Challenges and opportunities in developing urban modal shift

Abstract

Agriculture and Engineering, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK * Contact: paul.batty2@ncl.ac.uk; +44 (0) 191 208 8657 Abstract Continued urbanisation, and the resultant increase in urban trips, presents one of the greatest challenges to the environmental, economic and social sustainability of society. Given that the modal split between transport modes has remained relatively unaltered in recent decades, this suggests that the levels of private car usage will lead to even greater levels of congestion and air pollution in urban areas. Therefore, a modal shift from private to public transport needs to be effected with urgency. However, whilst in theory this could be achieved with relative ease, numerous societal, political and economic barriers have thus far prevented such a shift from occurring. These have been analysed in detail, using a holistic approach which simultaneously considers all stakeholder needs. Recognising that traveller opinions and requirements are fundamental in effecting modal shift measures, the effects of public transport quality attributes on encouraging modal shift are discussed, accompanied by an updated version of the UK Department for Transport's hierarchy of public transport needs. This investigation then proceeds to analyse the effectiveness of methods to control urban car usage, before discussing solutions to address the barriers to a notable, successful modal shift, including guidance on how to design modal shift programmes. This paper provides useful and insightful guidance for all those involved in attempting to evoke sustainable mobility through a modal shift to public transport systems.2

When Is an Innovative Urban Mobility Business Model Sustainable? A Literature Review and Analysis

“…The importance of intermodal integration is part of this context [18]. This includes the availability of integrated and customized transportation in specific situations; the encouraged use of vehicles that use clean energy, such as electric cars and cycling; and other sustainable alternatives complementary to the traditional public transport [1,2,10,[19][20][21].…”

Bus Rapid Transit-oriented Development: An Identification of Bus Rapid Transit System Passengers’ Modal Shift Potential Considerations

“…An extensive body of knowledge has shown that the passengers' perception on the transit system's service is related to their preference of taking the system. We may even conclude that the transit system's service is the first thing that is concerned by researchers when trying to understand the patronage and passengers loyalty of a transit system (Sharaby & Shiftan, 2012;Hensher & Li, 2012;Batty et al, 2015;Chakrabarti & Giuliano, 2015;Van Lierop & El-Geneidy, 2016;Satiennam et al, 2016;Chakrabarti, 2017;Fearnley et al, 2017). The passengers' perception of the rapid transit system's service encompasses both quantifiable and less-quantifiable components.…”

The Circumvention of Barriers to Urban Rail Energy Efficiency

“…However, notable levels of modal shift are very difficult to be achieved on a long-term basis, due to the numerous societal and political challenges. These are discussed further by Batty et al [22], who analyse how best to attract people to public transport and dissuade car usage using 'push' and 'pull' mechanisms. This highlights the necessity for significant improvements in the public transport system as a whole, in terms of quality, capacity and level of integration, to help remove the perception that public transport is unclean, unreliable and of low comfort [23][24][25].…”