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Accessibility and Transportation Equity
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Accessibility and Transportation Equity

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2019) | Viewed by 80447

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Angela Antipova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
Interests: transportation studies (travel behavior, commuting, spatial mismatch, and low-wage workers), medical and health geography (pregnancy outcomes and environmental exposure), urban and economic geography (job area identification)
Prof. Dr. Selima Sultana

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Geography, Environment, and Sustainability, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA
Interests: commuting/travel patterns and behaviors; school transportation; sustainable urban form/land use; accessibility and transportation equity; transportation and energy; geography of race/ethnicity; national parks
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hyojin Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA
Interests: high-speed rail, accessibility, urban economic development, transportation equity, digital equity in transportation
Dr. Yujie Hu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Interests: GIS science and its applications in urban studies including transportation, human mobility and accessibility, public health, crime, and human environment interactions
Dr. James P. Rhudy, Jr.

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Neurology, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
Interests: research in stroke and mobile stroke unit vs. standard care, GIS application to the investigation of place-bound characteristics affecting outcomes of care

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A new Special Issue about "Accessibility and Transportation Equity" for Sustainability is being planned to be launched (ISSN 2071-1050, https://0-www-mdpi-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/journal/sustainability) within Section "Sustainable Transportation". Contemporary research investigates accessibility in urban and rural space from multiple perspectives. Place accessibility is measured in order to identify high- and low access areas (e.g., underserved areas in terms of healthy foods such as food deserts, healthcare services, jobs, etc.) using different methods that substantially improved spatial and temporal accuracy. Novell approaches are used to collect spatiotemporal big data (mobile phone tracking data). Researchers identify accessibility constraints and study how various urban form elements including location and design, and policy initiatives, can help achieve and/or improve accessibility. In turn, accessibility literature reports that improved accessibility creates high firm concentrations through agglomeration effects. Researchers explore issues of equity in accessibility among various population groups. Economy re-structuring including the reorganization of health services within the context of population ageing directly affects specific client categories such as the elderly population, necessitating an understanding of the effective location of stationary and mobile health centers to optimize the spatial configuration of facilities and maintain equality, as well as the impact of various policies on disadvantaged populations’ accessibility and mobility. Yet another equity issue is equality in emergency service accessibility during extreme weather events, with disruptions in access to medical, fire, and rescue services likely to increase given climate change and continuing urbanization.

We hope to raise public awareness about accessibility-related issues with this Special Issue. We invite researchers to share new work on various aspects of accessibility. The aim of this Special Issue is to publish the latest research on accessibility, including but not limited to the following:

  • Accessibility and commuting patterns;
  • Food accessibility and food shopping behaviors/the accessibility of urban agriculture;
  • Job accessibility and commuting distance
    • Spatial mismatch and job accessibility of low-wage workers
    • The accessibility and spatial distribution of economic activity/firm location;
  • Healthcare services accessibility
    • Healthcare accessibility and health seeking behavior
    • Accessibility to treatment programs and drug use disorder treatment outcomes;
  • Green space/park accessibility and gentrification;
  • Accessibility constraints (e.g., urban spatial structure, travel mode, and space-time constraints);
  • Accessibility to work and non-work activities by various modes;
  • Mobility and accessibility
    • Accessibility and alternative transportation (high-speed rail, low-carbon transportation)
    • Public transit accessibility and innovative practices (e.g., a demand for car-sharing services such as Uber)
    • Urbanization, globalization, and accessibility (air transportation/airline industries, air passenger flow)
    • Human mobility and individual accessibility;
  • Accessibility and environmental and social sustainability.

If you are interested in submitting a paper for this Special Issue, please send your abstract to any one of the editors by February 1, 2019. The deadline for manuscript submissions is August 31, 2019. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Dr. Angela Antipova
Dr. Selima Sultana
Dr. Hyojin Kim
Dr. Yujie Hu
Dr. James P. Rhudy, Jr.
Guest Editors

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

  • Accessibility
  • Healthcare services
  • Accessibility to work and non-work activities
  • Environmental and social sustainability
  • Alternative transportation
  • Accessibility constraints
  • Health-seeking behavior
  • Mobility and accessibility

Published Papers (16 papers)

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Editorial

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6 pages, 172 KiB  
Editorial
Accessibility and Transportation Equity
by Anzhelika Antipova, Salima Sultana, Yujie Hu and James P. Rhudy, Jr.
Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3611; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12093611 - 30 Apr 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3118
Abstract
It is an honor to write an Editorial to this Special Issue (SI) of Sustainability [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Other

21 pages, 19215 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Commuting Distances of Low-Income Workers in Memphis Metropolitan Area, TN
by Anzhelika Antipova
Sustainability 2020, 12(3), 1209; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12031209 - 07 Feb 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4809
Abstract
The paper tests whether low-income workers suffer a greater commuting cost burden compared with a typical commuter within the context of decreasing economic opportunity. The paper adds to the spatial mismatch research by studying the metropolitan area in the U.S. South, which experienced [...] Read more.
The paper tests whether low-income workers suffer a greater commuting cost burden compared with a typical commuter within the context of decreasing economic opportunity. The paper adds to the spatial mismatch research by studying the metropolitan area in the U.S. South, which experienced “some of the largest decreases” in job proximity in 2012. Memphis, Tennessee, saw the disproportionately steep declines in the average employment opportunities within a typical commute distance experienced by low-income and minority residents. The paper first delineates low-income neighborhoods across the study area, then identifies commuting patterns within the three-state study area including the greater Memphis, and lastly, it compares average commute lengths by a typical and a low-income commuter, as well as the shares of resident workers with a long commute by earning category. The paper offers insight into the ways in which the changes in spatial location of employment and population within the metropolitan area may impact commuting distance for disadvantaged low-income travelers. We show low-income workers commute statistically significantly shorter distances to their places of work compared with a typical commuter. Our other results find that disadvantaged workers in Shelby County, TN, are disproportionately concentrated in lower-wage industries, such as hospitality and retail service industries, compared to overall workers. Finally, a significantly greater proportion of disadvantaged workers travel long distances of over 50 miles compared with higher-earning workers, indicating the disparity in commuting patterns between a typical resident and a low-income worker. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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18 pages, 12969 KiB  
Article
Connectivity and Accessibility of the Railway Network in China: Guidance for Spatial Balanced Development
by Jing Fan, Ye Li, Yu Zhang, Xiao Luo and Changxi Ma
Sustainability 2019, 11(24), 7099; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11247099 - 11 Dec 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2959
Abstract
Good connectivity and accessibility help to enhance the competitiveness of regions and countries. This research provides a detailed analysis of the connectivity and accessibility of the Chinese railway network. The studied period starts in 1949 and ends in 2017. The research scope covers [...] Read more.
Good connectivity and accessibility help to enhance the competitiveness of regions and countries. This research provides a detailed analysis of the connectivity and accessibility of the Chinese railway network. The studied period starts in 1949 and ends in 2017. The research scope covers the railway system of the entire country (except Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao). Instead of focusing on main cities as research objects, this paper provides more detailed insights by using counties as the basic research units. The analysis shows that the achieved connectivity has been increasing continuously over the study period. Four accessibility indicators (temporal location indicator, weighted average travel time, daily accessibility, and potential indicator) provide comprehensive and complementary results, indicating that the most accessible cities and units are located in the southeastern part of the Hu line. In addition, higher economic level, or higher population density, is correlated with higher accessibility. Furthermore, the current network exhibits an unbalanced spatial distribution pattern, with an underdeveloped west. All the indicators show that the accessibility of the northwest and southwest regions is the lowest. Based on these conclusions, regional policy-making suggestions can be made to guide a rational railway network expansion and facilitate the equality and sustainable economic development of regions. The future railway system development is suggested to focus more on enhancing inner and inter-region communication in the west of China and attach importance to poverty-stricken counties in support of balanced regional growth and development. The railway development of the eastern regions needs to focus on optimizing the structure of the network as well as reasonably organizing railway routes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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21 pages, 6367 KiB  
Article
Transport Accessibility of Warsaw: A Case Study
by Albina Mościcka, Krzysztof Pokonieczny, Anna Wilbik and Jakub Wabiński
Sustainability 2019, 11(19), 5536; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11195536 - 08 Oct 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4777
Abstract
In this study, we detected which means of transportation is beneficial from a travel time perspective in specific districts of Warsaw, Poland. To achieve this goal, we proposed a framework to perform a spatial analysis to describe the as-is situation in the city [...] Read more.
In this study, we detected which means of transportation is beneficial from a travel time perspective in specific districts of Warsaw, Poland. To achieve this goal, we proposed a framework to perform a spatial analysis to describe the as-is situation in the city (the state that the situation is in at the present time). The framework contains the following elements: attractiveness analysis, travel time and speed analysis, and potential accessibility analysis. The relationship between the averaged nominal travel speed and the number of residents was also investigated. We used data from a journey planner, as well as land use and population statistics, and employed descriptive analytics. The results are presented as maps of travel times, travel speed, and potential accessibility, as well as scatter plots of dependencies between travel speed and number of residents. Unfortunately, public transportation ranks behind car and bike transport in terms of travel time, speed, and potential accessibility. The largest positive influence on effectiveness of traveling by public transportation is the metro and railway system; also, bikes can perfectly complement the public transportation system. The obtained results can be used to indicate directions of changes in the transportation system of Warsaw. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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14 pages, 3818 KiB  
Article
Disparity in Spatial Access to Public Daycare and Kindergarten across GIS-Constructed Regions in Seoul, South Korea
by Hyunjoong Kim and Fahui Wang
Sustainability 2019, 11(19), 5503; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11195503 - 04 Oct 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3697
Abstract
In developed countries with decreasing fertility rates, the provision of public daycare and kindergarten (PDK) is considered to be an important policy for boosting national birth rates. Since PDK is free, its spatial accessibility becomes the most critical factor for parents in choosing [...] Read more.
In developed countries with decreasing fertility rates, the provision of public daycare and kindergarten (PDK) is considered to be an important policy for boosting national birth rates. Since PDK is free, its spatial accessibility becomes the most critical factor for parents in choosing the service. The study uses the popular two-step floating catchment area model (2SFCA) to analyze the spatial accessibility of PDKs at a 100 m × 100 m cell level in Seoul, South Korea. A GIS-automated regionalization method, Mixed-Level Regionalization (MLR), is employed to divide the study area into homogenous regions based on a concentrated disadvantage index (CDI). The analysis then proceeds to examine the disparity of PDK accessibility across these constructed regions. The result empowers parents to be informed of the access of PDKs in their current neighborhoods or to look for neighborhoods with adequate access. Several policy measures are proposed for improving overall accessibility of PDKs and more so for underserved populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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16 pages, 254 KiB  
Article
Accessibility for All in Public Transport and the Overlooked (Social) Dimension—A Case Study of Stockholm
by Vanessa Stjernborg
Sustainability 2019, 11(18), 4902; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11184902 - 07 Sep 2019
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 7945
Abstract
Sweden was early to develop legislation related to accessible public transport for disabled people in 1979 and can therefore be seen as a forerunner. However, recent findings reveal widespread barriers in the Swedish public transport system and large variations between different parts of [...] Read more.
Sweden was early to develop legislation related to accessible public transport for disabled people in 1979 and can therefore be seen as a forerunner. However, recent findings reveal widespread barriers in the Swedish public transport system and large variations between different parts of the country. This paper draws on empirical material consisting of complaints regarding accessibility left by travellers in Stockholm to a local transit company and aims to provide an overview of the character of complaints and to identify common themes through a qualitative content analysis. The results show that the most commonly reported challenge relates to boarding or getting off the vehicles, where the drivers are mostly described as the underlying reason for those difficulties. The narratives describe how some drivers misuse (or do not use) the accessibility equipment or show an abusive or attitudinal behaviour. The results support the body of literature on the meaning of continuous work with accessibility issues in public transport. Varying views on disability may have had a substantial impact on the development of our societies and on how the issues of accessibility in the public transport system have been prioritised or handled. Thus, this study highlights existing social barriers and variations in individual capacities as important factors that influence the experiences of public transport users. The study recommends an increased focus on educating drivers and staff about how to accommodate different groups of travellers. The study also recommends that transport providers consider drivers’ working conditions (i.e., with the consideration of timetables and high time-pressure). Further research on how well accessibility adaptations in public transport actually work and how the users perceive them is necessary. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
22 pages, 6238 KiB  
Article
A Spatiotemporal Constraint Non-Negative Matrix Factorization Model to Discover Intra-Urban Mobility Patterns from Taxi Trips
by Yong Gao, Jiajun Liu, Yan Xu, Lan Mu and Yu Liu
Sustainability 2019, 11(15), 4214; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11154214 - 04 Aug 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3204
Abstract
Taxi services provide an urban transport option to citizens. Massive taxi trajectories contain rich information for understanding human travel activities, which are essential to sustainable urban mobility and transportation. The origin and destination (O-D) pairs of urban taxi trips can reveal the spatiotemporal [...] Read more.
Taxi services provide an urban transport option to citizens. Massive taxi trajectories contain rich information for understanding human travel activities, which are essential to sustainable urban mobility and transportation. The origin and destination (O-D) pairs of urban taxi trips can reveal the spatiotemporal patterns of human mobility and then offer fundamental information to interpret and reform formal, functional, and perceptual regions of cities. Matrices are one of the most effective models to represent taxi trajectories and O-D trips. Among matrix representations, non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) gives meaningful interpretations of complex latent relationships. However, the independence assumption for observations is violated by spatial and temporal autocorrelation in taxi flows, which is not compensated in classical NMF models. In order to discover human intra-urban mobility patterns, a novel spatiotemporal constraint NMF (STC-NMF) model that explicitly solves spatial and temporal dependencies is proposed in this paper. It factorizes taxi flow matrices in both spatial and temporal aspects, thus revealing inherent spatiotemporal patterns. With three-month taxi trajectories harvested in Beijing, China, the STC-NMF model is employed to investigate taxi travel patterns and their spatial interaction modes. As the results, four departure patterns, three arrival patterns, and eight spatial interaction patterns during weekdays and weekends are discovered. Moreover, it is found that intensive movements within certain time windows are significantly related to region functionalities and the spatial interaction flows exhibit an obvious distance decay tendency. The outcome of the proposed model is more consistent with the inherent spatiotemporal characteristics of human intra-urban movements. The knowledge gained in this research would be useful to taxi services and transportation management for promoting sustainable urban development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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18 pages, 4169 KiB  
Article
Measuring Cross-Border Road Accessibility in the European Union
by Aris Christodoulou and Panayotis Christidis
Sustainability 2019, 11(15), 4000; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11154000 - 24 Jul 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3039
Abstract
Border regions are in the forefront of geographical cohesion of the European Union but often lag behind more central areas on development and connectivity. As transport infrastructure—or rather the lack of it—plays a primary role in this, specific policy measures to improve the [...] Read more.
Border regions are in the forefront of geographical cohesion of the European Union but often lag behind more central areas on development and connectivity. As transport infrastructure—or rather the lack of it—plays a primary role in this, specific policy measures to improve the quality of road connections and address the overall issues of geographic isolation are often necessary. The methodology presented here provides a set of indicators and tools that allow policy makers to measure accessibility and connectivity of border regions, identify areas where transport infrastructure may be lacking, and prioritize potential investments based on specific policy-relevant criteria. The approach uses very detailed spatially disaggregate data covering EU28 plus Norway and Switzerland at grid level (1 km by 1 km), as well as the complete road network. This level of resolution allows many of the specificities of the areas covered to be taken into account. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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13 pages, 11313 KiB  
Article
Walking Access to Public Transportation Stops for City Residents. A Comparison of Methods
by Piotr Kaszczyszyn and Natalia Sypion-Dutkowska
Sustainability 2019, 11(14), 3758; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11143758 - 10 Jul 2019
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3899
Abstract
Public transportation in cities is crucial for their sustainable development. The attractiveness of public transport for city residents depends largely on whether they are able to access the nearest stop on foot. The actual time of walking to the nearest stop and the [...] Read more.
Public transportation in cities is crucial for their sustainable development. The attractiveness of public transport for city residents depends largely on whether they are able to access the nearest stop on foot. The actual time of walking to the nearest stop and the distance covered can be measured using the band method or the circular buffer method. The accuracy of the two methods was compared for the city of Szczecin and one of its residential areas, Pomorzany (ca. 20,000 inhabitants, ca. 7 km2 area). The city provides public tram and bus transportation and has 90 km of streets and pedestrian paths. As shown by the results, the band method proved more accurate in measuring public transport stop accessibility. It showed 53.8% of the stops to be highly accessible, whereas 37.8%, 7.8%, and 0.5% were classified as moderately accessible, poorly accessible, and inaccessible, respectively; the latter would be hardly expected to be used by pedestrians in the Pomorzany neighborhood. The band method allowed also to indicate potential location of a new bus stop which would significantly improve accessibility of public transportation to residents of a housing estate (3000 inhabitants) in the area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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32 pages, 2073 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Urban Mobility Policies as a Path to Healthy Cities—The Case Study of LMA, Portugal
by Ana Louro, Nuno Marques da Costa and Eduarda Marques da Costa
Sustainability 2019, 11(10), 2929; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11102929 - 23 May 2019
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 6608
Abstract
Sustainable development has become the basis of several worldwide policies over the last few decades, and its role will continue to shape policies for decades to come, especially those that are focused on urban mobility. At the same time, urban mobility is included [...] Read more.
Sustainable development has become the basis of several worldwide policies over the last few decades, and its role will continue to shape policies for decades to come, especially those that are focused on urban mobility. At the same time, urban mobility is included in the framework of the Healthy Cities movement. In this context, using the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA), Portugal, as the study area, this article intends to answer the following research question: are sustainable urban mobility policies contributing to healthy cities? Urban mobility planning and public health instruments were compared with the discourses and practices of those responsible for the implementation of urban mobility policies and Healthy Cities projects. The results reveal that a large number of responses proposed in the mobility planning instruments are, to some extent, related to the principles of healthy cities. Also, while municipal agents tend not to consider the inclusion of those principles, they instead incorporate the concepts of sustainable development. Nevertheless, we found that both approaches overlap the policy directions of healthy cities. On the other hand, public health policies and Healthy Cities projects presented a scarce number of references to its interventions in the urban mobility domain and mainly focused on the promotion of soft modes. It is concluded that, in the case of the observed municipalities of the LMA, the healthy cities framework is greatly benefited by the inclusion of sustainable development principles in all policies, especially those for urban mobility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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24 pages, 4330 KiB  
Article
Do Bus Rapid Transit Systems Improve Accessibility to Job Opportunities for the Poor? The Case of Lima, Peru
by Daniel Oviedo, Lynn Scholl, Marco Innao and Lauramaria Pedraza
Sustainability 2019, 11(10), 2795; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11102795 - 16 May 2019
Cited by 38 | Viewed by 8412
Abstract
Investments in public transit infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean often aim to reduce spatial and social inequalities by improving accessibility to jobs and other opportunities for vulnerable populations. One of the central goals of Lima’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project was [...] Read more.
Investments in public transit infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean often aim to reduce spatial and social inequalities by improving accessibility to jobs and other opportunities for vulnerable populations. One of the central goals of Lima’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project was to connect low-income populations living in the peripheries to jobs in the city center, a policy objective that has not yet been evaluated. Building on secondary datasets of employment, household socio-demographics and origin–destination surveys before and after the BRT began operations, this paper examines the contribution of Lima’s BRT system to accessibility to employment in the city, particularly for low-income public transit users. We estimated the effects on potential accessibility to employment, comparing impacts on lower versus higher income populations, and assessed the changes in location-based accessibility to employment before (2004) and after implementation (2012) for treatment and comparison groups. We found that the BRT line reduced travel times for commuters to reach jobs, in comparison with traditional public transport in the city. However, the coverage of the BRT declines in areas with high concentrations of poor populations, limiting the equitability of accessibility improvements. The analysis by socioeconomic sub-groups found positive effects of the BRT system on accessibility for the higher income areas. Relative to the control group, accessibility increased in the 10-km boundary area of the BRT by 0.01, a seven percent increase relative to the treatment baseline accessibility index in the higher socioeconomic (SES) areas of the city. In contrast, in the areas with high concentrations of lower SES populations, the double difference estimate indicated an 11 percent decrease relative to the baseline accessibility index (0.09). We build on case-specific findings and international literature to reflect on policy avenues to include the poor in the mobility benefits of BRT systems. These measures include targeted fare subsidies for low-income groups, fare integration with other forms of public transport that reduce the cost of transfers, and the increase of coverage of the BRT through the integration of stations with non-motorized infrastructure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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16 pages, 2821 KiB  
Article
Vulnerability Analysis of Intercity Multimode Transportation Networks; A Case Study of the Yangtze River Delta
by Yu Miao and Anning Ni
Sustainability 2019, 11(8), 2237; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11082237 - 13 Apr 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2841
Abstract
The disruption of an intercity transportation network will seriously influence the economic activities and communication between cities. At the regional or national transportation network level, in most cases, there is no link redundancy because of the high construction cost of the extra transportation [...] Read more.
The disruption of an intercity transportation network will seriously influence the economic activities and communication between cities. At the regional or national transportation network level, in most cases, there is no link redundancy because of the high construction cost of the extra transportation infrastructure, so the impacts caused by the disruption of regional intercity transportation networks should be paid more attention. This paper proposes an accessibility-based method to analyze the vulnerability of multimode transportation networks. The measurement captures the influence of the disruption of network components in terms of the travel cost, socio-economic impacts, and level of transportation service of cities, and besides the network vulnerability analysis, it can also be used in the analysis of city relationships and development status of cities, providing a reference direction of the sustainable development for the city cluster. Finally, with the rapid application of high-speed trains in China, a preliminary study of the public transportation network of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region is conducted to illustrate the applicability of the evaluating method. The results show that the proposed measurement can be used to analyze the transportation network from the perspective of socio-economic impacts and level of transportation service, providing a reference for network planners and managers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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16 pages, 224 KiB  
Article
Swedish and Scottish National Transport Policy and Spend: A Social Equity Analysis
by Tom Rye and Anders Wretstrand
Sustainability 2019, 11(7), 1894; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11071894 - 29 Mar 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2936
Abstract
The topic of social equity in transport planning has been dealt with, in particular, by authors such as Martens (2012) and Martens and Golob (2012) using a social justice based-approach. However, such an approach, whilst valuable and analytically rigorous (based as it is [...] Read more.
The topic of social equity in transport planning has been dealt with, in particular, by authors such as Martens (2012) and Martens and Golob (2012) using a social justice based-approach. However, such an approach, whilst valuable and analytically rigorous (based as it is on accessibility modelling), does not consider a wide range of possible other social impacts of transport, as set out in a framework first put forward by Geurs et al. (2009). This paper uses Geurs’ analytical framework to consider two empirical case studies: The National Transport Strategy for Scotland, adopted in January 2016, together with associated national level spending plans; and Sweden’s 2014–2025 National Transport Plan. The paper will first summarise the contents of each document before analysing them in relation to the categories of social impact that Geurs (2009) identifies, and assess how, in relation to each category of impact, various social groups will benefit or disbenefit. A range of projects (planned) to be delivered by the two national strategies is then analysed in relation to the criteria. This analysis shows that the two national strategies/plans are in their distribution of spending, and the projects funded are generally working away from greater social equity in their distributional impacts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
14 pages, 3375 KiB  
Article
Analysis and Optimization Strategy of Travel System for Urban Visually Impaired People
by Xiaoyang Liu, Sen Zhang, Jian Zeng and Fei Fan
Sustainability 2019, 11(6), 1735; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11061735 - 22 Mar 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3139
Abstract
The urban transportation system should meet the requirements of various social groups and be fair and comprehensive. In China, it is rare to see disabled people use public transportation facilities to travel. In this research, we have selected visually impaired people as the [...] Read more.
The urban transportation system should meet the requirements of various social groups and be fair and comprehensive. In China, it is rare to see disabled people use public transportation facilities to travel. In this research, we have selected visually impaired people as the research object and taken the central urban area of Tianjin as the research area. First, through questionnaires, this paper analysed the travel methods of visually impaired people through four aspects: destinations, transportation, walking ability and blind sidewalk system. Second, a travel system for visually impaired people was established based on ArcGIS and analysed by network service area analysis. Finally, a discussion of the research and suggestions for improving the travel system were presented. From the results, it can be concluded that visually impaired people have a clear travel purpose, and it is, in turn, most important to focus on disabled service centres, urban parks, hospitals, restaurants and so on. The blind sidewalk system in the research area is low-density and has a weak correlation with travel destinations, etc., which cannot guarantee the success of the travel of visually impaired people. Data from this paper can provide a reference for other cities in China to carry out research work for the equity of disabled people using transportation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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20 pages, 3609 KiB  
Article
Rethinking the Utility of Public Bicycles: The Development and Challenges of Station-Less Bike Sharing in China
by Jiaoe Wang, Jie Huang and Michael Dunford
Sustainability 2019, 11(6), 1539; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11061539 - 13 Mar 2019
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 7704
Abstract
Cycling is known to be environmentally friendly and beneficial to public health and sustainable urban development. Cycling has recently increased in Chinese cities as a result of the emergence of station-less bike-sharing systems. This study examines the emergence, rapid growth and consolidation of [...] Read more.
Cycling is known to be environmentally friendly and beneficial to public health and sustainable urban development. Cycling has recently increased in Chinese cities as a result of the emergence of station-less bike-sharing systems. This study examines the emergence, rapid growth and consolidation of station-less bike-sharing systems and the role of suppliers, users and government regulators. It shows that these systems developed unevenly, growing most in large cities in eastern and south-eastern China, and explores the relationship between this spatial distribution and the nature of the service and the socio-economic characteristics of cities. To investigate patterns of, and reasons for, the use of these systems, this research also reports the results of a survey of users and non-users, identifying their gender, age, income characteristics and attitudes to station-less systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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Challenges Caused by Increased Use of E-Powered Personal Mobility Vehicles in European Cities
by Jurgis Zagorskas and Marija Burinskienė
Sustainability 2020, 12(1), 273; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12010273 - 30 Dec 2019
Cited by 83 | Viewed by 10163
Abstract
Increased use of e-powered personal mobility vehicles is usually considered to be a positive change, while it is generally agreed that Personal Mobility Vehicles (PMVs) effectively and efficiently reduce the negative environmental impacts of transport and improve quality of life. There has been [...] Read more.
Increased use of e-powered personal mobility vehicles is usually considered to be a positive change, while it is generally agreed that Personal Mobility Vehicles (PMVs) effectively and efficiently reduce the negative environmental impacts of transport and improve quality of life. There has been great technological progress made by all sectors in the field of personal mobility during the last decade. The use of PMVs for micro-mobility have been welcomed by the market, consumers, and governments and thus they are becoming increasingly popular in modern European society. New technology-driven PMVs provide opportunities to their users, but at the same time create problems with street space sharing, road safety, and traffic offenses. This study gives an overview of recent types of PMVs, offers some insights into upcoming changes and challenges, and raises a discussion on themes related to the increased use of e-powered personal transporters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Accessibility and Transportation Equity)
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