Rail in Multimodal Transit Systems: Concept for Improving Urban Mobility by Increasing Choices for Travel and Lifestyle

Metro areas relying on automobile-based transport are increasingly congested. Some alternatives to gridlock are being implemented; others languish without political acceptance. Congestion is more than a suburban issue. Both intersuburban and radial travel woes are growing and must be addressed. Agencies should start with bus improvements, then add rail where appropriate. Experience shows that, unlike purely radial systems, transit networks with many transfer opportunities offer options to users in more travel markets and, as a result, attract more riders. In the United States, rail is often viewed as serving just the central business district (CBD) and being incapable of accommodating suburban trips. In fact, radial rail lines can provide attractive options for trips to new centers near suburban rail stations, in addition to CBD trips. Rail systems become regional connections, linked via timed transfers at transit centers with bus and paratransit feeders and circulators. Clock headways and integrated fares complete a seamless multimodal, multidestinational system serving the CBD as well as emerging regional centers. Such systems work best as part of a comprehensive program for sustainable urban development, consciously planned by committed, far-sighted political leaders who build public consensus to implement a regional vision for community patterns that encourage a rich variety of lifestyle and mobility choices. Key to effecting such transport systems are (a) competent transit management that seeks out and serves a variety of niche markets, and (b) coordinated transportation and land use decision making that values transit links to major destinations and compact communities.