Evaluating the influence of the quality of walking distance on the coverage of light rail stops in Granada (Spain)

Abstract

The characteristics of the urban and social environment may have a strong influence in the walking distance to public transport. Nevertheless, scarce attention has been paid to this fact in the context of accessibility analysis. Even though, taking into account the quality of the walking distance in the evaluation of accessibility could be a useful tool to enhance higher public transport integration into urban environments. In this paper we develop the tool Q-WD: Quality of Walking Distance, which is tested in in the city of Granada, specifically on some mobility environments linked to stops of the light rail system. The results show how the catchment area decreases as the pedestrian environment quality diminishes, whilst in those pedestrian environments of high quality the catchment area expands. Furthermore, the results of applying the Q-WD tool allow to detect a change in the population served count, which is influenced by the distance quality.