Title: Employing best practice in station access to bridge the door-to-door divide
Abstract: Station access is a key component of the overall passenger experience and rail journey. Station access bridges the gap between origin (destination) and transit stations making rail service more comparable to door-to-door car travel. In order to sway more travellers to patronise public transport as their main mode of transport, this segment of the trip needs to be improved. Important questions that need to be considered include: how to best accommodate each access mode, how to enhance access by preferred modes, and how to manage conflicts between them? However, planning for station access is currently addressed in many different ways across Australia and in a relatively ad-hoc manner. A review of Australian and international planning guides to identify key elements important in planning for station access. Best practice elements were identified for inclusion in an access planning methodology for the Australian context. A checklist of station principles associated with each access mode is provided to assess existing station access conditions from case studies in Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney. Results of the analysis identify opportunities for improvement in order to meet future access demands. This paper presents a new perspective for Australian rail agencies, including access in the overall design process and provides a best practice approach, building on developments in Europe and North America. 1. Rail Station Access: the big picture Public transport use has been frequently put forward as a key measure to alleviate the worsening problem of road congestion caused by increasing car travel. However it will only be successful if public transport can provide a better overall benefit to users than car travel. As the urbanist Wilfred Owens puts it: The basic reason why most urban trips are made by automobile is that the family car is superior to any other method of transportation. It offers comfort, privacy, limited walking, minimum waiting, and freedom from schedules or routing. It guarantees a seat; protects the traveller from heat, cold and rain; provides space and baggage; carries extra passengers; and for most trips, gets there faster and cheaper. The transit rider confronts an entirely different situation. He must walk, wait, stand, and be exposed to the elements. The ride is apt to be costly, slow, and uncomfortable because of antiquated equipment, poor ventilation, infrequent during any other time of day, inoperative at night, and non-existent in suburbia. (Owens 1950, pp.204-205)
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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