Social equity is increasingly incorporated as a long-term objective into urban transportation plans. Researchers used accessibility measures to assess equity issues, such as determining the amount of jobs reachable by marginalized groups within a defined travel time threshold and compare these measures across socioeconomic categories. However, allocating public transit resources in an equitable manner is not only related to travel time, but also related to the out-ofpocket cost of transit fares, which can represent a major barrier to accessibility for many disadvantaged groups. Therefore, this research proposes a set of new accessibility measures that incorporates both travel time and transit fares. It then applies those measures to determine whether people residing in socially disadvantaged neighborhoods in Montreal, Canada experience the same levels of transit accessibility as those living in other neighborhoods. Results are presented in terms of regional accessibility and trends by social indicator decile. Travel time accessibility measures estimate a higher number of jobs that can be reached compared to combined travel time and cost measures. However, the degree and impact of these measures varies across the social deciles. Compared to other groups in the region, residents of socially disadvantaged areas have more equitable accessibility to jobs using transit; this is reflected in smaller decreases in accessibility when fare costs are included. Generating new measures of accessibility combining travel time and transit fares provides more accurate measures that can be easily communicated by transportation planners and engineers to policy makers and the public since it translates accessibility measures to a dollar value.

The strain of the daily commute can negatively impact performance at work. This study differentiates how various modes influence commuters' punctuality and energy levels at work and school. The data for this study come from the 2013 McGill Commuter Survey, a university-wide survey in which students, staff and faculty described their typical commuting experience to McGill University, located in Montreal, Canada. Ten multilevel mixed-effects logistic regressions are used to determine the factors that impact 1) a commuter's feeling of being energized when he or she arrives at work or school and 2) his or her punctuality. Our results show that weather conditions and mode of transportation have significant impacts on an individual's energy at work and punctuality. The models indicate that drivers have the lowest odds of feeling energized and the highest odds of arriving late for work. Cyclists, meanwhile, have the highest odds of feeling energized and being punctual. Overall, this study provides evidence that satisfaction with travel mode is associated with higher odds of feeling energized and being punctual. With these findings in mind, policy makers should consider developing strategies that aim to increase the mode satisfaction of commuters. Encouraging the habit of commuting by bicycle may also lead to improved performance at work or school.

Commute travel time is not always reliable, and individuals often budget additional time to ensure that they arrive at their destination punctually. This additional time allotted for the commute needlessly reduces the amount of time that individuals could have spent performing other activities. This study investigates the amount of additional time commuters allocate to account for travel time unreliability and presents the results with a series of log-linear regression models. Data for this study originated from the 2013 McGill Commuter Survey, a universitywide survey in which students, staff, and faculty described their typical experience commuting to McGill University, located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Results reveal that drivers allocate the most extra time for their commute, whereas users of other modes (transit, bicycle, and pedestrian) budget about 29% to 66% less than drivers. The findings of this study also indicate that bus commuters add 14% more buffer time per bus taken, and train users budget 11% less time for every commuter train taken. These findings reveal an existing perception that the street network is unreliable (for either buses or cars). Hence, the city should consider implementing strategies such as exclusive bus lanes and variable cost congestion pricing schemes to reduce uncertainty in travel time and improve the reliability of the street network. Such strategies are expected to decrease the level of uncertainty related to commuting to work or school and accordingly reduce the amount of time lost because of additional time budgeted for uncertainty.

The financing and implementation of transportation projects are more likely to be successful with the support of local communities. Hence, for cities and transportation agencies to develop strategies that will improve public acceptability and reduce resistance to funding transportation projects, it is important to understand differences in the levels of local support. This study used a factor-cluster analysis to segment a university population, to understand current levels of support toward transportation investments, and seek out important allies to endorse public and active transportation projects. The results of the study reveal five clusters of individuals with varying opinions toward transportation investments and distinct motivations. Strong advocates are the greatest allies for promoting public and active transportation investments. They support financing public and active transportation projects, and are well positioned to endorse the necessity and advantages of such investments. Highway and transit funders are motivated by their dissatisfaction with the current transportation system. Cycling advocates are valuable in publicizing the benefits of expanding the bicycle network. Infrequent commuters do not travel to the university as often as the other groups, and are supportive of transportation investments in general. Despite the overall positive opinion toward investing in public and active transportation projects, there is a minority of funding opponents who are generally against financing transportation projects. The results of this study will be helpful for policy makers intending to communicate the benefits of transportation projects to various community groups.