Spatial analysis of access to and accessibility surrounding train stations: a case study of accessibility for the elderly in Perth, Western Australia

Authors

Ting (Grace) Lin
Jianhong (Cecilia) Xia
Todd P. Robinson
Konstadinos G. Goulias
Richard L. Church
Doina Olaru
John Tapin
Renlong Han

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2014

Subject Area

infrastructure - interchange/transfer, infrastructure - station, land use - planning, mode - bus, mode - park and ride, mode - pedestrian, mode - rail, place - australasia, planning - surveys, ridership - old people

Keywords

Composite index, Accessibility to stations, Spatial analysis, Rate of train station patronage, Elderly

Abstract

Approximately one-fifth of Perth’s population is aged 60 or older. Projections suggest that this proportion will continue to increase as a result of the large number of children born after the World War II (1946–1964). Access to and accessibility around train stations for the aging population is and will become a more important issue as the elderly population continues to grow. The aim of the paper is to develop and apply a new measure of accessibility to train stations at a fine spatial scale, justified by the special circumstance of the elderly using a case study in Perth, Western Australia. Intercept surveys are used to collect data on factors affecting train station accessibility for patrons aged 60 years or older, at seven highly dispersed train stations. Overall accessibility is measured separately using a composite index based on three travel modes (walk-and-ride, park-and-ride and bus-and-ride). The results illustrate that key variables, such as distance from an origin to a station, walking or driving route directness, land-use diversity, service and facility quality, bus connection to train stations, all affect the accessibility to train stations for the elderly. This implies that improvements to these factors will improve accessibility for this population group.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

Comments

Journal of Transport Geography home Page:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09666923

Recommended Citation

Lin, T., Xia,J., Robinson, T.B., Goulias, K.G., Church, R.L., Olaru, D., Tapin, J. & Han, R. (2014). Spatial analysis of access to and accessibility surrounding train stations: a case study of accessibility for the elderly in Perth, Western Australia. Journal of Transport Geography, Vol. 39, pp. 111–120.