Public Transit Accessibility vs. Employment: A Comparative Assessment of Counties/Cities in Northern Virginia

Transcription

1 Public Transit Accessibility vs. Employment: A Comparative Assessment of in Northern Virginia MAJID KHALILIKHAH, Ph.D., E.I.T KEVIN HEASLIP, Ph.D., P.E.

2 Why To Develop Public Transit Service? 2

3 Why To Develop Public Transit Service? 3

4 Why To Develop Public Transit Service? Ballston, home of the National Science Foundation (Source: Living Rail) 4

5 Why To Develop Public Transit Service? 5

6 Why To Develop Public Transit Service? The public realizes five dollars in cash savings for each tax dollar invested in transit services. (Lewis & Williams, 1999). Study s Goal: To examine the association between public transit and the employment rate in Northern Virginia. 6

7 The existing Northern Virginia s transit network and the locations of stops data were obtained from Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) 7

8 Bus operators in Northern Virginia: Virginia Railway Express (VRE) (16 stops), Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PTRC) (555 stops), MetroBus (3109 stops), Loudoun Count Transit (94 stops), Fairfax Connector (2677 stops), Arlington Transit Company (ATC DASH) (623 stops), City of Fairfax CUEBus (255 stops), and Arlington Rapid Transit (ART) (562 stops) 8

9 The Census Block Group TIGER/line shape files obtained from the United States Census Bureau, (2014) The number of paid employees by counties/cities from 1998 to 2013 was obtained from United States Census data and North American Industry Classification System Northern Virginia s employment status from was evaluated using census block groups obtained from United States Census Labor Force Statistics of

10 Alexandria (City) # of Employees 88,000 86,000 84,000 82,000 80,000 78,000 76,000 74,000 72,000 70, Year

11 Arlington (County) # of Employees 140, , , , , , , ,000 Year 11

12 Fairfax (County) # of Employees 600, , , , , , , , , ,000 Year 12

13 Fairfax (City) 37,000 # of Employees 33,000 29,000 25,000 Year 13

14 Falls Church (City) # of Employees 20,000 18,000 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8, Year

15 Loudoun (County) # of Employees 140, , , , ,000 90,000 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 Year 15

16 Manassas (City) # of Employees 28,000 27,000 26,000 25,000 24,000 23,000 22,000 21,000 20,000 19,000 Year 16

17 Manassas Park (City) # of Eemployees 4,100 3,600 3,100 2,600 2,100 1,600 Year 17

18 Prince William (County) # of Employees 95,000 90,000 85,000 80,000 75,000 70,000 65,000 60,000 55,000 Year 18

19 Number of Transit Stops vs. Number of Paid Employees County/City # of Stops Area (Sq. miles) # of Stops per Sq. Mile # of Paid Employees (2013) # of Paid Employees per Sq. Mile (2013) Alexandria , Arlington , Fairfax (County) , Fairfax (City) , Falls Church , Loudoun , Manassas , Manassas Park , Prince William , y = x R² = # of Paid Employees per Sq.Mile (2013) # of Stops per Sq. Mile

20 Number of Transit Stops vs. Job Growth % Employment Growth # of employees in 2013 # of employees in base year, 1998 # of employees in base year,

21 Number of Transit Stops vs. Job Growth County/City # of Stops per Sq. Mile Number of Paid Employees Percent of Growth year 10 year 15 year Alexandria ,301 83,325 80,898 83, Arlington , , , , Fairfax (County) , , , , Fairfax (City) ,986 32,915 29,725 29, Falls Church ,598 16,827 9,159 9, Loudoun ,489 97, , , Manassas ,894 20,751 21,503 21, Manassas Park ,983 3,175 3,511 3, Prince William ,514 72,017 85,186 94,

22 Number of Transit Stops vs. Employment by Block Group 22

23 Number of Transit Stops vs. Employment by Block Group County/City Number of Stops per Sq Mile Number of Blocks Blocks with Access to Stops # % # of People Employed With Access to Stops Without Access to Stops Alexandria , Arlington , Fairfax (County) ,840 19, Fairfax (City) , Falls Church , Loudoun ,695 74, Manassas , Manassas Park , Prince William ,815 39, Employment Rate Employment Raate Employment Ratee y = x R² = % Blocks With Access to Stops y = x R² = # of Stops per Sq. Mile

24 Counties and cities with higher number of transit stops had a higher number of employees per square mile Population density and access to metro stations are the significant factors that impacts job growth. Regardless of the number of bus stops, counties and cities with more access to metro stations experienced a greater job growth. 24

25 Thank You! 25