TRANSIT URBAN DESIGN Improving the pedestrian and waiting environments around bus/train stops to increase public transit ridership - The Low Carbon Emissions Economy
Kevin Jingyi Zhang | UBC SCARP Dr. Maged Senbel | Supervisor
Background
Methods
Expected Impacts
Every transit trip starts and ends with a walking trip. The comfort and convenience of the area around and path to transit stops (bus/train) can attract or deter ridership. The waiting environment is important to rider satisfaction because riders value out-of-vehicle time much higher than in-vehicle travel time (Taylor, Miller, Iseki, & Fink, 2009).
• Perform literature review on issues regarding urban design, rider satisfaction, active transport, and perceptions of the urban environment.
If implemented with facilities design guidelines of transit agencies and incorporated into the urban design framework of municipalities, this would dramatically improve user experiences, which may translate into higher ridership among choice riders.
Purpose The purposes of this project are three fold: • Investigate precedents and develop guidelines for complementary urban design around transit stops. • Establish a design framework in which the pedestrian network is considered a formal extension of the transit network (Figure 1). • Public education of common urban design and active transportation concepts and alternatives.
Figure 1: Mapping Pedestrian and Open Space Networks as an Extension of the Bus Network
• Review current best practices of urban design around transit stops. • Identify stops within the lower mainland that are appropriate candidates for urban design improvements (Figure 2). • Analyse particular cases where there is exceptional integration between transit stop and adjacent environment (Figure 3). • Develop 2 sets of guidelines for urban design: immediately surrounding a stop (20m) and the block on which the stop resides.
In addition, such urban realm improvements would also contribute to the overall walkability of the neighbourhood. The urban design interventions not only facilitate connections with transit but also promote active transport by residents.
Findings to Date Selected priorities identified are weather protection, thermal comfort, perceived safety, diverse street furniture, accessibility, information, and lighting.
• Apply these guidelines to identified stops. • Compose condensed and simplified version of research for distribution to the general public.
Figure 2: Overlay of TransLink Bus Stops with Walkability Map (UBC ATC) green = more walkable areas, red = less walkable areas
Taylor, B. D., Miller, D., Iseki, H., & Fink, C. (2009). Nature and/or nurture? Analyzing the determinants of transit ridership across US urbanized areas. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 43(1), 60-77. Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.tra.2008.06.007 UBC Active Transportation Collaboratory. (2010). Neighbourhood Design, Travel, and Health in Metro Vancouver: Using a Walkability Index.
Figure 3: Model Highlighting Overall Plan and Urban Design Elements of Eugensplatz, Stuttgart