Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

TAZ-level variation in work trip mode choice between 1990 and 2000 and the presence of rail transit

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Geographical Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Rail transit continues to be a popular alternative for cities as a tool for alleviating automobile congestion and for redeveloping areas into transit and pedestrian-friendly environments. Ideally, rail transit will draw trips away from cars, but the quantitative work that tests this notion has often been either case studies of neighborhoods, in which conclusions are tough to generalize, or citywide comparisons where important spatial variation is lost in aggregation. This study seeks to narrow this gap in the research by using multivariate analysis of covariance to isolate the effect of covariates and cities on changes in work trip mode choice at the traffic analysis zone (TAZ) level for nine cities between 1990 and 2000. The results suggest differences by city in the change at the TAZ level of the proportion of people driving alone and taking transit. Increases in transit usage were associated with cities that built rail transit, while increases in automobile commuting and decreases in transit usage were associated with cities that did not.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • APTA (2007) Americans take more than 10 billion trips on public transportation for the first time in almost 50 years. American Public Transportation Association. http://www.apta.com/media/releases/070312_ten_billion.cfm. Accessed 14 Sep 2007

  • Babalik-Sutcliffe E (2002) Urban rail systems: analysis of the factors behind success. Transp Rev 22(4):415–447

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baum-Snow N, Kahn ME (2000) The effects of new public projects to expand urban rail transit. J Public Econ 77(2):241–263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baum-Snow N, Kahn ME (2005) Effects of urban rail transit expansions: evidence from sixteen cities 1970–2000. Brookings–Wharton Papers on Urban Affairs 2005, pp 147–206

  • Black A (1993) The recent popularity of light rail transit in North America. J Plan Ed Res 12(2):150–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boarnet MG, Crane R (2001a) Travel by design: the influence of urban form on travel. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Boarnet MG, Crane R (2001b) The influence of land use on travel behavior: specification and estimation strategies. Transp Res A 35(9):823–845

    Google Scholar 

  • Boarnet MG, Sarmiento S (1998) Can land-use policy really affect travel behaviour? A study of the link between non-work travel and land-use characteristics. Urban Stud 35(7):1155–1169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cervero R (1994) Transit-based housing in California: evidence on ridership impacts. J Transp Policy 1(3):174–183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cervero R, Gorham R (1995) Commuting in transit versus auto oriented neighborhoods. J Am Plan Assoc 61(2):210–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cervero R, Landis J (1997) Twenty years of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System: land use and development impacts. Transp Res A 31(4):309–333

    Google Scholar 

  • Cervero R, Radisch C (1996) Travel choices in pedestrian versus automobile oriented neighborhoods. J Transp Policy 3(3):127–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DRTD (2007) Construction projects and studies. Denver Regional Transit District. http://www.rtd-denver.com/. Accessed 14 Sep 2007

  • Edwards M, Mackett RL (1996) Developing new urban public transport systems: an irrational decision-making process. J Transp Policy 3(4):225–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flybjerg B, Skamris Holm MK, Buhl SL (2003) How common and how large are cost overruns in transport infrastructure projects? Transp Rev 23(1):71–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Handy S, Cao X, Mokhtarian P (2005) Correlation or causality between the built environment and travel behavior? Evidence from Northern California. Transp Res D 10(6):427–444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hass-Klau C, Crampton G (2002) Future of urban transport, learning from success and weaknesses: light rail. Environmental and Transport Planning, Brighton

    Google Scholar 

  • Hass-Klau C, Crampton G, Weidauer M, Deutsch V (2003) Bus or light rail: making the right choice, 2nd edn. Environmental and Transport Planning, Brighton

    Google Scholar 

  • Hass-Klau C, Crampton G, Benjari R (2004) Economic impact of light rail: the results of fifteen urban areas in France, Germany, UK and North America. Environmental and Transport Planning, Brighton

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston RA, Sperling D, DeLuchi MA, Tracy S (1988) Politics and technical uncertainty in transportation investment analysis. Transp Res A 21(6):459–475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kain JF, Liu Z (1999) Secrets of success: assessing the large increases in transit ridership achieved by Houston and San Diego transit providers. Transp Res A 33(7–8):601–624

    Google Scholar 

  • Khattak AJ, Rodriguez D (2005) Travel behavior in neo-traditional neighborhood developments: a case study. Transp Res A 39(6):481–500

    Google Scholar 

  • Krizek KJ (2003) Neighborhood services, trip purpose, and tour-based travel. Transportation 30(3):387–410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lane BW (2008) Significant characteristics of the urban rail renaissance: a discriminant analysis. Transp Res A 42(2):279–295

    Google Scholar 

  • Loukaitou-Sideris A, Banerjee T (2000) The blue line blues: why the vision of a transit village may not materialize despite impressive growth in transit ridership. J Urban Des 5(2):101–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lund H (2003) Testing the claims of new urbanism: local access, pedestrian travel, and neighboring behaviors. J Am Plan Assoc 69(4):414–429

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mackett RL, Babalik-Sutcliffe E (2003) New urban rail systems: a policy-based technique to make them more successful. J Transp Geogr 11(2):151–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mackett RL, Edwards M (1998) The impact of new urban public transport systems: will the expectations be met? Transp Res A 32(4):231–245

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuckin NA, Srinivasan N (2003) Journey to work trends in the United States and its major metropolitan areas 1960–2000. Federal Highway Administration, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • METRO (2009) METRO solutions. METRO: Harris Country Metropolitan Transit Authority http://metrosolutions.org/go/site/1068/ Accessed 14 Sep 2007

  • MetroTransit (2009) Central corridor light rail transit. Metropolitan Council. http://www.metrocouncil.org/transportation/ccorridor/centralcorridor.htm. Accessed 16 Jun 2009

  • Pickrell DH (1992) A desire named streetcar: fantasy and fact in rail transit planning. J Am Plan Assoc 58(2):158–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richmond J (2001) A whole-system approach to evaluating urban transit investments. Transp Rev 21(2):141–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubin TA, Moore JE II, Lee S (1999) Ten myths about US urban rail systems. Transp Policy 6(1):57–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schumann JW (2006) Status of North American light rail systems: year 2006 update. In: Transportation Research Circular E-C112, Proceedings of the 11th joint conference on light rail, St. Louis, April 9–11, pp 3–18

  • Schwanen T, Mokhtarian PL (2005) What affects commute mode choice: neighborhood physical structure or preferences toward neighborhoods? J Transp Geogr 13(1):83–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Southworth M (1997) Walkable suburbs: an evaluation of neotraditional communities at the urban edge. J Am Plan Assoc 63(1):28–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Srinivasan S, Ferreira J (2002) Travel behavior at the household level: understanding linkages with residential choice. Transp Rest D 7(3):225–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sultana S, Weber J (2007) Journey-to-work patterns in the age of sprawl: evidence from two midsize southern metropolitan areas. Prof Geogr 59(2):193–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UTA (2009) Projects and programs. Utah Transit Authority. http://www.rideuta.com/projects/. Accessed 16 Jun 2009

  • Warner RM (2008) Applied statistics. SAGE, Los Angeles

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Different stages of this research topic have been presented in sessions on alternative transport modes and land-use at the 2006, 2007, and 2008 Annual Meetings of the Association of American Geographers in Chicago, San Francisco, and Boston, respectively. The author wishes to thank the session attendants and participants whose questions and comments have helped shape and improve this analysis. Appreciation is also due to the comments and guidance of the three anonymous reviewers of this research, who provided useful insight toward improving the project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Indiana University, SB 120, 701 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Bradley W. Lane

Authors
  1. Bradley W. Lane
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bradley W. Lane.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lane, B.W. TAZ-level variation in work trip mode choice between 1990 and 2000 and the presence of rail transit. J Geogr Syst 13, 147–171 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-010-0110-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-010-0110-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation