GPS data; impedance function; location-based accessibility; travel time distribution; Accessibility measures; Impedance functions; Key dimensions; Location based; Sustainable transport; Travel time distributions; Travel time variabilities; Travel-time; Analytical Chemistry; Information Systems; Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics; Biochemistry; Instrumentation; Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Abstract :
[en] Accessibility is a key dimension for sustainable transport network management and planning. However, conventional location-based accessibility measures typically rely on average travel times as the sole temporal metric, neglecting detailed travel time distributions. Consequently, these methods yield identical accessibility values for study zones with the same mean travel time but different travel time variations. To overcome this limitation, we developed a novel approach that explicitly integrates the probability density distributions of travel times, modelling the impact of travel time variability on accessibility. We applied the proposed method using GPS data collected from taxis in Harbin, China, and compared its outcomes with those from existing potential accessibility calculations. Across all 103 study zones in Harbin, the existing method underestimated the accessibility by 6-28%, with an average underestimation of 17% when benchmarked against the new method. These inaccuracies also impaired the identification of urban areas with the lowest accessibility levels, leading to the misclassification of 20% of problematic zones. The findings highlight the limitations of existing methods, which produce biassed accessibility estimations and misleading results. In contrast, the proposed travel time variability-integrated accessibility measure demonstrates greater sensitivity to actual traffic conditions, providing a more accurate and objective assessment of network performance.
Disciplines :
Civil engineering Special economic topics (health, labor, transportation...)
Author, co-author :
Liu, Feng ; Transportation Research Institute (IMOB), Hasselt University, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium
Yasar, Ansar; Transportation Research Institute (IMOB), Hasselt University, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium
Cui, Jianxun; School of Transportation Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China ; Chongqing Research Institute of HIT, Chongqing 401100, China
Janssens, Davy ; Transportation Research Institute (IMOB), Hasselt University, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium
Wets, Geert; Transportation Research Institute (IMOB), Hasselt University, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium
Cools, Mario ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département ArGEnCo > Transports et mobilité
Language :
English
Title :
The Development of a New Location-Based Accessibility Measure Based on GPS Data
Publication date :
10 October 2025
Journal title :
Sensors
ISSN :
1424-8220
eISSN :
1424-3210
Publisher :
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), Switzerland
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