Factors Predicting the Desire to Walk among Pedestrian Rail C ...

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Abstract

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) has gained popularity as an urban planning strategy towards promoting the use of sustainable modes of transport and enhancing public transport patronage within the TOD region. A frequent user of the public transport services among the TOD residents would hypothetically provide a more meaningful contribution towards the success of the strategy. Various factors have been identified as having influenced the desire of pedestrian rail commuters to walk from home to the nearby railway station and eventually use the rail services. Accordingly, this research aimed to examine factors influencing the desire to walk to the railway station among residents in TOD areas as well as to examine the correlational relationship between the environmental attributes of physical, weather, safety and rail level of services among the group. Through purposive sampling, this cross-sectional study examined the travel behaviour of 500 pedestrian rail commuters who walked from their apartments to the nearby railway station, with an average walking distance of 400 meters. By applying regression analysis, the study finds that weather and rail level of services have high significant contribution towards predicting the desire to walk among the residents within the TOD areas. The physical environment of the walkways and safety also has impact but at a lesser significant level. These findings provide a guideline to the related planners and the rail operators on adopting the various strategies towards further encouraging walking to the transit station and then on the use of the public transport services. Through such trip making behaviour and complemented with the effective strategies, this will in the long run not only lead to a more sustainable form of transportation but also sustainable development for the whole conurbation at large.