Exploring walking distances to access Public Transport

Academic abstract

A shift from private motorised transport to more active transportation can, among other things, deliver significant health benefits. The main disadvantage of active transport (in particular walking) for most people compared to private motorised transport is the limited range. Public transport (PT) can complement the use of active modes and extend their range. Therefore, there might be potential to increase physical activity through an increase in PT use. This article takes a closer look at how walking relates to the use of PT by examining existing literature on the topic. It aims to study how far people walk to and from PT and what key factors influence this. Evidence is established for the wide range of factors that influence walking related to PT, which have been categorised as personal, PT-related, environmental, and journey-related. The different methods that have been used are discussed by critically analysing their advantages and limitations. Only a limited number of these methods allow for an accurate assessment of the walking distances to and from PT. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research, such as a need for more accurate measurement of walking and research in different geographical areas to shed light on underlying influences of culture and climate. 

Supporting evidence

Scopus, Transport Research International Documentation and Web of Science have been searched systematically for relevant articles, conference papers and books. After screening of titles and abstracts, 41 relevant publications were identified.

Studies were included if they quantified the amount of walking (measured as either distance or time) that is directly related to the use of PT. Studies that quantified walking using general measures of daily physical activity or daily walking or that used stated preference designs were excluded. The PT systems considered in this paper are mass transport systems in urban areas, either road- or rail-based, with fixed schedules and stops. Demand-responsive transport services, which can offer door-to-door travel, are not considered, as these systems can to a large extent eliminate the need to walk. In the identified publications, a large variety of walking distances and times have been reported, and these seem to be highly context-specific. 

Overall, using public transport regularly has been shown to positively influence health, as public transport journeys often include access and egress trips on foot. The main disadvantage of active transport (in particular walking) for most people compared to private motorised transport is the limited range. For instance, in England, 81% of the trips shorter than 1 mile are undertaken on foot or by bike, whilst this share drops significantly for trips more than 2 miles, with about 80% of those trips undertaken by car.

Key findings

1. A frequently adopted guideline in public transport planning around the world is that, based on observations, people would be willing to walk up to 400m for buses and 800m for rail transport. It is however often found that there is a lot of variance in the real distances people walk to or from public transport.
2. Short walk stages that function as access or egress trips related to another mode are often underreported in national surveys.
3. Studies assume travellers take the shortest path. Studies that attempt to accurately report walking distances are those using methodologies in which routes are traced on a map, in which travellers are followed, GPS/accelerometer tools are used, or in which researchers walk together with the travellers. Hence, there is only a very limited amount of research on real public transport-related walking.
4. Characteristics of public transport affect how far someone is willing to walk, along with the public transport services offered and transport options.