Equitable accessibility by public transport: Moving from static analysis to incorporating time-space dynamics

The transport equity policy agenda is concerned with the fair distribution of accessibility to key activities. However, there is little consensus regarding how accessibility should be defined or measured. Accessibility is often treated as if it were a static phenomenon, yet this is not the case. This project focuses on the spatio-temporal dynamics of the distribution of accessibility by public transport, developing and applying methods to analyse accessibility, to inform both the transport equity policy agenda, and decision-making processes. The first part of the project analyses the differences between the distribution of accessibility to key activities, and how this can be compared to realised mobility, the traits and trends characterising these differences and the distribution of the same. The second part incorporates analyses of the distribution of losses in time as a result of delays in the public transport network, revealing which groups are affected, the extent to which and the ways in which they are affected by such delays. The third part deals with the conceptualisation of a base level of accessibility to key activities, with the last part analysing the ways in which this base level might differ depending on the contextual and socio-demographic features of areas. Combining these data sources opens up possibilities for spatio-temporal analyses which have not previously been possible. These analyses allow us to zoom in on patterns of interest in order to identify target areas for intervention to ensure more equitable accessibility by public transport.