Do people walk more in transit-accessible places?

While transit-oriented developments (TODs) are generally believed to promote the use of sustainable travel modes, the degree to which various components of TODs influence travel behavior is still debatable. This paper revisits Chatman’s (2013) question: “Does TOD need the T?” by addressing the effec...

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Main Authors: Yunkyung Choi, Subhrajit Guhathakurta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing 2020-11-01
Series:Journal of Transport and Land Use
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/1530
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author Yunkyung Choi
Subhrajit Guhathakurta
author_facet Yunkyung Choi
Subhrajit Guhathakurta
author_sort Yunkyung Choi
collection DOAJ
description While transit-oriented developments (TODs) are generally believed to promote the use of sustainable travel modes, the degree to which various components of TODs influence travel behavior is still debatable. This paper revisits Chatman’s (2013) question: “Does TOD need the T?” by addressing the effect of rail transit access in influencing walking behavior in TOD areas. In particular, we compare TODs to other similar areas, with rail transit access being the key variable, and examine whether people are more likely to walk in TODs for purposes other than transit use. This hypothesis is tested using traffic analysis zones (TAZs) in the Atlanta Metropolitan Region. First, we identify TAZs within rail catchment areas and use propensity scores to match them with other TAZs with similar built environmental characteristics except for rail transit access. We then conduct a statistical analysis comparing walking trips for both commuting and non-commuting trips in these two TAZ groups. Our results confirm that the likelihood of walking trips increases in transit-accessible TAZs compared to other similar areas without transit. Therefore, states and localities can maximize the benefits of pedestrian-friendly built environments by making rail transit access an important part of their planning and design.
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spelling doaj-art-e6369bc8a7164a0da2e35cb6d0db40f72025-08-20T02:54:36ZengUniversity of Minnesota Libraries PublishingJournal of Transport and Land Use1938-78492020-11-0113110.5198/jtlu.2020.1530Do people walk more in transit-accessible places?Yunkyung Choi0Subhrajit Guhathakurta1Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Institute of TechnologyWhile transit-oriented developments (TODs) are generally believed to promote the use of sustainable travel modes, the degree to which various components of TODs influence travel behavior is still debatable. This paper revisits Chatman’s (2013) question: “Does TOD need the T?” by addressing the effect of rail transit access in influencing walking behavior in TOD areas. In particular, we compare TODs to other similar areas, with rail transit access being the key variable, and examine whether people are more likely to walk in TODs for purposes other than transit use. This hypothesis is tested using traffic analysis zones (TAZs) in the Atlanta Metropolitan Region. First, we identify TAZs within rail catchment areas and use propensity scores to match them with other TAZs with similar built environmental characteristics except for rail transit access. We then conduct a statistical analysis comparing walking trips for both commuting and non-commuting trips in these two TAZ groups. Our results confirm that the likelihood of walking trips increases in transit-accessible TAZs compared to other similar areas without transit. Therefore, states and localities can maximize the benefits of pedestrian-friendly built environments by making rail transit access an important part of their planning and design.https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/1530Transit-oriented developmenttransit accesswalkingtravel behaviorbuilt environment
spellingShingle Yunkyung Choi
Subhrajit Guhathakurta
Do people walk more in transit-accessible places?
Journal of Transport and Land Use
Transit-oriented development
transit access
walking
travel behavior
built environment
title Do people walk more in transit-accessible places?
title_full Do people walk more in transit-accessible places?
title_fullStr Do people walk more in transit-accessible places?
title_full_unstemmed Do people walk more in transit-accessible places?
title_short Do people walk more in transit-accessible places?
title_sort do people walk more in transit accessible places
topic Transit-oriented development
transit access
walking
travel behavior
built environment
url https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/1530
work_keys_str_mv AT yunkyungchoi dopeoplewalkmoreintransitaccessibleplaces
AT subhrajitguhathakurta dopeoplewalkmoreintransitaccessibleplaces