Regularly updated

As keen readers of this blog or my twitter feed know, the Accessibility Observatory released Access Across America: Transit 2014  this week, with an official University of Minnesota Press Release and  Maps. This post links to third party coverage and interpretation of the report.

National

• Jacob Anbinder @RealClearPolicy: New York: Best Mass Transit in the Country?
• Emily Badger @ Washington Post WonkBlog: Mapped: How public transit changes your job prospects.
• John Benjamin @ Urbanful: A new breed of “heat map” shows what cities get you to work fastest
• James Brasuell @ Planetizen: Study Compares Job Access by Transit in 46 U.S. Metropolitan Areas
• Susan Bregman @ The Transit Wire: Researchers measure transit access to jobs.
• Alex Davies @ Wired: America’s 10 Best Cities for Commuting on Public Transit.
• Eric Jaffe @ City Lab: The Carless Commute Ranking to End All Carless Commute Rankings.
• Chris McCahill @ State Smart Transportation Initiative: Report ranks metropolitan areas by transit accessibility
• Randal O’Toole @ The Antiplanner: Irrelevance Across America.
• Robert Poole @ Reason Foundation – Surface Transportation News: New Findings on Access to Jobs via Transit.
• Angie Schmitt @StreetsBlog: The 10 Best and Worst Cities to Catch a Bus to Work.
• Lisa Schweitzer @ Urban Ethics and Theory: David Levinson’s metro job accessibility report is out, and it’s vital for planners interested in transit.
• Alissa Walker @ Gizmodo: The 10 Best American Cities for Riding Transit To Work.
• Jarrett Walker @ Human Transit: Access across America!

Local

Austin

• Michael Theis @ Austin Business Journal: Austin businesses among least transit-accessible in nation.

Chicago

• Yonah Freemark @ Crain’s Chicago Business: Before you complain about the CTA again, read this.

Cincinnati

• Jason Williams @ Cincinnati.com: Study: Region offers poor transit access to jobs.

Denver

• Phil Tenser @ 7News: Denver ranked 9th for access to jobs by public transit.

Houston

• Dug Begley: The Highwayman @ Houston Chronicle: Despite complaints, Houston best Texas city for transit access.

Los Angeles

• Bianca Barragan @ Curbed: LA is the Third Best US City For Public Transit Commuting.
• Steve Hymon: Metro’s The Source: Transportation headlines, Oct. 8: L.A. ranks 3rd on jobs near transit, study says.

Louisville

• Jacob Ryan @ WFPL: Louisville Ranks 36th In Accessibility to Jobs by Public Transit, Study Says.

Minneapolis – St. Paul

• Bob Collins @ MPR NewsCut: New study measures value of commuting transit.
• Cali Owens @ Minnesota’s Finance and Commerce: U of M research ranks job access by transit.
• Eric Roper @ Star-Tribune’s MPLS blog: MAP: The best places to be a Twin Cities transit commuter.
• Aaron Rupar @ CityPages: Mass Transit Study Ranks Twin Cities 13th, but Doesn’t Include Green Line.
• Editorial Board @ Minnesota Daily Metro can do better in transit.

Phoenix

• Shari Rose @ The Arizona Republic: Phoenix ranks No. 19 most accessible to jobs by transit.

Portland

• Joseph Rose @ The Oregonian: Portland public transit nation’s 11th best.

San Antonio

• Vianna Davila @ San Antonio Express-News: Want to reach your job using the bus? Set aside an hour.

Seattle

• Sean Keeley @ Curbed: Seattle is the 8th Best U.S. City For Public Transit Commuting.

Tampa

• Robert Trigaux @ Tampa Bay Times: Perspective: Getting from home to work.

Washington DC

• Brian Warmoth @ In the Capital: DC’s Transit System Was Ranked No. 4 in the U.S. for One Big Reason

Our Access Across America: Transit 2014 report is now out.

The report (CTS 14-11) and methodology  (CTS 14-12) can be downloaded from the Accessibility Observatory.

Report

Accessibility is the ease of reaching valued destinations. It can be measured for various transportation modes, to different types of destinations, and at different times of day. There are a variety of ways to define accessibility, but the number of destinations reachable within a given travel time is the most comprehensible and transparent, as well as the most directly comparable across cities.

This report examines accessibility to jobs by transit in 46 of the 50 largest (by population) metropolitan areas in the United States. Transit is used for an estimated 5 percent of commuting trips in the United States, making it the second most widely used commute mode after driving. This report complements Access Across America: Auto 2013, a report of job accessibility by auto in 51 metropolitan areas. …

Rankings are determined by a weighted average of accessibility, giving a higher weight to closer jobs. Jobs reachable within ten minutes are weighted most heavily, and jobs are given decreasing weight as travel time increases up to 60 minutes.

Methodology:

This report describes the data and methodology used in the separate publication, Access Across America: Transit 2014. That report examines accessibility to jobs by transit in 46 of the 50 largest (by population) metropolitan areas in the United States. Transit is used for an estimated 5 percent of commuting trips in the United States, making it the second most widely used commute mode after driving. Rankings are determined by a weighted average of accessibility, giving a higher weight to closer jobs. Jobs reachable within ten minutes are weighted most heavily, and jobs are given decreasing weight as travel time increases up to 60 minutes.

The research was sponsored by the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota. Accessibility Observatory reports, including the analysis of job accessibility by auto published last year Access Across America: Auto 2013, and interactive maps are available for download at: access.umn.edu/research/america.

Visit the site to see the reports, rankings, data, and maps.