Tumlin, Jeffrey: Sustainable Transportation Planning; Tools for Creating Vibrant,

Healthy, and Resilient Communities (2012).

Station Element: Multimodal Access

Transit in regards to its activity always refers to the process of going from one place
to another. It could be in a form of information, goods, or even the human being
themselves. The concept of transit always refers to words such as: walk, ride, access,
and travel, but then one fundamental questions arises: "What element that makes
everything possible?” The answer, however, lies clearly on the fundamental structure
of the system itself: places and things, or commonly known in the term of transit
station. Planning transit system and planning station areas are two different things, but
still correlates each other and share the same purposes. However, it requires different
approach and mindset about both access and activity.

Succession on station areas planning is not merely created by only supporting the
main activity; it should evoke pleasurable memories of travelling experience instead
of just a normal pass by. The mindset of defining transit stations only as a track and
platform with waiting rooms should be changed in a sense that transit stations serve
more to physical and mental icons. A good station area should generate excitement
towards its user, encourage people to travel and experience the station. In the
contrary, a poorly planned transit area would simply be a place where people arrive
and go in a short span time. They might provide access, but discourage people to use
and create a less desirable waiting time within the station. Correspond to this, station
areas can be planned in a way that it could attract people as they are being invited to
the space and might extend their primary purpose.

Multimodal means various transportation modes availability. Train operates on a rail,

bus on a bus way, cars on a road, bike on bike lanes, pedestrian on sidewalks, and a
multimodal station means to have all those in a one single place. To create a planning,
then, is a way to decide what mode goes where, how well they are going to be
connected, and which one is going to be prioritized.
As it is explained in the basic concept human transit, every individual involved in the
process of transit is essentially a pedestrian. Every trip with any modes always starts
and ends as a pedestrian trip, because essentially the concept of public transpiration is
encouraging people to use collective modes, which made them share the same
characteristic of not being in a private modes. Therefore, planning upon the pedestrian
quality would plays role in defining the whole quality of the transit area itself. To
ensure that every individual that chose to use transit have a desirable experience, there
are some fundamental principles on pedestrian conditions that should be created
within the space. The principles are: safety, security, directness, ease of entry, comfort
and aesthetics.

Next up would be the transit area, which relates to the transfers from one mode to
another. In order to maximize the effectiveness of any transit mode, it is essential to
offer system connectivity. Transit stations, just by defining on its word, is a place
where many transit modes meet, therefore it should provide a space that would create
a convenient transfers between modes. Connecting services would be expressed most
useful by planning for the whole flow patterns that could possibly happens within the
space, seeing how every transfer would have their own dominant flow. However, the
previous principles that is should provided in pedestrian concept should still be
applied in this regards, just as important as providing an ease of access within the
transfers. Since the effectiveness of transfer also cost time, it is also needed to
calculate the following factors that are constantly happening in the transit space:
dwell time, clearance time, and failure rate. This numbers would certainly helps on
providing assessment on the connectivity that is provided in a single transit station.

By any means of multimodal transport, private vehicles connection may also be

included during the planning since it is inevitable and it is the common way for the
people arriving at the station. Things to consider in this regard are the following: kiss
and ride, park and ride, and station parking in general. By taking this consideration to
the planning, it allows planners to look into the connection not only between public
modes, but also upon private mode as well.