Convenient access to public transport is still a dream for many, with United Nations figures showing that smaller cities especially struggle to deliver stops near people’s homes.
The UN measures convenient access to public transport stops as an indicator of a sustainable city or community.
See below how many people have this kind of access — defined by the UN as having a bus stop within 500m or a rail, retro or ferry stop within 1km — across the Indo-Pacific.
While many of the largest cities have access to public transport for at least half of their populations, access for smaller towns and cities is more variable.
Laying these cities out from those with the most access to the least, it becomes clear that reaching the last 25 per cent of their populations is still a challenge for most cities in the region. Search for a country below to see how its different cities compare.
But having a stop nearby is just one small part of a healthy public transport ecosystem.
Planners need to ensure that routes have enough services to support a population, and that those routes take people to the places they need to visit, like workplaces.
Nevertheless, there’s a long way to go to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals’ aim of delivering “safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems” to everyone in the next six years.
Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.
