policy brief

Is Housing Affordability Associated with Shorter Commutes for Low-income Workers?

Abstract

Housing prices have increased at an alarming rate: In 2000, the average price of a house in the U.S. was about $212,000; by the end of 2022, it was more than $552,000. Rising housing prices in dense urban areas, in particular, may place significant constraints on the residential location of low-income households and, in so doing, limit their ability to live in neighborhoods with suitable employment. Such dynamics are particularly acute in coastal areas, where limited housing supply amidst high housing demand have pushed up housing prices compared to inland areas. The growing affordable housing crisis has motivated many low-income households of color to seek lower-cost housing in the outer reaches of metropolitan areas, potentially helping to explain recent increases in commute distance. Long-distance commutes can place a heavy time and cost burden on families with the fewest resources; they also can have negative effects on health as well as the environment.

In this study, the research team examined the relationship between housing affordability and commute distance within two adjacent and diverse Southern California metropolitan areas: the Los Angeles-Orange MSA (characterized by higher costs, coastal location, older, more urban) and the Riverside-San Bernardino MSA (marked by lower costs, inland location, newer, more suburban). Drawing on data from the 2015 Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Origin-Destination Employment Statistics dataset and the 2017 5-year American Community Survey, our research centers on the role of “jobs-housing fit,” whether the commutes of low-wage workers are shorter in neighborhoods with a higher ratio of low-wage jobs relative to the number of rental units affordable to low-wage workers.

published journal article

What Is the Connection? Understanding Shared Micromobility Links to Rail Public Transit Systems in Major California Cities

Abstract

As shared micromobility (bikes and scooters) has proliferated throughout urban areas, there has been growing interest in how it facilitates connections with rail transit systems. This study explores the magnitude of interactions between shared micromobility and rail public transit systems using shared micromobility trip data and rail transit schedule data. We evaluate over one million trips from October 2019 to February 2020 in four California cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Jose) and develop criteria to identify trips connecting to rail transit. These include spatial and temporal rules, such as whether a trip starts/terminates close to public transit stations and whether a trip takes place when transit systems are operating. The criteria are examined via sensitivity analyses. The results indicate the degree of interaction between rail public transit and shared micromobility varies across cities and systems (i.e., docked/dockless). Most connections take place in the downtown or around public transit hubs. About 5–20% of all shared micromobility trips are identified as accessing or egressing from rail transit. These connecting trips exhibit commute-driven patterns and greater measured velocities. We conclude by examining the applicability of incorporating schedule information into the identification process of shared micromobility trips connecting to rail transit systems.

conference paper

Facilitating Micromobility for first and Last Mile Connection with Public Transit through Environmental Design: A Case Study of California Bay Area Rapid Transit Stations

Abstract

Micromobility has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, traffic congestion, and air pollution, particularly when replacing private vehicle use in conjunction with public transit for first- and last-mile travel. The design of the built environment in and around public transit stations plays a key role in the integration of public transit and micro-mobility. This research presents a case study of rail stations in the California Bay Area, which are in the operation zone of seven shared micro-mobility operators. Nineteen stations and their surroundings were surveyed to inventory design features that could enable or constrain the use of micromobility for first- and last-mile access. Shared mobility service characteristics, crime records, and connections to underserved communities were also documented. Key design solutions were identified based on the findings, including protected bike lanes, increased shared bike and scooter fleet size and service area, and clear signage indicating parking corral and docking points.

blog

How Can Cities Ensure EV Charging Accessibility for Lower-Income Drivers?

blog

Pilot Programs Aim to Address Gaps in Transportation Access

Publication Date

July 12, 2022

Author(s)

Angela Sanguinetti, Eli Alston-Stepnitz, Mollie Cohen D'Agostino

policy brief

Public Transit’s Post-pandemic Fiscal Challenges

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have caused significant financial uncertainty and distress for most transit operators in California (and, indeed, nationwide). Emergency measures taken early on to protect drivers and passengers meant increased operating costs at the same time that ridership and revenues — especially from fares — plummeted.In the face of this crisis, the federal government provided transit agencies with unprecedented operating support through three pandemic stimulus bills, which proved essential in fi lling budgetary gaps, stabilizing finances, preventing layoffs, and maintaining service. Other transit subsidies such as local option sales taxes (LOSTs) bounced back robustly after an initial decline.Yet ridership has returned only slowly and unevenly on most systems. In 2023, as some agencies spend down the last of their federal relief funds, financial shortfalls loom at formerly high farebox recovery and commuter-focused systems. Meanwhile, protracted labor shortages of vehicle operators and mechanics are preventing many systems from providing desired levels of service.To explore these issues, the research team surveyed transit agencies in California and across the country, conducted interviews with agency management, and analyzed financial and ridership data.

published journal article

Large-scale Public Charging Demand Prediction with a Scenario- and Activity-Based Approach

Abstract

Transportation system electrification is expected to bring millions of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road within decades. Accurately predicting the charging demand is necessary to accommodate the surge in EV deployment. This paper presents a novel modeling framework to predict the public charging demand profile derived from people’s travel trajectories, with the consideration of the demand and supply stochasticity of transportation systems and the charging behavior heterogeneity of EV users. The vehicle charging decision-making process is explicitly modeled, and the charging need of each EV user is estimated associated with their travel trajectories. The methodology enables charging demand prediction with a high spatial-temporal resolution for transportation system electrification planning. A case study was conducted in Los Angeles County to predict the demand for public charging facilities in 2035 and perform corresponding spatial-temporal analysis of EV public charging under various scenarios of future electrification levels and network conditions.

research report

Examining US Transit Vehicle Passenger Loads during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Transit ridership plummeted at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what constituted passenger crowding contracted dramatically as well. We examine trends in average passenger loads and their correlates in a national sample of U.S. transit operators during the first year of the pandemic and find that passenger loads in high-transit-ridership areas and on the largest systems fell the most early on. Passenger loads were actually somewhat more likely to increase in places where COVID-19 rates were higher during the first year of the pandemic, which suggests that pandemic transit riders had fewer options to travel by other means.