International Webinar Series on “Sustainable Transport and Livability”
First Webinar of Series “Sustainable Transport and Livability”
Speaker: Dr. Aruna Sivakumar, Imperial College London
Title: Accessibility metrics in urban and transport planning: Going beyond travel times and costs
Date: 7th March 2024, Time: 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM (IST)
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Webinar Platform: Microsoft Teams (Please download Microsoft Teams app preferably for attending the event)
Agenda
Introduction to webinar series: 10 Mins
Presentation by the invited speaker: 45 Mins
Q&A: 35 Mins
Abstract
Accessibility (regional accessibility) as an urban and transport planning measure has been in use since the 1970s. Over the past couple of decades, there have been several papers revisiting the concept of accessibility. These are broadly divided into papers that study the gap between perceived and measured accessibility and, more recently, papers that aim to utilise the vast data resources that are becoming available to develop new methods for measuring accessibility. Within this context, this paper questions the definition and scope of accessibility. Specifically, it asks whether accessibility metrics are being limited in staying focused on travel time and cost measures. Using accessibility to education in Greater London (UK) as the empirical context, this paper explores the impact of incorporating the ‘quality’ of the access into the accessibility metric. Two specific measures of the quality of access are considered: safety risk due to traffic conditions and exposure to air pollutants. The paper concludes with the suggestion that we now live in a world where accessibility-based planning must focus not only on the generalised cost of travel, but urban and transport planners should also consider providing equitable regional accessibility that is healthy and safe. In the global move towards sustainable transport, such an enhanced measure of accessibility will ensure that health and safety are not compromised.
About Speaker
Aruna Sivakumar is reader in the Centre for Transport Engineering and Modelling, Imperial College London and director of the Urban Systems Lab. She leads (and has led) several smart city and systems modelling initiatives funded by EPSRC, ESRC, EU Horizon 2020, Shell Inc in the UK, and SMRT Singapore etc; and she co-leads the Environment and Urban Life research area of the ESRC-funded LISS DTP. Aruna has over 20 years of experience in travel demand modelling research in the UK/Europe and the US, with expertise in activity-based travel demand modelling, the microeconometric modelling of travel behaviour and demand, accessibility and equity analysis, transport planning and policy. Application areas include transport mode and destination choice, shared mobility and micro-mobility services, health and equity implications of travel behaviour, electric vehicle adoption, charging and use patterns for private and fleet vehicles, and the impacts of social influence on choice and travel behaviour. Aruna is a member of several scientific committees, including the Travel Forecasting committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in the US. She is also the Editorial Board member of TSTL as well as a member of WCTRS-SIG-F4.
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