Exploring the distances people walk to access public transport

ABSTRACT A shift from private motorised transport to more active transportation can, among other things, deliver significant health benefits. The main disadvantage of active transport (in particular walking) for most people compared to private motorised transport is the limited range. Public transport (PT) can complement the use of active modes and extend their range. Therefore, there might be potential to increase physical activity through an increase in PT use. This article takes a closer look at how walking relates to the use of PT by examining existing literature on the topic. It aims to study how far people walk to and from PT and what key factors influence this. Scopus, Transport Research International Documentation and Web of Science have been searched systematically for relevant articles, conference papers and books. After screening of titles and abstracts, 41 relevant publications were identified. Studies were included if they quantified the amount of walking (measured as either distance or time) that is directly related to the use of PT. Studies that quantified walking using general measures of daily physical activity or daily walking or that used stated preference designs were excluded. The PT systems considered in this paper are mass transport systems in urban areas, either road- or rail-based, with fixed schedules and stops. Demand responsive transport services, which can offer door-to-door travel, are not considered, as these systems can to a large extent eliminate the need to walk. In the identified publications, a large variety of walking distances and times have been reported, and these seem to be highly context-specific. The paper establishes the evidence for the wide range of factors that influence walking related to PT, which have been categorised as personal, PT-related, environmental, and journey-related. The different methods that have been used are discussed by critically analysing their advantages and limitations. Only a limited number of these methods used allow for an accurate assessment of the walking distances to and from PT. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research, such as a need for more accurate measurement of walking and research in different geographical areas to shed light on underlying influences of culture and climate.

[1]  Julian Hine,et al.  SEAMLESS, ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL: USERS' VIEWS OF THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT JOURNEY AND INTERCHANGE , 2000 .

[2]  D. B. Hess,et al.  Walking to the bus: perceived versus actual walking distance to bus stops for older adults , 2012 .

[3]  Yang Jiang,et al.  Walk the line: station context, corridor type and bus rapid transit walk access in Jinan, China , 2011 .

[4]  Jinliao He,et al.  Walking Access Distance of Metro Passengers and Relationship with Demographic Characteristics: A Case Study of Nanjing Metro , 2018 .

[5]  J. Zacharias,et al.  How do metro stations integrate with walking environments? Results from walking access within three types of built environment in Beijing , 2016 .

[6]  Amer Shalaby,et al.  Case Study: Relationship of Walk Access Distance to Transit with Service, Travel, and Personal Characteristics , 2007 .

[7]  Laura D'Andrea Tyson,et al.  The global gender gap report. 2010. , 2011 .

[8]  C. Millett,et al.  The impact of a free older persons' bus pass on active travel and regular walking in England. , 2012, American journal of public health.

[9]  Gudmundur F. Ulfarsson,et al.  Analysis of light rail rider travel behavior: Impacts of individual, built environment, and crime characteristics on transit access , 2007 .

[10]  R. Daniels,et al.  Explaining walking distance to public transport: The dominance of public transport supply , 2013 .

[11]  Lilah M. Besser,et al.  Walking to public transit: steps to help meet physical activity recommendations. , 2005, American journal of preventive medicine.

[12]  Nico Van de Weghe,et al.  Relationship between the physical environment and different domains of physical activity in European adults: a systematic review , 2012, BMC Public Health.

[13]  Prianka N. Seneviratne,et al.  Acceptable Walking Distances in Central Areas , 1985 .

[14]  Xinyu Cao,et al.  Exploring built environment correlates of walking distance of transit egress in the Twin Cities , 2017 .

[15]  Shoshanna Saxe,et al.  Accessing the Subway in Toronto, Canada: Access Mode and Catchment Areas , 2016 .

[16]  Petter Næss,et al.  Causality, not just correlation: Residential location, transport rationales and travel behavior across metropolitan contexts , 2018 .

[17]  W. Deng,et al.  Relationship of Walk Access Distance to Rapid Rail Transit Stations with Personal Characteristics and Station Context , 2013 .

[18]  Nebiyou Tilahun,et al.  Walking Access to Transit Stations , 2015 .

[19]  W. Lam,et al.  BUS PASSENGER WALKING DISTANCES AND WAITING TIMES: A SUMMER-WINTER COMPARISON , 1981 .

[20]  Deok Whan Lee,et al.  A comparative study on the service coverages of subways and buses , 2010 .

[21]  Heungsoon Kim,et al.  The size of the station influence area in Seoul, Korea: based on the survey of users of seven stations , 2013 .

[22]  Ahmed M El-Geneidy,et al.  Achieving recommended daily physical activity levels through commuting by public transportation: unpacking individual and contextual influences. , 2013, Health & place.

[23]  Meghan Winters,et al.  School-travel by public transit: Rethinking active transportation , 2015, Preventive medicine reports.

[24]  B. Saelens,et al.  Built environment correlates of walking: a review. , 2008, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[25]  Ye Li,et al.  How Built Environment Affects the Walking Catchment Area of a Rail Transit Station: Empirical Evidence from Shanghai, China , 2015 .

[26]  Juan Carlos García-Palomares,et al.  Walking Accessibility to Public Transport: An Analysis Based on Microdata and GIS , 2013 .

[28]  Heng Wei,et al.  Determining transit service coverage by non-motorized accessibility to transit: Case study of applying GPS data in Cincinnati metropolitan area , 2018 .

[29]  Upali Vandebona,et al.  Impact of urbanization on user expectations related to public transport accessibility , 2013 .

[30]  Chinh Q. Ho,et al.  Will bus travellers walk further for a more frequent service? An international study using a stated preference approach , 2018, Transport Policy.

[31]  K. Schwab.  The World Economic Forum , 2009 .

[32]  Asha Weinstein Agrawal,et al.  How Far, by Which Route and Why? A Spatial Analysis of Pedestrian Preference , 2007 .

[33]  Piet Rietveld,et al.  Non-motorised modes in transport systems: a multimodal chain perspective for The Netherlands , 2000 .

[34]  Jason Chia,et al.  Walking to public transit: Exploring variations by socioeconomic status , 2016 .

[35]  Paul M. Ong.  Measuring Travel Behavior of Low-Income Households Using GPS-Enabled Cell Phones; Multimodal Monitoring with Integrated GPS, Diary and Prompted Recall Methods , 2009 .

[36]  Kristen Day,et al.  Does Bus Rapid Transit promote walking? An examination of New York City's Select Bus Service. , 2014, Journal of physical activity & health.

[37]  David Ogilvie,et al.  Impact of changes in mode of travel to work on changes in body mass index: evidence from the British Household Panel Survey , 2015, Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

[38]  Brian Canepa,et al.  Bursting the Bubble , 2007 .

[39]  John M. Rose,et al.  Will bus travellers walk further for a more frequent service? A Stated preference investigation , 2013 .

[40]  Catherine Morency,et al.  Walking to transit: An unexpected source of physical activity , 2011 .

[41]  D. Hoelscher,et al.  Transit Use by Children and Adolescents: An Overlooked Source of and Opportunity for Physical Activity? , 2016, Journal of physical activity & health.

[42]  John Zacharias,et al.  Built environment and pedestrian behavior at rail rapid transit stations in Bangkok , 2010 .

[43]  S. O’sullivan,et al.  Walking Distances to and from Light-Rail Transit Stations , 1996 .

[44]  J N Bailenson,et al.  The initial segment strategy: A heuristic for route selection , 2000, Memory & cognition.

[45]  Alan S. Hoback,et al.  True Walking Distance to Transit , 2008 .

[46]  Andrew L Dannenberg,et al.  Walking associated with public transit: moving toward increased physical activity in the United States. , 2013, American journal of public health.

[47]  Elizabeth Deakin,et al.  Can Good Walkability Expand the Size of Transit-Oriented Developments? , 2015 .

[48]  C Millett,et al.  Physical activity accrued as part of public transport use in England. , 2018, Journal of public health.

[49]  Qi Zhao,et al.  Local environmental factors in walking distance at metro stations , 2018, Public Transp..

[50]  Andrew W Evans,et al.  Interactions between rail and road safety in Great Britain. , 2009, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[51]  A. Bauman,et al.  Physical Activity Associated with Public Transport Use—A Review and Modelling of Potential Benefits , 2012, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[52]  Hyungkyoo Kim.  Walking distance, route choice, and activities while walking: A record of following pedestrians from transit stations in the San Francisco Bay area , 2015 .

[53]  G. Jørgensen,et al.  Mapping the gendered city: investigating the socio-cultural influence on the practice of walking and the meaning of walkscapes among young Saudi adults in Riyadh , 2017 .

[54]  Ahmed El-Geneidy,et al.  New evidence on walking distances to transit stops: identifying redundancies and gaps using variable service areas , 2014 .

[55]  Ralph Buehler,et al.  Demand for Public Transport in Germany and the USA: An Analysis of Rider Characteristics , 2012 .

[56]  Scott Duncan,et al.  Active transportation and public transportation use to achieve physical activity recommendations? A combined GPS, accelerometer, and mobility survey study , 2014, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

[57]  Ta Theo Arentze,et al.  Multimodal public transport: an analysis of travel time elements and the interconnectivity ratio , 2004 .

[58]  I Ker,et al.  Myths and Realities in Walkable Catchments: The Case of Walking and Transit , 2003 .

[59]  Ulf Ekelund,et al.  Objectively measured physical activity in four-year-old British children: a cross-sectional analysis of activity patterns segmented across the day , 2014, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.