A recent study conducted in Columbus, using new technological advancements, has shed light on how major events can significantly disrupt public transportation in an entire city. The case study focused on Ohio State University’s home football games, which attract over 100,000 fans to Ohio Stadium on the university’s campus.
The findings revealed that bus services across the entire city experienced significant disruptions for more than 7 hours on game days compared to non-game days. This meant that even bus riders who were not traveling near the university were unable to reach their destinations within the scheduled time.
Harvey Miller, co-author of the study and professor of geography at Ohio State, highlighted the impact of these disruptions on bus riders. He stated, “Most people in Columbus know that you don’t go near Ohio Stadium during football Saturdays because traffic is going to be a nightmare. But the remarkable thing to me is that, if you’re a bus rider, you didn’t have to be anywhere near the stadium to be affected by the game.”
Led by Luyu Liu, a former Ph.D. student at Ohio State, the study utilized data from the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), the city’s public transit system. With over 1.2 million residents and 19 million trips in 2019, the COTA provided valuable data for the research.
Comparing the bus service on game days to days without games, as well as days with away games, the study found that the disruptions before and after the games had different characteristics. The disruptions before the game lasted longer but were less severe, while the disruptions after the game were shorter but more disruptive.
The study revealed that bus service unreliability was 8.7% higher than average during the pre-game peak and 24.5% higher during the post-game peak. The impact of the football game on transit reliability persisted for approximately 7 hours, including periods before and after the peak disruptions.
Although this study focused on the impact of football games on public transit, the researchers highlight that the methodology and findings can be applied to a wide range of disruptions to traffic flow. Whether it’s a crash on an interstate, bridge collapse, construction delays, or any large event, these findings provide insights into the vulnerabilities of a city’s transportation system.
The researchers stress the importance of using these tools to better prepare for disruptions and plan accordingly. By identifying the most vulnerable areas of a city’s transportation system, city transportation planners can take proactive measures to mitigate the impact of various events.
The study also examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public transit accessibility in Columbus. It was found that reliability initially increased as overall traffic declined during lockdowns in March 2020. However, major schedule changes were implemented by the transit authority in May 2020, leading to a decrease in accessibility and reliability, particularly in the northeast area of the city.
These findings highlight the importance of investing in and improving infrastructure for public transit, especially considering the challenges posed by factors such as climate change, pandemics, and other disruptions. Miller emphasizes that planning for these disruptions should be a major focus to ensure that transit systems can continue to provide reliable and accessible services to commuters, even in the face of unforeseen events.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it