CARTEEH logo with green car and plant

Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health (CARTEEH)

A USDOT University Transportation Center

Decrease in Miles Between Available Facilities

A decrease in the miles between facilities is a measurable indicator that attempts to encourage more individuals to use public transit facilities. Since the distance to these facilities is shorter, people will prefer to walk or use bicycles to get to these locations, which aligns with the aim of the Active Transport objective to promote the use of walking and cycling infrastructure to get to public transit facilities and their preferred locations.1

This indicator helps determine the effectiveness of the following objectives

  • Less Contamination
  • Less Emissions
  • Less Traffic Noise
  • Connectivity and Inclusion
  • Healthy Destinations
  • Less Traffic Violence
  • Active Transportation
  • Green Space

Data Collection

Online mapping tools, such as Google Maps or MapQuest, are often used to collect data. Simply enter the address of the facility into the search bar and click on the “Get Directions” button. The site will then provide you with directions, including the distance in miles.2 Google Maps provides data on the distance to facilities in miles through its Distance Matrix API. This information can be useful for planning trips or analyzing how close a location is to various amenities. The API will return a table with the distances to all of the specified destinations from the origin point.3

Examples

Measuring physical accessibility to health facilities—a case study on Khulna City

Serani (2011) carried out a study to measure the distance in terms of the accessibility to health care services in Khulna City. He measured the accessibility by measuring the distance in miles to these facilities (health care), and the time required to reach the nearest health facility. According to the study’s results, some locations require individuals to drive more than 3 kilometers to reach a healthcare facility, which is a difficult task given the lack of available transportation. The travel distance from each hexagon’s center to the facility’s location was computed. According to the findings, 40% of the population lives within 500 meters of a UPHCC, 15.25% within 500 meters of a government hospital, and 22.64% within 500 meters of a private hospital. Additionally, a healthcare facility is just 1.5 km away from most of the population. The results clarified the significance of having facilities close to the community, as this would encourage many commuters to engage in active transportation.

https://www.academia.edu/50229893/Measuring_Physical_Accessibility_to_Health_Facilities_A_Case_Study_on_Khulna_City

1. Peter, M. How far is your nearest health facility? - Initiative to Develop African Research Leaders, IDeAL [Internet]. Initiative to Develop African Research Leaders, IDeAL. 2017 [cited 2022 Jul 26]. Available from: https://ideal.kemri-wellcome.org/how-far-is-your-nearest-health-facility/
2. Clayton, T. 10 best Google Maps alternatives in 2022 [Internet]. Rigorous Themes. 2021 [cited 2022 Aug 2]. Available from: https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/best-google-maps-alternatives/
3. Distance matrix API overview [Internet]. Google Developers. [cited 2022 Aug 2]. Available from: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/distance-matrix/overview