TRANSPORTATION NEEDS OF LOW-INCOME FAMILIES

THE AVAILABILITY OF APPROPRIATE TRANSPORT SERVICES LINKING LOW-INCOME AREAS AND EMPLOYMENT CENTERS WAS INVESTIGATED TO: (1) DETERMINE AND EVALUATE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES RESIDING IN SELECTED TARGET AREAS, (2) EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES OF UTILIZING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES AS A TOOL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELECTED TARGET AREAS, (3) DETERMINE AND EVALUATE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EMPLOYMENT CENTERS AND THE AVAILABILITY OF EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, (4) ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IMPROVED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES IN ENHANCING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AMONG LOW-INCOME GROUPS, AND (5) DETERMINE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SPECIFIC PROBLEMS WHICH HAVE RELEVANCE TO AND IMPORTANT BEARING UPON THE TRANSPORT SERVICES TO NON-CBD EMPLOYMENT CONCENTRATIONS. DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM TWO SURVEYS: (1) A PERSONAL INTERVIEW SURVEY, AND (2) AN EMPLOYMENT SURVEY. THE TRAVEL CHARACTERISTICS OF RESIDENTS IN THE SEVEN TARGET AREAS WERE SUMMARIZED TO PROVIDE AN INSIGHT INTO THE DAILY ACTIVITIES OF PERSONS LIVING IN THESE AREAS. SINCE CAR OWNERSHIP IS HIGHLY RELATED TO THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE HOUSEHOLD AND, THEREFORE, SERVES AS A GOOD INDICATOR OF TRAVEL DEMAND, HOUSEHOLDS WERE STRATIFIED ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF CARS OWNED TO ANALYZE HOUSEHOLD TRIP GENERATION ON THE BASIS OF CAR OWNERSHIP. THE PROPORTION OF DAILY TRIPS ALLOCATED TO EACH MODE OF TRANSPORTATION, INCLUDING WALKING, IS SUMMARIZED. STUDY RESULTS INDICATE THAT TRIP PRODUCTION RATES FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES ARE LESS THAN HALF OF THOSE FOR AVERAGE INCOME FAMILIES IN SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES IN THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN REGION. CAR OWNERSHIP IS ALSO LOWER. TRIPS ARE LARGELY DEPENDENT ON CAR OWNERSHIP, CAR OWNERSHIP ON INCOME, AND INCOME ON JOB AVAILABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION CAN PROVIDE THE ACCESSIBILITY COMPONENT OF THE CHAIN, BUT IT CANNOT NECESSARILY SATISFY THE NEEDS FOR ALL TRIP PURPOSES. IMPROVED QUALITY OF MASS TRANSPORTATION CAN ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE DEFICIENCIES, HOWEVER, THE DISPARITY BETWEEN TRIP RATES OF LOW-INCOME FAMILIES AND OTHER PARTS OF SOCIETY MUST BE COMPENSATED FOR BY A MORE PERSONALIZED TYPE OF SERVICE, IF A MOBILITY MORE CLOSELY ALLIED WITH CAR OWNERSHIP IS TO BE PROVIDED.