Designing Public Transportation for Private Car Users
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School of Arts, Design and Architecture |
Master's thesis
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Authors
Date
2012
Department
Department of Design
Muotoilun laitos
Muotoilun laitos
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Degree Programme in Industrial and Strategic Design
Teollisen muotoilun koulutusohjelma
Teollisen muotoilun koulutusohjelma
Language
en
Pages
115
Series
Abstract
Active and functional public transportation is a necessity in urban areas. It provides a means of mobility for non-car users such as teenagers, elderly and people who cannot or do not want to use a private car, walk or cycle. Public transportation is also more economical and ecological mode of transportation if compared with a private car. However, the problem is that a large number of urban travellers do not consider today’s public transport services as a real alternative for a private car. This causes for instance traffic congestion and air quality degradation in urban areas. This thesis compares the travelling experience between private vs. public and personal vs. shared. The work questions what is it that private car users have to ‘give up’ if they make a change in their travel behaviour and start using public transportation instead of a private car? Therefore, the thesis examines the motives for private car use. Why private car users prefer using their own cars and what is it that makes a private car such an appealing and attaching object to own and use? And how come are our current public transport services incapable of satisfying the travel related needs and desires of private car users? The thesis views symbolic, affective and instrumental motives behind private car users’ transport mode choices with an emphasis to the symbolic and affective motives to use a private car. At first, the thesis examines transport related theories explaining what affects to the individuals’ travel behaviour and travel related needs. After this, the thesis looks into European transportation research papers related to private car users’ motives to use a private car. The product attachment theories are studied to find explanations to the questions: Why do private car users tend to be so attached with their cars and what is it that makes giving up car use such a difficult task to do? To allow comparisons between the experience of using a private car and using public transportation, a four-month participant observation period considering service experiences in today’s public transport was conducted in Helsinki. In addition, the thesis includes documentation analysis considering the public transport service quality factors that are used to measure the quality of today’s public transportation services. The findings are used to create an alternative design approach for developing public transportation services in the future. At the end of the thesis, a new demand responsive transport concept is used to illustrate future scenarios for a new public transport service, which could hold potential to start attracting private car users. This thesis is a part of five-year long Metropol research project, initiated by the Aalto University School of Science and Technology. The project has examined whether a new type of demand responsive transportation concept is economically and technically feasible to design and implement in urban areas such as Helsinki. The ultimate aim of the project has been to design and produce a new type of public transportation service concept, which could finally challenge the predominance of a private car as the most popular mode of transportation in urban areas.Description
Supervisor
Miettinen, EeroKeywords
Urban Planning, Public Transport, Private car use motives, Design frameworks