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Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs Accessibility and public transport in Sheffield: Case studies of policy implementation Thesis How to cite: Workman, Helen Mary (1986). Accessibility and public transport in Sheffield: Case studies of policy implementation. PhD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 1986 The Author https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.0000de5b Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk "D 72"76(o/$'7 ACCESSIBILITY AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN SHEFFIELD : CASE STUDIES OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION Helen Mary Workman B. Sc. (Birmingharn), M. A. (Sheffield) Y'T It WIN t. Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Geography Discipline, Open University March 1986. Volume I of 2 c ur roes NOrgV r GiCCý 0(t2ii zn, SuC3h15? rC' Cg,- IOiJ MAý. 'CH iq g 2ir r arg sau bb1 '`ß , t ed ý 1°t86 ACCESSIBILITY AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTIN SHEFFIELD : CASE STUDIES OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION Helen Mary Workman B. Sc. (Birmingharn), M. A. (Sheffield) Thesis subrnitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Geography Discipline, Open University March 1986. I fln t Et.: ýGýýlt }v agc, ý A. s. ,olL nv a d. lL Gt.JA:.. 2rs t,, ad. A^Ck rt bý. Pho{"o c op ºý d aÄj at.t to i-ka., CLýGc.ý, -, c4 ACCESSIBILITY AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN SHEFFIELD CASE STUDIES OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION Abstract The planning policies of South Yorkshire County Council are based on the philosophy of helping the "have-nots". From these policies a number of hypotheses concerning accessibility to and by public transport have been defined and tested in the Sheffield study area to gauge the extent to which the policies have been implemented. The literature on accessibility is reviewed with attention to recent work concerning accessibility by public transport. The Sheffield study area is described and the Structure Plan and other planning documents of South Yorkshire County Council are assessed with regard to policies relating to accessibility and public transport. Recent changes in the level of bus service provision in the study area are summarised. Access to bus services is investigated in terms of walking and waiting times for 170 sampling points. Overall the route trade-off is found to be density - service frequency optimal. The spatial variation in the walking and waiting times is such that areas with high proportions of people dependent on public 1. transport do not have more accessible bus services than other areas. Access to bus services is investigated further in the Mosborough area with the relationship between the introduction and improvement of bus services and the occupation of new housing being studied. Accessibility by public transport to specific facilities is investigated. In spite of Structure Plan policies little improvement in the accessibility of five district shopping centres in Sheffield has taken place. Areas with poor access by bus to sports centres and public libraries are defined and possible locations for new facilities evaluated. In the first ten years of its existence South Yorkshire County Council has supported policies relating to improvements in accessibility and public transport. The work reported in this thesis indicates that the implementation of such policies has not always been achieved. ii. Acknowledgements I wish to record my grateful thanks to the following for their assistance in the production of this thesis : Dr. A. M. Hay, University of Sheffield, and Dr. C. R. P. Brook, Open University, my supervisors, for their guidance and support since 1980. Mr. P. Beardsley, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, for the loan of Sheffield bus timetables and route maps. Sheffield City Council Department of Planning and Design for the provision of maps of Mosborough and High Green. Miss E. Jessop for the excellent typing. Mr. C. Allsopp and Mr. P. Bragg for assistance with the prepar- ation of diagrams. iii. Contents Page Abstract i Acknowledgements iii Contents iv List of tables x List of figures xii List of appendices xv CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 1. Scope of the thesis 1 (i) Accessibility 1 (ii) Public transport 2 (iii) Sheffield 3 (iv) Policy implementation 3 2. Overview of the case studies 6 3. Other research of particular relevance 9 CHAPTER 2 The concept and measurement of accessibilit a review of the literature 12 1. Introduction 12 2. Definition of accessibility 13 3. Measurement of accessibility 16 (i) Topological 17 (ii) Relative 18 (iii) Integral place-accessibility 19 (iv) Cumulative-opportunities index 20 (v) Gravity-type measure 22 (vi) Logsum term 24 (vii) Space-time budget 26 4. Problems in measuring accessibility 27 5. Importance of accessibility 31 (i) Welfare considerations 33 (ii) Equity considerations 35 (iii) Public transport, car availability and accessibility 37 iv. Pace 6. Public transport accessibility measures 40 7. Conclusion 45 B. The use of accessibility in this thesis 46 CHAPTER 3 Description of South Yorkshire with particular reference to the Sheffield study area 49 1. Geographical and historical background 49 2. Population characteristics 56 3. Housing in Sheffield 64 4. The location of major trip attractors 68 5. Ca-ravailability levels 71 6. Public transport in South Yorkshire 74 7. Conclusion 75 CHAPTER 4 The plans of South Yorkshire County Council : an assessment with respect to public transport accessibility 80 1. Introduction 80 2. The plans of South Yorkshire County Council 81 3. The principles and scope of the Structure Plan 83 4. Policies relating to public transport 86 5. Policies relating to shopping 92 6. Policies relating to recreation 96 7. The needs of minority groups 99 8. Hypotheses formulated from the policies of South Yorkshire County Council 103 9. Conclusion 106 V. Page CHAPTER 5 An analysis of recent changes in public transport provision in Sheffield 108 1. Introduction 108 2. Bus services in Sheffield 1962-1982 110 3. Developments in bus services 1974-1982 112 4. Conclusion 123 CHAPTER 6 Access to bus services in Sheffield models of the walk and wait elements 124 1. Introduction 124 2. The bus network model 125 (i) The walk element : distance 127 (ii) The walk element : time 130 (iii) The wait element 133 (iv) The explanatory bus network model 134 (v) The normative bus network model 135 3. Data collection 136 (i) Calibration of the bus network model 137 (ii) The measurement of walk and wait elements in Sheffield 139 4. The explanatory bus network model 141 (i) The walk element 142 (ii) The wait element 146 (iii) Conclusion : explanatory model 150 5. The normative bus network model 151 (i) The simple model 151 (ii) Model with route factor 152 (iii) Model with route factor and distance to bus stops 153 (iv) Conclusion : normati,. e model 155 6. Summary and implications 158 vi. Page CHAPTER 7 Access to bus services in Sheffield spatial variation in the walk and wait elements 160 1. Introduction 160 2. Literature review of spatial variation in access to public transport 161 3. Variables 166 4. Data collection 171 (i) Sampling framework 171 (ii) Walking and waiting time values 173 (iii) Variables 175 5. A regression model of spatial variation in access to bus services 180 6. Spatial variation in access to bus services in relation to declared policy 193 7. Conclusion 202 CHAPTER 8 The role of public transport in assistin residential development at Mosborough 208 1. Introduction 208 2. Structure Plan Policy T2 and its implications 209 3. Description of the study areas 215 4. Relationship between the introduction of bus services and the occupation of new housing at Mosborough 1975-1980 223 (i) Data collection 223 (a) The provision of public transport 224 (b) The occupation of new houses 225 (c) The distance between new houses and bus routes 225 (ii) Results 227 (iii) Conclusion 232 5. Comparison of bus service provision at Mosborough and High Green 232 (i) Data collection 232 vii. Pale (a) The provision of public transport 233 (b) The number of occupied houses 233 (c) The distance between houses and bus routes 234 (ii) Results 234 (iii) Conclusion 238 6. Summary and implications 238 CHAPTER 9 Accessibility of district shopping centres by public transport 248 1. Introduction 248 2. Definition of the accessibility index 249 3. Selection and description of district shopping centres 252 4. Data collection 254 5. Calculation of the accessibility index 257 6. Results 258 (i) Comparison of the accessibility of district shopping centres 1981 264 (ii) Changes in the accessibility of district shopping centres 1976-1981 268 7. Conclusion 273 CHAPTER 10 Accessibility of sports centres by public transport 276 1. Introd uction 276 2. Sports centres in Sheffield 279 3. Data c ollection 280 (i) Sampling framework 281 (ii) Walking time 282 (iii) Waiting time 283 (iv) Travelling time 283 4. Tests on the validity of the data 286 (i) Walking speeds 287 (ii) Sampling framework density 287 viii. Pace 5. Results 288 (i) Improvements in accessibility 1975-1982 300 (ii) Effect of opening sports centres at Darnall, Hurlfield and Westfield 303 6. Conclusion 304 CHAPTER 11 Accessibility of libraries by public transport 313 1. Introduction 313 2. Public libraries in Sheffield 316 3. Data collection 318 (i) Sampling framework 320 (ii) Walking distances to libraries 320 (iii) Total travel time to libraries 320 (a) Walking time to bus route 321 (b) Waiting time 322 (c) Travelling time 322 (d) Walking time from bus route 323 4.