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Circuity in urban transit networks

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  • Huang, Jie
  • Levinson, David M.

Abstract

This paper investigates the circuity of transit networks and examines auto mode share as a function of circuity and accessibility to better understand the performance of urban transit systems. We first survey transit circuity in the Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota, region in detail, comparing auto and transit trips. This paper finds that circuity can help to explain mode choices of commuters. We then investigate thirty-five additional metropolitan areas in the United States. The results from these areas show that transit circuity exponentially declines as travel time increases. Moreover, we find that the circuity of transit networks is higher than that of road networks, illustrating how transit systems choose to expand their spatial coverage at the expense of directness and efficiency in public transportation networks. This paper performs a regression analysis that suggests the circuity of transportation networks can estimate transit accessibility, which helps to explain mode share.

Suggested Citation

  • Huang, Jie & Levinson, David M., 2015. "Circuity in urban transit networks," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 145-153.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:48:y:2015:i:c:p:145-153
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2015.09.004
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    Cited by:

    1. Patricia C Melo & Daniel J Graham & David Levinson & Sarah Aarabi, 2017. "Agglomeration, accessibility and productivity: Evidence for large metropolitan areas in the US," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(1), pages 179-195, January.
    2. Cao, Zhejing & Zhang, Xiaohu & Chua, Kelman & Yu, Honghai & Zhao, Jinhua, 2021. "E-scooter sharing to serve short-distance transit trips: A Singapore case," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 177-196.
    3. Rahimi-Golkhandan, Armin & Garvin, Michael J. & Brown, Bryan L., 2019. "Characterizing and measuring transportation infrastructure diversity through linkages with ecological stability theory," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 114-130.
    4. Tzay-An Shiau & Ching-Shuan Lee, 2017. "Measuring Network-Based Public Transit Performance Using Fuzzy Measures and Fuzzy Integrals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-16, April.
    5. Dixit, Malvika & Chowdhury, Subeh & Cats, Oded & Brands, Ties & van Oort, Niels & Hoogendoorn, Serge, 2021. "Examining circuity of urban transit networks from an equity perspective," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    6. Yang Cao & Linxing Wang & Hao Wu & Shuqi Yan & Shuwen Shen, 2023. "Identification and Mechanism of Residents’ Regional Non-Commuting Flow Patterns Based on the Gradient Boosting Decision Tree Model: A Case Study of the Shanghai Metropolitan Area," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-21, August.
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    8. Ali Enes Dingil & Federico Rupi & Domokos Esztergár-Kiss, 2021. "An Integrative Review of Socio-Technical Factors Influencing Travel Decision-Making and Urban Transport Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-20, September.
    9. Yat Yen & Pengjun Zhao & Muhammad T Sohail, 2021. "The morphology and circuity of walkable, bikeable, and drivable street networks in Phnom Penh, Cambodia," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 48(1), pages 169-185, January.
    10. Zaouche, Mounia & Bode, Nikolai W.F., 2023. "Bayesian spatio-temporal models for mapping urban pedestrian traffic," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    11. Boeing, Geoff, 2017. "The Relative Circuity of Walkable and Drivable Urban Street Networks," SocArXiv 4rzqa, Center for Open Science.
    12. Padraig Corcoran & Rhyd Lewis, 2023. "A navigability entropy model for street networks," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(8), pages 2171-2186, October.
    13. Yang, Wenyue & Chen, Huiling & Wang, Wulin, 2020. "The path and time efficiency of residents' trips of different purposes with different travel modes: An empirical study in Guangzhou, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    14. Zuo, Yufan & Fu, Xiao & Liu, Zhiyuan & Huang, Di, 2021. "Short-term forecasts on individual accessibility in bus system based on neural network model," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    15. Merchán, Daniel & Winkenbach, Matthias & Snoeck, André, 2020. "Quantifying the impact of urban road networks on the efficiency of local trips," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 38-62.
    16. Moyano, Amparo & Moya-Gómez, Borja & Gutiérrez, Javier, 2018. "Access and egress times to high-speed rail stations: a spatiotemporal accessibility analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 84-93.
    17. Yang, Lan & Eom, Sunyong & Suzuki, Tsutomu, 2021. "Measuring railway network performance considering accessibility levels in cities worldwide," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    18. Boeing, Geoff, 2019. "The Morphology and Circuity of Walkable and Drivable Street Networks," SocArXiv edj2s, Center for Open Science.
    19. Mohammad Azmoodeh & Farshidreza Haghighi & Hamid Motieyan, 2023. "Capability Index: Applying a Fuzzy-Based Decision-Making Method to Evaluate Social Inclusion in Urban Areas Using the Capability Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 165(1), pages 77-105, January.
    20. Hu, Xinlei & Huang, Jie & Shi, Feng, 2019. "Circuity in China's high-speed-rail network," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    21. Zhang, Yuerong & Marshall, Stephen & Manley, Ed, 2021. "Understanding the roles of rail stations: Insights from network approaches in the London metropolitan area," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Circuity; Accessibility; Transit networks; Network efficiency; Mode share; Public transportation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • R42 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Government and Private Investment Analysis; Road Maintenance; Transportation Planning

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