Street and activity centre characteristics associated with the use of different transport modes

Streets play a vital role in cities, yet there is little understanding of how their characteristics influence the use of different transport modes, particularly in activity centres. Using measurements of people concentration (people/ km) from 57 activity centre locations across Melbourne, Australia, this research significantly contributes to understanding how street and activity centre characteristics are associated with the use of each of the following: walking, cycling, buses, trams, cars, car parking, trucks and motorbikes. Fractional logit regression models including the estimation of marginal effects were developed. Street-related characteristics that were significant included: presence of bicycle lanes, exclusive general traffic lanes, clearways, car parking charges, public transport services, in addition to footpath width, public transport service frequency, and movement and place classifications. Activity centre-related characteristics found to be significant included: size of the activity centre, network distance to various facilities and the CBD, intersection density, employment density and car ownership. The findings from this research can be used to support activity centre planning to achieve broader transport and land use objectives, particularly those related to local living such as 20-minute neighbourhoods.