PRIVATE CAR TRANSPORT OR PUBLIC TRANSPORT? THE STUDY OF DAILY ACCESSIBILITY IN SZCZECIN

The article presents the results of public and private/car transport accessibility modelling, making it possible to compare journey times and two types of transport throughout the day and during rush hours. The public transport model is based on the GTFS data (General Transit Feed Specification), while the car model has been created using data on driving times derived from Google Maps (R) API. Both models presented in the article have been constructed for a specified period. The models for public and private transport count 5.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m in 15-minute intervals and represent 60 per cent of residents' travel during the working day. The analysis of the models mentioned above has allowed the comparison of the differences in accessibility and its deviations at different times of the day. The disparities revealed by the study have indicated that there are certain times of the day when public transport is competitive with private means of transport. The study focuses on analysing population living in areas inaccessible to public transport. During the day, public transport can compete with individual transport over two communication peaks: in the morning (between 7:00 and 8:30 a.m.) and in the afternoon (between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.), but is still slower than a car. This spatial representation allows conclusions and recommendations to support low-carbon transport policies based on public transport and alternative travel options such as cycling plus public transport. The results show that many people live in areas that are obliged to use public transport, which, although slower than the car, can compete at peak times.