Abstract:
The research examines whether fixed-route transit can serve intrasuburban travel demand. With a direct demand model estimated with travel survey data from Sacramento, California, potential transit demand to destinations in suburbs is estimated, and the link from suburban areas of heavy demand to areas with relatively high demand for beginning trips is assessed. Next, a transit service improvement scenario is simulated to test the sensitivity of suburban transit accessibility to service change based on rail transit with timed-transfer bus connections. It is found that the existing system already carries more passengers within the suburbs than from the suburbs to downtown. Suburbs account for almost 60% of potential transit demand in the region, and there is potential for tapping more of it. Finally, typical transit improvements can substantially improve accessibility to potential suburban transit destinations from potential transit origins.
Supplemental Notes:
This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1571, Public Transit 1997: Bus, Paratransit, Intermodal, and Rail.
