Frustration on Foot

A Study of Pedestrian Accessibility to Bus Stops in Boston

Source: H-W-_CHAN_Hong Kong_Pedestrian zebra line Bw.jpg

Alex Boccon-Gibod, Siyuan Sheng, Qianqian Wan

Introduction

Pedestrian accessibility to bus stops is defined by the network of sidewalks and crosswalks used to navigate urban environments safely. While this network is mostly taken for granted, it becomes rudely apparent in cases of pedestrian frustration: a bus stop is within eyeshot, but the route to get there safely is frustratingly long.

Research Question

Where in Boston are pedestrians most frustrated when walking to bus stops and which bus stops and crosswalks should local government focus on to improve pedestrian accessibility to transit?

Methodology

Generate Points (50m along network)

Spatial Join (150m radius from bus stop)

Origin - Destination Cost Matrix (bus stops to points)

Closest Facility

Frustration Index (FI) =

Network Distance

Straight-Line Distance

Data Sources:

Boston Sidewalk and Crosswalk Centerlines (City of Boston, 2011)

MBTA Bus Stop Locations (MassDOT, 2014)

MBTA Bus Ridership (MBTA, 2018)

Results

Design Recommendations

Tremont Street

@ Sewall Street (Mission Hill)

Dorchester Avenue

@ King Street (Dorchester)

Gallivan Boulevard

@ Pleasant Hill Avenue (Mattapan)

North Washington Street

@ Medford Street (North End)

West 2nd Street

@West 3rd Street

(South Boston)

Discussion

Boston has significant progress to make regarding pedestrian accessibility to bus stops
Moving bus stops can be as effective as adding crosswalks
Mid-block bus stops often don't have corresponding crosswalks,

Sidewalk network data imperfect, last updated 2011
Frustration index alone doesn’t reveal how often crosswalks or sidewalks are used
150-meter radius not tested empirically
Small radius misses potentially transformative larger-scale changes to the pedestrian network
Only consider public sidewalks and crosswalks, even though private walkways also affect where pedestrians can go
No consideration for quality of crosswalks or sidewalk which can greatly affect accessibility > use of sidewalk inventory data in the future