Abstract
Urbanization and demands for mobility have spurred the development of mass rapid transit infrastructure in industrializing Asia. Differences between the character of pre-existing urban structure in these localities and worldwide precedents suggest a need for studies examining how new rapid transit systems function locally. This study of Bangkok’s elevated and underground rail systems identifies relationships between the built environment and pedestrian behavior surrounding stations. Based on details of 1,520 pedestrian egress trips from three elevated and three underground stations in 2006, multiple regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that types of pedestrian destinations, reflecting land uses, were related to length of walking egress trips. Trips to shopping centers and office buildings were longer, while trips to eating places were shorter. The most common type of pedestrian trip recorded was to another vehicle, and trips to automobile taxis and motorcycle taxis figured prominently. Policy implications of the findings are considered.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by a Concordia University Faculty Research Development Program grant. The authors wish to thank three reviewers of the paper, our research assistants in Bangkok and Montreal, Dr. Suraphong Laoha-Unya at the Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited (BTSC), Dr. Vilas Nitivattananon at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), and Dr. Rithika Suparat at the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA).
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Townsend, C., Zacharias, J. Built environment and pedestrian behavior at rail rapid transit stations in Bangkok. Transportation 37, 317–330 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-009-9226-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-009-9226-8