TY - JOUR
T1 - Relationship between proximity to transit and ridership for journey-to-work trips in Chicago
AU - Lindsey, Marshall
AU - Schofer, Joseph L.
AU - Durango-Cohen, Pablo
AU - Gray, Kimberly A.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), specifically Kermit Wies and his colleague Ron Eash, for the provision of and assistance with interpreting the survey data. This work was funded by the Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois Program (DFI) Fellowship, which had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication. The findings of this work are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of CMAP.
PY - 2010/11
Y1 - 2010/11
N2 - The use of privately owned vehicles (POVs) contributes significantly to US energy consumption (EC) and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe). Strategies for reducing POV use include shifting trips to other modes, particularly public transit. Choices to use transit are based on characteristics of travelers, their trips, and the quality of competing transportation services. Here we focus on the proximity of rail stations to trip origins/destinations as a factor affecting mode choice for work trips. Using household travel survey data from Chicago, we evaluate the profile of journey-to-work (JTW) trips, assessing mode share and potential for more travelers to use rail. For work trips having the origin/destination as close as 1mile from rail transit stations, POVs were still the dominant travel mode, capturing as much as 61%, followed by rail use at 14%. This high degree of POV use coupled with the proportion of JTW trips within close proximity to rail stations indicated that at least some of these trips may be candidates for shifting from POV to rail. For example, shifting all work trips with both the origin/destination within 1mile of commuter rail stations would potentially reduce the energy associated with all work-related POV driving trips by a maximum of 24%. Based on the analysis of trips having the origin and destination closest to train stations, a complete shift in mode from POV to train could exceed CO2 reduction goals targeted in the Chicago Climate Action Plan. This could occur with current settlement patterns and the use of existing infrastructure. However, changes in traveler behavior and possibly rail operation would be necessary, making policy to motivate this change essential.
AB - The use of privately owned vehicles (POVs) contributes significantly to US energy consumption (EC) and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe). Strategies for reducing POV use include shifting trips to other modes, particularly public transit. Choices to use transit are based on characteristics of travelers, their trips, and the quality of competing transportation services. Here we focus on the proximity of rail stations to trip origins/destinations as a factor affecting mode choice for work trips. Using household travel survey data from Chicago, we evaluate the profile of journey-to-work (JTW) trips, assessing mode share and potential for more travelers to use rail. For work trips having the origin/destination as close as 1mile from rail transit stations, POVs were still the dominant travel mode, capturing as much as 61%, followed by rail use at 14%. This high degree of POV use coupled with the proportion of JTW trips within close proximity to rail stations indicated that at least some of these trips may be candidates for shifting from POV to rail. For example, shifting all work trips with both the origin/destination within 1mile of commuter rail stations would potentially reduce the energy associated with all work-related POV driving trips by a maximum of 24%. Based on the analysis of trips having the origin and destination closest to train stations, a complete shift in mode from POV to train could exceed CO2 reduction goals targeted in the Chicago Climate Action Plan. This could occur with current settlement patterns and the use of existing infrastructure. However, changes in traveler behavior and possibly rail operation would be necessary, making policy to motivate this change essential.
KW - Energy consumption and emissions reduction
KW - Rail transit
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U2 - 10.1016/j.tra.2010.07.003
DO - 10.1016/j.tra.2010.07.003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77956393563
VL - 44
SP - 697
EP - 709
JO - Transportation Research, Part A: Policy and Practice
JF - Transportation Research, Part A: Policy and Practice
SN - 0965-8564
IS - 9
ER -
