Article Abstracts
Volume 1, No. 1, Fall 1996
Editorial
Gary L. Brosch, EditorThe best reason to begin a new journal is to satisfy the need for information in a particular field of research. The Journal of Public Transportation will strive to increase communication between academics and practitioners in public transportation, aiming towards the common goal of solving problems related to the mobility of our citizens.
There are many questions about the future of public transportation. Will it eventually go the way of the horse and buggy in all but the largest urban areas, or will it prove to be our economic and social salvation when the oil crisis finally arrives? Will intelligent transportation systems and alternatively-fueled vehicles help or hurt public transportation? How do we decide which new technologies should be implemented? What are the roles of the federal, state, and local governments in support of public transportation? How important is public transportation in helping people move from welfare to work? What can be done to increase the cost effectiveness and efficiency of public transportation?
Can the transit village concept work? By what standards, policies, and values should we measure the success of public transportation? This journal will assist in encouraging academics to continue to study and develop innovative solutions to public transportation problems and in encouraging practitioners to consider and implement such solutions. A continuing dialogue between both is essential to the full understanding of the problems. We must take seriously the challenge stated by historian Oscar Handlin: "Our troubled planet can no longer afford the luxury of pursuits confined to an ivory tower. Scholarship has to prove its worth, not on its own terms, but by service to the nation and the world." The Journal of Public Transportation strives to help meet that challenge.
This first issue of the journal has been designed to provide perspective and practical tools from both researchers and practitioners. Six papers are included, covering a variety of topics and providing examples of the types of articles we are seeking to publish. Information on submitting papers is included on the back cover.
In completing the first issue of the Journal of Public Transportation, I would like to acknowledge the Editorial Board, the authors, and the referees, many of whom made special efforts to make this journal a reality. Papers from three members of our Editorial Board, comprised of both researchers and practitioners with lifelong dedication to enhancing mobility, are included in this first issue. I look forward to working with the many new individuals who will become a part of the journal in future issues.
Transit Service, Parking Charges, and Mode Choice for the Journey to Work: An Analysis of the 1990 NPTS
James G. Strathman & Kenneth J. Dueker, Portland State University
Abstract
In this paper, the effects of transit service and parking charges on the choice of commuters to drive alone, carpool, or use transit are estimated. The analysis is based on data for 20 Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas from the 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, FTA's Section 15, and the Texas Transportation Institute's estimates of traffic congestion. Both the level of transit service and the likelihood of being charged for parking are found to have significant positive effects on the likelihood of choosing transit for the commute. The results also indicate that improving transit access leads to a very small increase in transit's mode share, while improving the level of service produces a much greater mode share increase.
A Taxonomy for Advanced Public Transportation Systems
Asad J. Khattak, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Hisham Noeimi, JRH Transportation Engineering; & Haitham M. Al-Deek, University of Central Florida
Abstract
This study explores the development and availability of APTS (Advanced Public Transportation Systems) technologies. APTS technologies can revitalize transit by directly improving service, increasing transit efficiency and reducing operating costs, as well as by producing direct benefits for travelers such as reduced travel times, increased safety and security, and reduced stress in dealing with transit unreliability. To understand APTS impacts, this study develops a taxonomy of transit technologies and uses it to explore the availability of new technologies and their impacts. The taxonomy is based on defining the features, functions, and performance characteristics of transit technologies. Further, the implementation of new technologies can be described by their spatial, temporal, and user dimensions, i.e., where, when, and for whom is the technology implemented. These dimensions, along with the implementation context, determine the impacts of APTS technologies. To explore the availability of APTS technologies, technology suppliers were surveyed. They were asked about the features, functions, and performance of transit technologies, their testing and deployment in transit agencies, and their potential impacts on travelers and transit operators. The survey results suggest a trend toward transfer of data in real-time through electronic media and increased automation. It was found that about a dozen APTS technologies queried in the survey were commercially available for field testing. From a policy perspective, there is a need to develop a strategy that considers the individual and joint testing of two or more APTS technologies and facilitates synthesis of the resulting information. Individually, the benefits of APTS technologies may be limited, but, collectively, APTS technologies may have significant benefits. Cases of joint APTS technology implementations need to be designed, implemented and synthesized.
Public Transit in the Social Marketing Framework
Devajyoti Deka, University of Southern California
Abstract
In view of the recent successes of social marketing in the various areas within the public, nonprofit sector, this study considers public transit as a socially marketable concept. The study contends that although service marketing is also important for the transit industry, there is a greater need for emphasizing the social marketing of transit. It is argued that social marketing of transit will have to deviate from the conventional service marketing approach in the key areas of market identification and segmentation, communication, distribution, and consideration of price.
The Puzzle of Income, Race, and Density: Preliminary Evidence on Transit Use from the 1991 American Housing Survey
Sandra Rosenbloom with Kelly Clifton, The Drachman Institute, The University of Arizona
Abstract
The article presents the results of a preliminary analysis of transit ridership data from the 1991 American Housing Survey. The findings suggest that transit operators may find new markets in places they had not thought to look: among high income travelers, including high income minority travelers.
California's Transit Village Movement
Robert Cervero, University of California, Berkeley
Abstract
Transit villages--dense, mixed-use communities near rail stops--could increase rail ridership and reduce automobile dependency; however, few good examples exist in the U.S. today. Barriers to building transit villages include questionable market viability, conservative lending practices, and neighborhood opposition to multi-family housing. This paper shows, however, that there is a reasonably strong market demand for well-designed transit-oriented neighborhoods. After viewing visual images of simulated transit villages, more respondents from the San Francisco Bay Area expressed a willingness to live in a moderately dense community with nice amenities than in one with a third lower densities but little neighborhood open space or consumer services. Many current occupants of transit-based housing in California are young professionals living in one or two person households with just one car. What most distinguishes tenants of transit-based housing is their tendency to work in downtowns and other locations well-served by rail transit. The demand for good quality housing near rail has allowed some rail-served apartments in the Bay Area to command rent premiums. Strong market interest in rail-based housing, coupled with recent state enabling legislation, bode favorably for the future of transit villages in California.