@article{ref1,
title="Heat-moderating effects of bus stop shelters and tree shade on public transport ridership",
journal="International journal of environmental research and public health",
year="2021",
author="Durand, Casey P. and Lanza, Kevin",
volume="18",
number="2",
pages="e463-e463",
abstract="Rising temperatures threaten the resilience of public transit systems. We determined whether bus stop shelters and tree canopy surrounding bus stops moderated the effect  of warm season temperatures on ridership in Austin, Texas, and whether shelters and  trees were equitably distributed. For bus stops (n = 2271) of Capital Metropolitan  Transportation Authority, boardings per bus were measured 1 April-30 September 2019. Air temperature data originated from the Camp Mabry weather station. Tree canopy was  calculated by classification of high-resolution aerial imagery from the National  Agriculture Imagery Program. Data on race, ethnicity, poverty level, median age, and  bus commuters within census tracts of bus stops originated from the 2014-2018  American Community Survey. Using multilevel negative binomial regression models, we  found that shelters did not moderate the effect of high temperatures on ridership (p  > 0.05). During high temperatures, each one-percent increase in tree canopy was  associated with a lesser decrease (1.6%) in ridership compared to if there were no  trees (1.7%) (p < 0.001). In general, shelters and trees were equitably distributed. Insignificant or modest effects of shelters and trees on ridership during high  temperatures may be attributed to the transit dependency of riders. For climate  change adaptation, we recommend tree planting at bus stops to protect from ridership  losses and unhealthy exposure to extreme heat.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1661-7827",
doi="10.3390/ijerph18020463",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020463"
}