The objective of this research was to investigate whether a relationship exists between street network characteristics and the choice of transportation modes selected in a neighborhood. In this study, we controlled for factors such as street characteristics, vehicle volumes, activity levels, income levels, proximity to limited access highways and to the downtown area. The results suggest that all three of the fundamental characteristics ofa street network – street connectivity, street network density, and street patterns – are statistically significant in affecting the choice to drive, walk, bike, or take transit. Both increased intersection density and additional street connectivity were generally associated with more walking, biking, and transit use. Street patterns with gridded street networks, which tended to have higher street connectivity than average and much higher street network density, were associated with much more walking and biking.These results suggest that street network patterns are extremely important for encouraging non-automobile modes of travel. As our nation begins to focus on reducing vehicle miles traveled as a strategy to combat carbon production and cut energy use, it is increasingly imperative that we accountfor this relationship between the built environment and mode choice in our planning and design of the transportation system.
Abstract