A user-oriented approach to designing public transport infrastructure

1. South African Cities Network Sustainable Public Transport Seminar 15 August 2008 A user-oriented approach to designing public transport infrastructure Herrie Schalekamp CENTRE FOR TRANSPORT STUDIES

2. Who uses public transport? What are the critical elements of the public transport system from the point of view of the user? What lessons can we learn from our peers about better accommodating public transport users? What are critical issues that we need to address to improve the service we provide for public transport users?

3. Public transport systems Elements of public transport systems: • infrastructure and services • travel ways • vehicles • access points • institutions • operations • regulation • users

4. Public transport systems Public transport policy: • prioritisation of user as paying customer • prioritisation of public transport • integrated modal management • Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks (IRPTNs) • trunk & feeder services • integration at public transport interchanges

5. Public transport systems Public transport users: • current • present passengers • typically commuters • potential • excluded • not targeted

6. Public transport systems Potential users limited by: • physical ability • age, pregnancy, paralysis/loss of limbs • sensory ability • loss or impairment of senses • financial ability • captive, choice • cognitive ability • first time users, tourists, children 

7. Public transport systems User’s experience determined: • indirectly by institutions • regulatory • operational • directly by physical aspects of PT system • vehicles • access points / interchanges

8. Public transport interchanges Role of public transport interchanges: • holistic view – PT and NMT • transfers within and between road and rail-based public transport services • interface between non-motorised and public transport networks • critical link in PT system: often pinch point, “front door” into system • non-transport functions: economic, social (URBS 2003)

9. Public transport interchanges Components of interchanges:

10. Public transport interchanges Passenger transfer trip: • transfer trip chain • transfer trip tasks • obstacles during transfer trip chain

11. Assessment of interchanges What is the current focus of interchanges: • design to accommodate PT vehicles; • or design for people using the PT services?

12. Assessment of interchanges The user’s experience of interchanges: • continuous transfer trip chain • accessibility obstacles • horizontal and vertical dimensions • access control devices • wayfinding obstacles • layout information • location information • transport service information • institutions

13. Assessment of interchanges Interchange study sites: • 3 sites in each city – Cape Town, Curitiba and Sao Paulo • Curitiba: interest in BRT operations, but only road-based • Sao Paulo: retrofitting of BRT elements, road and rail-based modes • mid to high range daily passenger volumes • located on trunk and feeder route

14. Comparative evaluation Cape Town Sao Paulo Curitiba

15. Comparative evaluation Accessibility: • lack of at-grade boarding • inconsistent management of surfacing and level changes • at-grade crossings, conflict with vehicles • facilities primarily for able-bodied adults • effective transfers not possible for people with disabilities • discontinuous transfer trip chains

16. Comparative evaluation Physical dimensions: • space extensive interchanges in Cape Town • transfer distances up to 700m in Cape Town and Sao Paulo

17. Comparative evaluation Wayfinding: • text-based signage, literacy and multiple languages problematic • provided for able-bodied adults • focus primarily intra-modal • long transfer distances not alleviated by sufficient wayfinding assistance • colour-coded buses by function (Curitiba), by region (Sao Paulo) • discontinuous transfer trip chains

18. Comparative evaluation Institutional structures: • fragmented in Cape Town and Sao Paulo by mode • unified, independent structure in Curitiba

19. Current design practices do not promote the range of needs of public transport users. How can we begin to address this?

20. Conclusion and recommendations Institutional integration: • is a prerequisite for modal integration – Curitiba • must be supplemented by effective detail design of interfaces between different components of interchanges to ensure continuous trip chains • current institutional fragmentation reflected in separation of modal guidelines and lack of guidelines informing passenger transfer efficiency

21. Conclusion and recommendations Interchange planning and design: • definition of ‘public transport interchange’ should include all modes – motorised and non-motorised • imperative to cover detail design of passenger transfer trips across modes • mind shift required from vehicle-oriented to user-oriented design of public transport infrastructure

22. Conclusion and recommendations • Some challenges: • retrofitting existing public transport interchanges/infrastructure • to better accommodate full range of users • to integrate with new services being implemented • providing effective information on existing and new public transport services for potential users • on the ground – wayfinding • trip planning – online tools, pamphlets • marketing