Impacts on travel behavior from the introduction of a new metro system: a case study from Athens.

Author(s)
Karlaftis, M.G. & Matzoros, A.
Year
Abstract

Traffic congestion, automobile dependence, car ownership, emissions pollution, and a decreasing quality of life are often cited as some of the most important problems faced by today's large urban centres. In an effort to address some of these problems, many cities have invested sizeable amounts in the extension and redevelopment of old and the creation of new urban public transport systems. Obviously, most of the arguments in favour of new public transportation systems are based on the perceived impacts: increased market share for public transportation, reduced automobile dependence, environmental impacts, and effects on urban development. Much of the effort for developing new systems has concentrated, world-wide, in the direction of Metros (or subways). These developments offer unparalleled quality of service (in terms of frequency and speed of service and reduced travel time) and can, with wider probability than purely bus based systems, act as a deterrent to automobile use. Many authors have examined the impacts of new public transport systems around the world. Mackett and Edwards (1998) examined, with the use of extensive questionnaires, the expected and realised benefits from the construction of new public transport systems from 100 cities around the world. Harper (2000) examined the impacts of the opening of lines 1 and 2 of the Midland Metro (West Midlands region of England) with the use of a household survey. Monzon (2000) investigated the travel demand impacts of a new privately operated subway system in Madrid. While these studies offer significant insights into the effects of new public transport systems especially as they compare to anticipated changes, they have been primarily concerned with financial and ridership figures. This paper concentrates on evaluating the impacts from the construction of a new subway system as these pertain to traveller behaviour and mode choice. Examining mode choice decisions of travellers on the traffic corridors served by the new subway system in Athens, Greece, results can be drawn regarding the user characteristics of the various modes, the elasticities and cross-elasticities of different mode use, and the decision process of the travellers.

Request publication

4 + 1 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.

Publication

Library number
C 23285 (In: C 23184 CD-ROM) /72 / ITRD E115404
Source

In: Proceedings of the AET European Transport Conference, Homerton College, Cambridge, 10-12 September 2001, 6 p., 6 ref.

Our collection

This publication is one of our other publications, and part of our extensive collection of road safety literature, that also includes the SWOV publications.