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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
First Advisor
Steven Lavrenz
Second Advisor
Tierra Bills
Abstract
ABSTRACTThe concept of Equity (Fairness) in transportation is a very important subject that has gained a lot of attention in recent times for informing policy and decision making in the realm of transportation planning. A popular and well-regarded measure of transportation equity outcomes is accessibility. However, accessibility can be overestimated when travel time reliability (i.e., a measure of transit service adherence to schedule and/or consistency of service) is not considered. Travel time unreliability can have the broader effect of limiting passengers’ accessibility to desired destinations, with the degree of consequences varying by traveler locations and circumstances. This individual-level, temporospatial nature of travel time reliability has received limited attention in the transit accessibility- reliability literature. The objective of this dissertation work is to develop a framework that incorporates transit travel time reliability measure into an accessibility assessment to evaluate equity outcomes effectively and accurately from a behavioral perspective while paying attention to disadvantaged groups with limited travel options and using data that is widely available to transit operators and transportation practitioners. This framework enables a thorough evaluation of the multifaceted impacts of service reliability. By considering both spatial and social dimensions, it offers insights into the varying experiences of different traveler groups, informing policy and planning decisions accordingly. Furthermore, this dissertation takes the next step to explore how equity analysis methods can be advanced using an integrated measure of accessibility and reliability, comparing its impact on constrained and less constrained users. This study suggests that while accessibility is already recognized as an important measure of equity in transportation, incorporating reliability and the heterogenous nature of traveler alongside it provides a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the opportunities accessible to travelers.
Recommended Citation
Adegbulugbe, Oluwanifemi Tomilayo, "Integrated Accessibility-Reliability Measurement For Evaluating Transit Equity Impacts" (2024). Wayne State University Dissertations. 4069.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/4069