Evaluating Accessibility Within a Multimodal Transport Network: The Case Study of the City of Catania

Decarbonisation policies for the reduction of pollutant emission and the regeneration of urban spaces, especially in high-density population areas, are leading towards greater encouragement in the use of public transport systems to reduce the number of private cars. However, in several contexts, public transport is failing to constitute a real alternative to foster modal shift because the transport supply resulting from the provided service is not able to meet the mobility user’s needs. In this regard, the aim of this study is to evaluate the accessibility within a multimodal transport network through a multilayer approach that integrates socio-demographic variables (i.e. population) and service data (i.e. from GTFS) through integrated spatial analyses using the CityChrone tool. The analysed case study refers to the multimodal transport network of the City of Catania (Italy), which is characterised by a high motorisation rate due to commuting phenomena, albeit by a phase of spreading public transport services. Specifically, the used GTFS were provided by the operator and partly derived and processed from previous transport studies based on macro-simulation models. Obtained results, both graphically and numerical, highlight the inequalities in terms of (i) velocity score and (ii) sociality score deriving from the unequal distribution of public transport services. Low score values are associated with poor coverage and low frequency of the public transport systems. This methodological approach can be helpful in providing support for the reorganization of the public transport system based on human-centered and performance assessments.