, Nanchang City will improve after the peak traffic congestion in 2022, indicating that the construction of the transit metropolis will have a positive effect on Nanchang. By developing new energy vehicles and low-emission vehicles, vehicle emissions will drop from 0.05 tons/year to 0.04 tons/year, and overall nitrogen oxide emissions will fall by 70%, which is significant for urban environments. The research results provide theoretical support for the significance of transit metropolis construction, and promote the sustainable development of urban transportation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Transport Policy and the Impact on Communities)

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Review

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13 pages, 595 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Critical Review of Social Justice Theories in Public Transit Planning

by Saeid Nazari Adli and Subeh Chowdhury

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4289; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084289 - 12 Apr 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4153

Abstract

One of the most common areas in public transit planning that has been under investigation is the inclusion of “social justice”. In its simplest form, social justice demands more equitable access for all residents to resources that are provided by a city. However, public transit plans are typically guided by maximising tangible measures such as economic growth and efficiency. Concerns about discriminatory geographies which have led to low-income neighbourhoods with higher unemployment rates, social exclusion, lower political engagement, and participation in urban activities have brought attention to the re-assessment of transit planning. Limitations of the current methods and frameworks make it difficult to measure the outcomes of transit planning strategies and policies with respect to social justice, and to determine if the policies will produce a just transit system. This review provides a critical examination of transit policies in relation to social justice. It gives a summary of key transportation just theories, and their limitations in evaluating a transit system. A social justice framework, which incorporates just theories, is provided to assess a transit system’s accessibility for disadvantaged (low-income) population groups. The framework enhances the sustainable relationship between the accessibility a commuter requires and services provided by the transit system. The review concludes with knowledge gaps and directions for future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Transport Policy and the Impact on Communities)

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