Exploring the relationship between the built environment, safety, and bus ridership in Connecticut using mixed research methods

This research project aims to analyze and improve public transportation safety and ridership in Connecticut, focusing on the complex interplay between crime rates, bus stop environments, and ridership patterns. Amidst concerns of rising crime and declining transit use post-pandemic, the project seeks to identify environmental factors at bus stops that correlate with crime occurrence, leveraging extensive data analysis and field studies. This interdisciplinary approach combines a literature review, spatial data analysis, and surveys to understand how the built environment influences transit safety perceptions. The study's findings will inform strategies to enhance bus stop safety, potentially boosting ridership and benefiting diverse community groups, particularly vulnerable populations dependent on public transportation. The project's outcomes aim to offer actionable insights for transit agencies, contributing to safer, more equitable urban transportation.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $274000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348301

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  University of Massachusetts, Amherst

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  130 Natural Resources Road
  Amherst, MA  United States  01003
• Performing Organizations:

  University of Connecticut, Storrs

  Connecticut Transportation Institute
  270 Middle Turnpike, Unit 5202
  Storrs, CT  United States  06269-5202
• Principal Investigators:

  Chacon-Hurtado, Davis

  Lownes, Nicholas

• Start Date: 20240101
• Expected Completion Date: 20251231
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
• Subprogram: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Built environment; Bus stops; Crimes; Ridership; Spatial analysis; Surveys; Transit safety
• Geographic Terms: Connecticut
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01904457
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: New England University Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348301
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 12 2024 10:20AM