If you are a regular public transport user, you have most likely participated in surveys focusing on your satisfaction with trains, buses, or metro. Such analyses are important in optimizing the individual means of transport.
However, completely different factors and other parts of the journey often determine whether people use public transport. Only about 60 per cent of the journey time is spent inside the vehicle. The rest of the time is spent either getting to and from the relevant station or transferring between or within modes. So it is relevant to focus on the experience of the overall door-to-door journey.
Knowledge about this has now been gathered in a new survey conducted among 4,000 travellers, an analysis of all 140 stations in the Greater Copenhagen area, and inclusion of data from the large-scale travel surveys done in recent years with 10,000 respondents annually. The surveys form part of the EASIER project, headed by DTU and aimed at creating knowledge about how to improve sustainable public transport.
Feeling safe at the station and en route
Feeling safe is one of the most important elements for public transport passengers.
"It's crucial that you don't feel unsafe when arriving at a station or having to change means of transport en route. Here, lighting is key—especially in a dark country like Denmark. Tunnels, parts of the platform or the stop that aren't lit or that you can't get an overview of give an unsafe and unpleasant feeling," says PhD student Gülin Göksu Başaran, who has contributed to the design of the new surveys as well as modelling and analysis of the results.
"Feeling safe is important throughout the journey. Being happy with the station at the start of your journey is not enough. You should also feel safe when arriving at your destination or where you make a change en route. Otherwise, your satisfaction decreases, and you start looking for alternative modes of transport," explains Gülin Göksu Başaran.
Urban cohesion and experience of shorter time
Another important factor is how passengers experience the area around the stations and the cohesion with the urban area. At many stations, you first have to pass through an often-deserted car park to get to the city itself.
"This creates a feeling of insecurity, especially in the evening and at night. Instead, passengers prefer life in the form of cafés, shops, residential buildings, or green spaces. The vast majority of travellers, around 95 per cent, arrive on foot or bicycle to the public transport service. Only a very small proportion arrive by car, so the space around the station can be utilized better," says Jesper Bláfoss Ingvardson, Associate Professor at DTU, who has had the overall responsibility for conducting the new passenger surveys.
The route to the station or stop is also important. There is a big difference between moving along a busy road or a minor road, perhaps even on a path through a green area or a vibrant road with shops and cafés.
"You're quite simply willing to walk further if you feel safe and have a pleasant experience along the way. The time is perceived as shorter, increasing the likelihood that you will use public transport," explains Jesper Bláfoss Ingvardson.
"This means that urban planners play an important role in securing the passenger base, which we've now clarified further."
New metro stations use project results
As a public transport company, Copenhagen Metro has chosen to partner up with the EASIER project. The partnership has meant that Gülin Göksu Başaran has worked at both DTU and Copenhagen Metro.
It has been a very satisfactory collaboration according to Morten Nørgaard Olesen, Project Manager and Technical Lead of Traffic Analysis in Copenhagen Metro.
"The results achieved during the process have made us realize that we need even closer future collaboration with the other developers and authorities that have an influence on the area where new metro stations are constructed. In our case, this primarily concerns By og Havn and the City of Copenhagen. It isn't enough just to concentrate on our own premises, only through greater collaboration with the other players can we ensure that our passengers have good and secure access roads to the station," he says.
As the analysis results have ticked in, Gülin Göksu Başaran has become involved in several tasks in Copenhagen Metro. Among others she has participated in a working group on station design for the future metro line, M5, which will, for example, establish a connection to Lynetteholmen. Here she contributes with her knowledge of the results from the survey of passengers' preferences, their experience of security and thus their satisfaction and incentive to take the metro. Results themselves may not be surprising; however it is important that they are now documented.
"In addition, Gülin Göksu Başaran has contributed with input to an innovation study on the design of good bicycle parking facilities at metro stations based on evidence from her research. At a number of metro stations, bicycle parking facilities have so far been located in a basement cut off from the rest of the station and used only by a few passengers. We now know that bicycle parking facilities must be located very close to the metro, as a remote location is not perceived as safe. In addition, there must be good lighting and a clear view of the surroundings so that you do not experience scary areas or dark corners. This generally applies to all access roads to the metro, tunnels, narrow paths, etc.," says Morten Nørgaard Olesen.
Research results are significant
Another of the project partners, the Capital Region of Denmark, also emphasizes the importance of the new research-based knowledge provided by EASIER.
"We've been involved in the work with developing a mathematical model that, using mathematical optimization, can ultra-quickly calculate the pros and cons of the line layout of new public transport services. This has been done in connection with the preparatory work for a future BRT line, which will run along Ring 4. BRT is short for Bus Rapid Transit, which is a bus line that is given traffic priority—with its own lane and priority at traffic lights. So it's quite costly to construct," says Senior Executive Officer Marie Ridley Pryn from the Centre for Regional Development, Capital Region of Denmark.
In planning such a route, you need to take into account an infinite number of factors that may affect the overall goal—a fast mode of transport with a high number of passengers.
"So it's beneficial to be able to substantiate the choice of line layout, for example whether it should run past a large workplace or an existing traffic hub, with data that can show its impact on passenger numbers. It provides a completely different professional decision-making," says Marie Ridley Pryn.
Associate Professor Evelien van der Hurk from DTU has headed the working group that has developed the mathematical model. She expects that the model can also be used in connection with public transport elsewhere, for example when a train line is to be replaced by bus transport.
Together with DTU Professor Otto Anker Nielsen, Evelien van der Hurk has been responsible for the management of the overall EASIER project.
Results and tools from EASIER will be presented in spring 2024. Transport operators and authorities can subsequently freely use them in the planning of future public transport.
