1. RMITIntegratedTransportPlanning
GuestLecture:TransitAccessibilityfocused
GIStoolsandtheirpotentialroleinplanning
amoretransit-focusedmetropolis
Patrick Sunter: PhD Candidate in Architecture Building and
Planning, University of Melbourne
17 September, 2013

2. A quick intro to my PhD
 View for public transport to be an effective option,
we need a new ‘paradigm’ (Curtis & Low, 2012) of
running the system as an integrated, multimodal
network (Nielsen et al, 2005, Mees, 2010).
 Computer Models and GIS have important role in
transport futures – as a “knowledge
technology” (Gudmundsson, 2011)
 Interpretive Action Research (Info Systems):
Undertake a GIS-T System Design, Development &
Evaluation with 2 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in
Melbourne
Network image from HiTrans Best Practice Guide (Nielsen et
al, 2005). Photo credits: www.pt4me2.org.au, Wikimedia
commons user "voland b", Flickr user "avlxyz”. Travel time
map from www.mapumental.com.

3. How TOD relates to transit
accessibility?
 While TODs involves a lot of aspects, including street-level
design, governance, planning policy to get a good mix of
activities …
 One fundamental aspect is the access by public transport
provided by a particular transport network setup,
interchanges, and frequency.
 Arguably a focus on TODs means a re-focusing of integrated
transport and land-use practice towards such measures –
see Curtis & Scheurer’s work in Perth on SNAMUTS (Curtis &
Schuerer, 2009)
 Particularly to avoid the 'pseudo-TOD' phenomenon of
Melbourne 2030 (e.g. Chadstone)
 Fortunately, a new generation of GIS tools has made this
more and more feasible …

4. Public Transport Network
Analysis: Travel-Time Maps
 “Travel Time Maps” (IsoChrone
maps)
 Display either:-
 Locations reachable from a
given origin in a given time;
 ‘Catchment’ to reach a given
destination
 Generally involve A* network
calculation but can be
optimised.
 Good because they indicate
overall network quality,
including interchanges
Travel time map from www.mapumental.com.

5. Data for PT Schedules: GTFS
 GTFS = “General Transit Feed
Specification’
 developers.google.com/transit/
 Emerged in mid 2000s from
Portland TriMet and Google’s
‘20% time’
 Plaintext format: Entire GTFS
feed of Portland is ~169 Mb
 Live feeds available from 376+
agencies, see:-
www.gtfs-data-exchange.com/
 Includes Sydney, Adelaide,
Brisbane, Canberra: not yet
Melbourne
A good set of tools for examining/updating is
http://code.google.com/p/googletransitdatafeed/wiki/
TransitFeedDistribution

6. OpenStreetMap is other key
data source
 A very impressive collaboratively-developed street
database
 Hint: segments for major city-regions, inc. Melbourne,
downloadable from http://metro.teczno.com/#melbourne
Image from http://www.ideasintransit.org/wiki/OpenStreetMap : showing global
edits to OSM in 2008

7. OpenTripPlanner (Analysis)
 One of a range of new FOSS transit network-analysis tools including
GraphServer, but has most mature interface and web-capabilities
 Java, designed to work with standard popular FOSS building-blocks (Tomcat
web server, PostgreSQL, OpenLayers (though working on new Leaflet client)
Demo URL1
Demo URL2

8. Melb Example: RMIT (close)

9. Melb Example: RMIT (train+tram+walk)

10. Melb Example: RMIT (all, inc bus)

11. Melb Example: Monash

12. Melb Example: Chadstone (train
+tram)

13. Melb Example: Chadstone (all)

14. Melb Example: Dandenong (all)

15. Augmenting Accessibility
More advanced
analysis using OTP,
including evaluation
of network’s support
for existing travel
Journey-to-Work
data, modal-
difference to car,
and job-based
access.
McGurrin, M. F. & Greczner, D. 2011, 'Performance Metrics:
Calculating Accessibility Using Open Source Software and Open
Data', 11-0230.

16. Visualising Network Change
 Differential impact to New York Transit network after
Hurricane Sandy (
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/01/best-
maps-weve-seen-sandys-transit-outage-new-york/4488/)

17. Other Melbourne Projects
UniMelb McCaughey Ctr for Pop Health starting a project on active
transport in reln to urban form: slide courtesy Dr Russell Thompson, based
on VISTA portal data

18. Relationship between Information
Technology & Democracy?
Local:-
 www.communityindicators.net.au
 www.aius.org.au/transport/
International:-
 metrobostondatacommon.org/
 www.bostonscenarios.org/
 (LUTRAQ project)
 www.friends.org/resources/reports
“Modelers should ensure that
legitimate policy positions in
debates that do not have
modeling support obtain
necessary support, either as
an entitlement of
participation in the policy
process, or via third-party
arrangements involving
philanthropic or other
organisations.”
-- King, J & Kraemer, K, 1993,
“Models, Facts, and the Policy
Process: The Political Ecology of
Estimated Truth’, University of
California working papers.

19. Contacts & References
 P.sunter@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au , T: @PatSunter
 http://www.appropedia.org/OSSTIP
References:
 Curtis, C. & Low, N. 2012, 'Sustainable Transport and Institutional Barriers', in Institutional Barriers to Sustainable
Transport, Ashgate, .
 Curtis, C. & Schuerer, J. 2009, 'Network City Activity Centres: Developing an analysis, conception and
communication tool for integrated land use and transport planning in the Perth metropolitan area', Curtin
University, Research Report.
 Gudmundsson, H. 2011, 'Analysing models as a knowledge technology in transport planning', Transport
Reviews, 31, 2, 145--159.
 Mees, P. 2010, Transport for Suburbia: Beyond the Automobile Age, Earthscan, London, UK .
 Nielsen, G., Nelson, J., Mulley, C., Tegnér, G., Lind, G., & Lange, T. 2005, Public transport - Planning the
networks. HiTrans Best practice guide No. 2., , .