Factors Affecting Accessibility

Name	Description	Current Consideration
Transport Demand	The amount of mobility and access that people and businesses would choose under various conditions (times, prices, levels of service, etc).	Motorized travel demand is well studied, but nonmotorized demand is not. Travel demand is often considered exogenous rather than affected by planning decisions.
Mobility	The distance and speed of travel, including personal mobility (measured as person-miles) and vehicle mobility (measured as vehicle-miles).	Conventional transport planning primarily evaluates mobility, particularly vehicle mobility.
Transportation Options	The quantity and quality of access options, including walking, cycling, ridesharing, transit, taxi, delivery services, and telecommunications. Qualitative factors include availability, speed, frequency, convenience, comfort, safety, price and prestige.	Motor vehicle options and quality are usually considered, using indicators such as roadway level-of-service, but other modes lack such indicators and some important service quality factors are often overlooked.
User information	The quality (convenience and reliability) of information available to users on their mobility and accessibility options.	Frequently considered when dealing with a particular mode or location, but often not comprehensive.
Integration	The degree of integration among transport system links and modes, including terminals and parking facilities.	Automobile transport is generally well integrated, but connections between other modes are often poorly evaluated.
Affordability	The cost to users of transport and location options relative to incomes.	Automobile operating costs and transit fares are usually considered.
Mobility Substitutes	The quality of telecommunications and delivery services that substitute for physical travel.	Not usually considered in transport planning.
Land Use Factors	Degree that factors such as land use density and mix affect accessibility.	Considered in land use planning, but less in transport planning.
Transport Network Connectivity	The density of connections between roads and paths, and therefore the directness by which people can travel between destinations.	Conventional planning seldom considers the effects of roadway connectivity on accessibility.
Roadway Design and Management	How road design and management practices affect vehicle traffic, mobility and accessibility.	Some factors are generally considered, but others are not.
Prioritization	Various strategies that increase transport system efficiency.	Often overlooked or undervalued in conventional planning.
Inaccessibility	The value of inaccessibility and external costs of increased mobility.	Not generally considered in transport planning.

Source: Introduction to Multi-Modal Transportation Planning, Victoria Transport Policy Institute. 2012