Transport poverty meets the digital divide: accessibility and connectivity in rural communities

Abstract

a b s t r a c tRural communities face a range of challenges associated with accessibility and connectivity which apply in both the physical and virtual sphere. Constraints in rural transport infrastructure and services are often compounded by limitations in the development and resilience of technological infrastructures. In this context there is significant disparity between urban and rural communities. This paper will examine the context for accessibility and connectivity in rural communities highlighting key transport and technology challenges. It also explores barriers and opportunities to bringing together transport and technology solutions to enhance rural accessibility and connectivity. This is an area where current understanding is weak as most research has been focussed on urban environments. The paper focuses specifically on two issues of current research; firstly, the role of information and associated technologies in supporting rural passengers on public transport, secondly, the use of technologies to support flexible and demand responsive transport services in rural areas.

Achieving genuinely dynamic road user charging: issues with a GNSS-based approach

“…The latest advances in transport telematics that utilise a range of advanced ICT, vehicle sensing, emission monitoring, digital technologies, and navigation and positioning systems may help in deploying such a national-level dynamic RUC system (Sussman, 2005;Deeter, 2009;Velaga et al, 2012a). Whilst the cost of the individual technologies required has now fallen substantially, critical factors for implementation are public and political acceptability as well as the transition costs of an entirely new system for charging road users (see for example, Schade andSchlag, 2003, or Kocak et al, 2005).…”

Addressing the Passenger Transport and Accessibility Enablers for Sustainable Development

“…Accessibility is also a key factor in regional and rural development policy [3][4][5][6][7]. Transport accessibility is one of the decisive disparities between urban and rural communities [8,9] and its insufficiency or unavailability may lead to the social exclusion of a part of the population [10][11][12][13]. Insufficient transport and accessibility (T&A) options are claimed to have a depopulating effect in peripheral areas [14], which may result in a subsequent littorization.…”

Looking to the future of visual assessment using driving simulation

“…Of course, modern cities have all the necessary services and facilities contained in a small geographic region, so driving is only one of a number of transport options for daily life (including public transport, cycling or walking). In contrast, for those living in rural locations, driving is often considered essential because the travel distances are great (essential services are distributed far apart) and the transport infrastructure is sparse (public transport have limited timetables) limiting alternative modes of transport (Gray, Farrington, Shaw, Martin, & Roberts, 2001;Velaga, Beecroft, Nelson, Corsar, & Edwards, 2012).…”