Principal Investigator(s):
Andrew Owen, Lead Researcher, Acc. Obsv., Center for Transportation Studies
Project summary:
This project was a transit accessibility analysis for the B, D, E, Gold, and Rush Line transitways in the Twin Cities. Census-block-level access to grocery stores, health care facilities, and high schools is evaluated in two stages. Stage one evaluated the B, D, and E Lines, while stage two built on stage one by adding the Gold and Rush Lines to the transit network. Accessibility results were disaggregated by five worker demographic categories, including age, educational attainment, monthly earnings, race, and sex. The results highlighted access to two destinations, which captured some of the choice set available to workers. The D Line consistently improved travel times to grocery, health care, and high school destinations. Between 30 percent and 50 percent of the workers living within a half mile of a D Line transit stop experienced a one-to-five-minute travel time savings. The B and E Lines also brought travel time savings to the workers living near these transit routes but to a lesser extent than the D Line. Blocks within the Gold Line corridor experienced the greatest travel time reduction to high schools, while the Rush Line area experienced significant travel time reductions to grocery destinations.