Christian M. Marti

Transit Orientation: More Than Just Coverage. A New Method for the Assessment of Transit and Development Co-location

This paper presents a new method for assessing transit and development co-location and applies it to a case study. Co-location is a core element of transit oriented development. It is currently assessed by designating activities within a given distance from transit as “close to transit” and calculating the activity density of these catchment areas or the share of activities within them. However, transit demand decreases with distance, so distribution of activities within transit catchment areas matters in addition to average density. The main contribution of the new method is explicitly assessing density distribution within transit catchment areas. It is based on the notion that density should not increase with distance from transit. Case study results demonstrate the method’s ability to compare station areas based on aggregate indicator values, while also providing maps of disaggregate and spatially explicit co-location performance. This fine-grained analysis allows planners to identify potential future development areas. Results are compared to commonly used indicators for station area intensity and proximity of activities to transit. An important conclusion is that the new method should be used in combination with an intensity indicator.

Measuring public transport and built environment integration at the neighborhood scale: Towards a quantitative assessment methodology

Public transport and built environment integration at the neighborhood scale is an important aspect of land use transport integration. Public transport systems and the built environment affect each other in a multitude of ways at the neighborhood level. These mutual effects impact the quality and performance of both systems; whether the outcome is positive or negative depends on how carefully they are attuned to each other – or in other words, how well they are integrated. Yet despite this importance, there are only few attempts to quantitatively define and measure integration at the neighborhood scale. Existing approaches have limitations, most importantly, they lack a clear theoretical framework of what exactly should be measured. To fill this research gap, a new approach to identify quantitative indicators for integration at the neighborhood scale is presented. It is based on the systematic analysis of mutual interactions between public transport systems and the built environment and the subsequent identification of measuring points.

Infrastructure and Operational Influences on Collisions Between Trams and Left-Turning Cars

This research identified infrastructural and operational factors that influenced the most common type of car–tram collision: cars making opposing turns in front of trams. Few studies have analyzed influences on car–tram collisions quantitatively, but none have explored predictor factors for opposing-turn crashes—a research gap addressed with this paper. The two largest Swiss tram networks, Basel and Zurich, were used for the analysis. A point-based research approach was chosen: all locations within a tram network at which a car could turn left (an opposing turn where traffic drives on the right) in front of a tram were identified. For each of these points, data on dependent and predictor variables were collected. This data set was analyzed with Poisson, negative binomial, and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models. The number of left-turning car–tram collisions was used as the dependent variable, while predictors were derived from a literature review; models were fitted by using all predictors and with forward variable selection by means of Akaike’s information criterion. Traffic volumes (cars and trams), tram speed, and dedicated left-turn lanes were found to be significantly associated with a higher frequency of car–tram collisions, whereas turning left to access a service rather than a road, left-turn restrictions, proximity to a tram stop, and perpendicular turning angles were significantly associated with a lower frequency of left-turning car–tram collisions. On the basis of these results, left turns across tramways should be restricted for cars. Remaining conflict points should be located close to tram stops, have limited tram speed, and feature perpendicular turning angles.