An analysis of changes to transit accessibility and equity after the opening of a bus rapid transit system in Hartford, Connecticut

In March 2015, CTfastrak, a bus rapid transit system operating in Connecticut in the United States, opened after nearly 16 years of planning and controversy. The 15.1-km (9.4-mi) busway connects the town of New Britain to the state capital of Hartford. The analysis conducted in this paper investigat...

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Main Author: Kelly Layne Bertolaccini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing 2018-11-01
Series:Journal of Transport and Land Use
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/1086
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author Kelly Layne Bertolaccini
author_facet Kelly Layne Bertolaccini
author_sort Kelly Layne Bertolaccini
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description In March 2015, CTfastrak, a bus rapid transit system operating in Connecticut in the United States, opened after nearly 16 years of planning and controversy. The 15.1-km (9.4-mi) busway connects the town of New Britain to the state capital of Hartford. The analysis conducted in this paper investigates whether or not CTfastrak and the transit system restructuring that occurred between 2013 and 2016 improved overall transit accessibility in the region, and if so, whether or not the distribution of these improvements is equitable. This exploration provides strong evidence that overall transit accessibility has improved in the region. Horizontal, or spatial equity, did worsen slightly as a result of this highly localized project. However, vulnerable populations experience more improvements and fewer decreases in transit accessibility than the general population. Though these analyses seem promising, an analysis of the distribution of transit access among workers hints that while many people are experiencing increases in general accessibility, they may not have meaningful access to their place of employment.
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spelling doaj-art-ec44ade5d5094f17a04116a9c1fb1dec2025-08-20T02:56:40ZengUniversity of Minnesota Libraries PublishingJournal of Transport and Land Use1938-78492018-11-0111110.5198/jtlu.2018.1086An analysis of changes to transit accessibility and equity after the opening of a bus rapid transit system in Hartford, ConnecticutKelly Layne Bertolaccini0The University of QueenslandIn March 2015, CTfastrak, a bus rapid transit system operating in Connecticut in the United States, opened after nearly 16 years of planning and controversy. The 15.1-km (9.4-mi) busway connects the town of New Britain to the state capital of Hartford. The analysis conducted in this paper investigates whether or not CTfastrak and the transit system restructuring that occurred between 2013 and 2016 improved overall transit accessibility in the region, and if so, whether or not the distribution of these improvements is equitable. This exploration provides strong evidence that overall transit accessibility has improved in the region. Horizontal, or spatial equity, did worsen slightly as a result of this highly localized project. However, vulnerable populations experience more improvements and fewer decreases in transit accessibility than the general population. Though these analyses seem promising, an analysis of the distribution of transit access among workers hints that while many people are experiencing increases in general accessibility, they may not have meaningful access to their place of employment.https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/1086TransportPublic TransitAccessibilityEquityBus Rapid Transit
spellingShingle Kelly Layne Bertolaccini
An analysis of changes to transit accessibility and equity after the opening of a bus rapid transit system in Hartford, Connecticut
Journal of Transport and Land Use
Transport
Public Transit
Accessibility
Equity
Bus Rapid Transit
title An analysis of changes to transit accessibility and equity after the opening of a bus rapid transit system in Hartford, Connecticut
title_full An analysis of changes to transit accessibility and equity after the opening of a bus rapid transit system in Hartford, Connecticut
title_fullStr An analysis of changes to transit accessibility and equity after the opening of a bus rapid transit system in Hartford, Connecticut
title_full_unstemmed An analysis of changes to transit accessibility and equity after the opening of a bus rapid transit system in Hartford, Connecticut
title_short An analysis of changes to transit accessibility and equity after the opening of a bus rapid transit system in Hartford, Connecticut
title_sort analysis of changes to transit accessibility and equity after the opening of a bus rapid transit system in hartford connecticut
topic Transport
Public Transit
Accessibility
Equity
Bus Rapid Transit
url https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/1086
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