Modeling horizontal and vertical equity in the public transport design problem: A case study

Abstract In the transportation literature, equity has been and is still used with a variety of meanings and purposes. Traditionally, equity has been considered in strategic transport planning but very few works have been addressing it in a quantitative way, detailing how to explicitly consider it at a transportation design level (tactical and/or operational) focusing on the consequent social role of transportation. This paper deals with how to quantitatively incorporate spatial and social equity principles in the Transit Network Design Problem. With respect to our previous preliminary study, this paper goes a step further in the definition of the solution to the problem, proposing a starting candidate route set generation procedure as a preliminary step to solve before the main optimization. The objective function considers at the same time the cost of users, operators and unsatisfied demand, and a comprehensive horizontal and vertical equity indicator is also specified among the constraints of the problem. An extensive sensitivity analysis investigates how the costs of the system vary with respect to the achieved level of equity. Then, an application to a real case of study is presented to validate the proposed methodology and highlight its usefulness and performances.

[1]  Leonardo Caggiani,et al.  Quantifying the impacts of horizontal and vertical equity in transit route planning , 2017 .

[2]  Chuntian Cheng,et al.  A Parallel Ant Colony Algorithm for Bus Network Optimization , 2007, Comput. Aided Civ. Infrastructure Eng..

[3]  Karst Teunis Geurs,et al.  Discussing Equity and Social Exclusion in Accessibility Evaluations , 2011, European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research.

[4]  Mariano Gallo,et al.  Improving equity of urban transit systems with the adoption of origin-destination based taxi fares , 2017, Socio-Economic Planning Sciences.

[5]  M. O. Lorenz,et al.  Methods of Measuring the Concentration of Wealth , 1905, Publications of the American Statistical Association.

[6]  Michael J Demetsky,et al.  Bus Stop Location and Design , 1982 .

[7]  Chao Yang,et al.  Stochastic Transportation Network Design Problem with Spatial Equity Constraint , 2004 .

[8]  D. Denmark.  The Outsiders: Planning and Transport Disadvantage , 1998 .

[9]  M. Akbarzadeh,et al.  A Framework for Measuring the Spatial Equity in the Distribution of Public Transportation Benefits , 2017 .

[10]  W. Y. Szeto,et al.  A simultaneous bus route design and frequency setting problem for Tin Shui Wai, Hong Kong , 2011, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[11]  P. Chakroborty,et al.  Optimal Route Network Design for Transit Systems Using Genetic Algorithms , 2002 .

[12]  Norman Krumholz,et al.  Making Equity Planning Work: Leadership in the Public Sector , 1990 .

[13]  Avishai Ceder,et al.  Using connectivity for measuring equity in transit provision , 2014 .

[14]  Zhong-Ren Peng,et al.  Transit Mobility, Jobs Access and Low-income Labour Participation in US Metropolitan Areas , 2004 .

[15]  Ahmed M El-Geneidy,et al.  Integrating Social Equity into Urban Transportation Planning: A Critical Evaluation of Equity Objectives and Measures in Transportation Plans in North America , 2015 .

[16]  Timothy F Welch,et al.  Equity in transport: The distribution of transit access and connectivity among affordable housing units , 2013 .

[17]  Avishai Ceder,et al.  Designing large-scale bus network with seasonal variations of demand , 2014 .

[18]  Bin Yu,et al.  Transit route network design-maximizing direct and transfer demand density , 2012 .

[19]  P. Deuflhard,et al.  Large Scale Scientific Computing , 1987 .

[20]  Alan T. Murray,et al.  Accessibility tradeoffs in public transit planning , 2003, J. Geogr. Syst..

[21]  A. El-geneidy,et al.  Toward Equitable Transit: Examining Transit Accessibilityand Social Need in Toronto, Canada, 1996-2006 , 2013 .

[22]  K. Lucas.  Transport and social exclusion: Where are we now? , 2012 .

[23]  Zhiyuan Liu,et al.  Robust optimization model of bus transit network design with stochastic travel time , 2013 .

[24]  Kalyanmoy Deb,et al.  A fast and elitist multiobjective genetic algorithm: NSGA-II , 2002, IEEE Trans. Evol. Comput..

[25]  P. Townsend,et al.  Health and Deprivation: Inequality and the North , 1987 .

[26]  Todd Litman,et al.  Changing Travel Demand: Implications for Transport Planning , 2006 .

[27]  Seongman Jang,et al.  Assessing the spatial equity of Seoul’s public transportation using the Gini coefficient based on its accessibility , 2017 .

[28]  Maurici Ruiz,et al.  Improving Bus Service Levels and social equity through bus frequency modelling , 2017 .

[29]  Omar J. Ibarra-Rojas,et al.  Planning, operation, and control of bus transport systems: A literature review , 2015 .

[30]  S. B. Pattnaik,et al.  Urban Bus Transit Route Network Design Using Genetic Algorithm , 1998 .

[31]  Ravindra K. Ahuja,et al.  Network Flows: Theory, Algorithms, and Applications , 1993 .

[32]  G. Currie,et al.  Exploring public transport equity between separate disadvantaged cohorts: A case study in Perth, Australia , 2015 .

[33]  Randy B Machemehl,et al.  Using a Simulated Annealing Algorithm to Solve the Transit Route Network Design Problem , 2006 .

[34]  G. Currie,et al.  Using Lorenz Curves to Assess Public Transit Equity , 2011 .

[35]  Md. Khaledur Rahman,et al.  Transit network design by genetic algorithm with elitism , 2014 .

[36]  J. Y. Yen.  Finding the K Shortest Loopless Paths in a Network , 1971 .

[37]  Avishai Ceder,et al.  User and Operator Perspectives in Transit Network Design , 1998 .

[38]  Héctor Cancela,et al.  Mathematical programming formulations for transit network design , 2015 .

[39]  Avishai Ceder,et al.  Public Transit Planning and Operation: Theory, Modeling and Practice , 2007 .

[40]  Greg P. Griffin,et al.  Public Transit Equity Analysis at Metropolitan and Local Scales: A Focus on Nine Large Cities in the US. , 2016, Journal of public transportation.

[41]  B. Gleeson,et al.  Investigating the Social Dimensions of Transport Disadvantage II: From Concepts to Methods through an Empirical Case Study , 2007 .

[42]  Hong K. Lo,et al.  A Mixed Integer Formulation for Multiple-Route Transit Network Design , 2003, J. Math. Model. Algorithms.

[43]  Alan T. Murray,et al.  Equity in Regional Service Provision , 2001 .

[44]  Graham Currie,et al.  Quantifying spatial gaps in public transport supply based on social needs , 2010 .

[45]  John L. Renne,et al.  Socioeconomics of Urban Travel: Evidence from the 2001 NHTS , 2003 .

[46]  Randy B Machemehl,et al.  Bi-Level Optimization Model for Public Transportation Network Redesign Problem , 2011 .

[47]  David N. Ammons.  Municipal Benchmarks: Assessing Local Performance and Establishing Community Standards , 1996 .

[48]  Ernesto Cipriani,et al.  Transit network design: A procedure and an application to a large urban area , 2012 .