Accessibility is defined as the number of opportunities (such as jobs, shopping, etc.) that can be reached from a given location within a given amount of travel time by auto, transit, or non-motorized modes. It is a measure of the range of possibilities available to travelers.
The region’s existing highway system provides a tremendous level of accessibility. On average, a resident of the NJTPA region can access more than three million jobs within a 60 minute drive from home (see map on facing page). The region’s rural areas are relatively inaccessible, and largely should remain that way, because major highway improvements could attract sprawling new development that would destroy the unspoiled character of those areas. (Sprawl is discussed under Goal 6.)
The region’s public transit system provides a lower level of accessibility than the highway system. On average, a resident of the NJTPA region can access fewer than 650,000 jobs within a 60 minute transit trip. Only 11 percent of commuters in the NJTPA region take transit to work, in part because transit is not a viable alternative to driving for most commutes. Transit does provide good accessibility in certain areas of the region — particularly in Hudson and Essex counties and along major rail lines — and in those areas, transit is widely used. In Hudson County, 34 percent of all commuters take transit to work.
Transit Travel
Transit ridership grew by 38 percent from 1991 to 2001. |
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In fact, after many years of decline, the region’s transit system is now succeeding in attracting many more passengers. Annual transit ridership grew by 38 percent from 1991 to 2001, with gains occurring on all modes of transit, and the share of work trips made by transit also increased in the 1990s. Ridership fell after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but is now growing again (see Figure 2 below).
Still, more than 80 percent of all trips in the NJTPA region are made by automobile, and auto travel continues to grow. The number of private vehicles in the region increased by nine percent from 1990 to 2000, and vehicle-miles traveled in the region is increasing by about two percent annually.
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| Figure 2, Annual Ridership on Transit Lines Serving the NJTPA Region |
These increases stem largely from population growth, especially population growth in the highly auto-dependent outlying areas of the region. Another factor is that more commuters are driving alone to work, instead of carpooling.
Holding down the growth in auto travel, and sustaining transit ridership growth as an alternative to driving, will help to alleviate the region's air pollution and traffic congestion problems. In the long run, there is a need for better coordination of transportation and land use, to encourage population and employment growth in areas with good transit accessibility. (Pollution, congestion, and land use are discussed under Goals 1, 4, and 6, respectively.)
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Accessibility
These maps show the number of jobs that can be reached within a 60 minute drive, or within a 60 minute door-to-door transit trip, under typical rush hour travel conditions. The maps include access to jobs located within the NJTPA region, as well as jobs in Midtown and Downtown Manhattan.
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