Perceived risks of transit use during COVID-19: Correlates and strategies from a case study in El Paso, Texas

Bian, Jiahe; Zhong, Sinan; Towne, Samuel D.; Lee, Chanam; Ory, Marcia G.; Li, Wei

doi:10.1016/j.jth.2022.101491

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Furthermore, transit ridership in the US has witnessed a sharp decline since COVID-19. The fear of infection and perceived risks drove passengers away from public transit to other modes [22,23]. The American Public Transportation Association [10] and the Federal Transit Administration [24] noted that in 2020, a total of 5.97 billion unlinked passenger trips were taken, falling 40 percent from 2019.…”

Section: Introduction and Literature Review 1struggling Public Transp...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Building Sustainable and Connected Communities by Addressing Public Transportation’s First-Mile Problem: Insights from a Stated Preference Survey in El Paso, Texas

Li,

Lee,

Towne

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Public transportation is an essential component of building sustainable communities. However, its ridership remains low in most cities in the United States. Among the major barriers is the long distance to the bus stops, called the first-mile problem. Using a stated preference survey among 1056 residents of El Paso, Texas, this study addresses this problem by estimating additional transit trips that can be expected from the implementation of hypothetical, free shuttles between one’s home and the closest bus stops. Participants reported 7.73 additional transit trips per week (469% increase from the current baseline), including 3.03 additional trips for work, 1.94 for daily errands, 1.64 for leisure or social, and 0.93 for exercise or sports. The percentage of transit non-users dropped from 77.6% (baseline) to 38.2%. With the free shuttle service, respondents would favor bus rapid transit more than regular buses (4.72 vs. 3.00 additional trips). Residents identifying as an existing transit user, being Hispanic/Latino, owning at least one automobile, living within 1 mile of a transit stop, and feeling safe while riding the bus would make significantly more transit trips due to the service. This study suggests that programs to address/reduce the first-mile problem could increase transit demand and, therefore, contribute to creating sustainable and more connected communities.

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Section: Introduction and Literature Review 1struggling Public Transp...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Building Sustainable and Connected Communities by Addressing Public Transportation’s First-Mile Problem: Insights from a Stated Preference Survey in El Paso, Texas

Li,

Lee,

Towne

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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“…Many cities in Texas, including the City of El Paso, declared local disasters. The City of El Paso issued the “Stay Home, Work Safe” order on March 24, 2020, and extended the disaster declaration in April and May 2020 (Bian et al, 2022). Public spaces including parks partially reopened in El Paso, TX in June 2020.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Mobility Strategies During Early COVID-19: Insights From an Empirical Study Focusing on Park Visitations in El Paso, TX

Zhong

Lee

Bian

et al. 2023

HERD

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Objectives: We explored the importance of environmental and mobility strategies during early COVID-19 by age and ethnicity and investigated predictors of park visitations considering the COVID-19 impacts. Background: Parks are safe and accessible venues to stay active and reduce social isolation, which is especially important considering COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns. Methods: We analyzed online survey data from 683 residents (collected July 2020) of El Paso, TX, and objective measures of neighborhood park characteristics. Chi-square tests and mixed-effects logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the environmental/mobility strategies, personal and environmental factors, and park visitations, considering the COVID-19 impacts. Results: The percentage of those who visited (1+ times/week) parks or trails/paths in the neighborhood dropped from 41.7% to 19.5% since the start of COVID-19 ( OR = 0.015, p < .001). Before COVID-19, middle-aged and older adults were less likely to visit parks than younger adults, while this difference became insignificant during early COVID-19. Hispanic adults were more likely to visit parks than non-Hispanics both before and during early COVID-19. Positive environmental predictors of park visitations included park availability in the neighborhood, proximity to the closest park, seeing people being physically active in the neighborhood, and neighborhood aesthetics. Conclusions: Proximately located parks, trails, and paths well integrated into residential communities, and high aesthetic quality of the neighborhood are the potential features of pandemic-resilient communities and should be considered an important national priority to maintain and promote the health and well-being of the population, especially during pandemics like COVID-19.

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Current practices and emerging trends of transit apps for fixed-route bus services in the US

Bian

Lee

2023

Journal of Public Transportation

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Perceived risks of transit use during COVID-19: Correlates and strategies from a case study in El Paso, Texas

Cited by 7 publications

References 43 publications

Building Sustainable and Connected Communities by Addressing Public Transportation’s First-Mile Problem: Insights from a Stated Preference Survey in El Paso, Texas

Building Sustainable and Connected Communities by Addressing Public Transportation’s First-Mile Problem: Insights from a Stated Preference Survey in El Paso, Texas

Environmental and Mobility Strategies During Early COVID-19: Insights From an Empirical Study Focusing on Park Visitations in El Paso, TX

Current practices and emerging trends of transit apps for fixed-route bus services in the US

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