Event Overview
First and last mile connectivity has always been a major consideration in public transportation modeling and planning. Ph.D. candidate Reid Passmore, of the Georgia Institute of Technology, will share his progress on developing a framework for systematically assessing cycling infrastructure improvements using the shortest path model, BikewaySim. While there are many models used throughout the US that can simulate walking trips from and to transit, there are few that do the same for bicycles. This model creates shortest routes that are consistent with the preferences that current and potential cyclists’ have for infrastructure. This framework will aid planners and engineers to assess the impacts of proposed cycling infrastructure projects, so that projects that stand to have the greatest impact on the actual and perceived safety of cycling are selected over those that would be less effective.
We will also hear from Professor Beth Ferguson, whose ongoing research includes an exploration of travel behavior and best practices to increase micromobility and public transit ridership post-COVID-19. Professor Ferguson’s project with Dr. Angela Sanguinetti, titled Integrating Micromobility with Public Transit: A Case Study of the California Bay Area, is nearing completion. Micromobility is well-suited to address first- and last-mile connectivity with public transit by extending the catchment area around transit stations and bridging gaps in the existing transit network, ultimately facilitating access to jobs and services. However, the uptake of micromobility depends on a variety of factors including environmental design features at and around public transit stations that support or inhibit access. Professor Ferguson will also draw on her work on Environmental Design for Micromobility and Public Transit, funded by the University of California Institute of Transportation Studies from the State of California through the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (Senate Bill 1).
