Date of Award

12-2016

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering

Department

Civil and Construction Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Jun-Seok Oh

Second Advisor

Dr. Christopher Scott Smith

Third Advisor

Dr. Valerian Kwigizile

Keywords

Public transit, accessibility, disabilities, General Transit Feed (GTF) data, specification data, Open Trip Planner (OTP)

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

The inconvenience of public transit systems and unavailability of bus stops in the United States has resulted in a heavy reliance on the private automobile. One of the main issues in transit services is accessibility, particularly for people with disabilities. This research is intended to compare estimated job accessibility measures by transit in Kalamazoo county for workers with reduced physical mobility and without. Using OpenTripPlanner (OTP) software, General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), Open Street Map (OSM) and Longitudinal Employer-Housing Dynamics (LODES) data were analyzed to estimate job accessibility for people with mobility constraints. By using the shortest tree path method, OpenTripPlanner (OTP) calculates a series of origin-destination matrices with multi-modal travel times and distances. The developed Python scripts estimate AM peak accessibility measures at five-minute intervals for four time thresholds (30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes). This research addresses the two main research questions. First, have we provided sufficient access to jobs through public transit for people with disabilities for their mobility independence? Second, how do we select bus stops to add wheelchair accessibility in the context of better job accessibility for people with disabilities?

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