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Public Transit in America: Analysis of Access Using the 2001
National Household Travel Survey
Understanding transit ridership has become a critical
research interest and policy goal. This paper presents the
results of an analysis of the NHTS data specifically focusing on
the appended variables that measure access or distances to
public transportation. Statistically significant distance
intervals were chosen for analysis respective of a chosen
variable. This document augments the report titled "Public
Transit in America: Results from the 2001 National Household
Travel Survey."
The analysis reveals strong differences in household and workplace access to
transit as a function of race, income, auto ownership, and urban area size.
Additionally, a very high sensitivity to access exists suggesting that the share
of transit accessible trips is smaller than previously acknowledged.
Approximately 53 percent of national households are within a mile of bus service
and 40 percent within a quarter-mile. Approximately 10 percent of the population
lives within one mile of rail. Over 50 percent of nationwide workplaces are
within a quarter mile walk radius of a bus line. Not surprisingly, work is more
closely concentrated near transit than are residences. Furthermore, mode share
for transit declines approximately two thirds beyond the first interval (up to
0.15 miles ) from a bus route. These observations imply a high value to services
in close proximity to residential areas. The analysis suggests that access is
even more critical than might have previously been acknowledged by the transit
planning profession.
A copy of the final report is available here in
pdf format and in
HTML format. For more information,
contact Steve Polzin at
polzin@cutr.usf.edu.
2.21.07
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813.974.5168 fax