Work

Assessing modal tradeoffs and associated built environment characteristics using a cost-distance framework

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The relationship between the built environment and transportation mode choice is well-studied, but less attention has been spent on the way that urban environments influence the relative travel costs for different modes. This paper uses a ‘cost-distance’ framework to assess the tradeoffs between transportation modes for commuters in the Dublin metropolitan area and employs random forest models to investigate non-linearities in the relationships between relative mobility by mode and built environment characteristics. The results suggest that more ‘walkable’ built environments increase the efficiency of active transport modes; however, we also find that these environments are negatively related to cost efficiency for public transport, likely due to congestion effects for buses. Beyond these theoretical insights, the results also provide a spatially targeted set of priorities for policymakers looking to improve the efficiency of sustainable transportation modes. These methods could be applied to any global region with access to the requisite data.

Source: Journal of Transport Geography

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2024.103870

Authors: Kevin Credit, Conor O'Driscoll

Institutions: National University of Ireland, Maynooth, University of Groningen

Language: English

Topic: Urban Transport and Accessibility

Subfield: Transportation

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,770