The South African Institute of Civil Engineering, Durban Branch presented Sumashni Moodley, Senior Traffic Engineer at Pink Africa, with a “Commendation for a Masters Dissertation in a Transport Field at a South African University”. The Dissertation is titled “DEVELOPMENT OF A MULTI-MODAL INTEGRATION INDEX FOR MEASURING PASSENGER NEEDS AND PRIORITIES AT INTERMODAL INTERCHANGES” and was completed at the University of Pretoria.
The aim of the dissertation research proposal was to develop a single multi-modal integration index which incorporates the various needs and priorities of passengers at intermodal interchanges.
In a South African context, relatively little research has been conducted on passenger needs at interchanges. Whilst there are studies available on improving transfer facilities from an operator’s perspective, it is evident that there are shortcomings relating to intermodal transfer facilities design from a South African public transport user’s perspective.
The daily users are the ones who receive the services offered at the transfer facilities and therefore will have specific requirements. Therefore, their input must be considered and prioritised when designing transfer facilities. To this end, it is necessary that the requirements of public transport users are considered and prioritised in the design of intermodal facilities given that passengers are the key focus element in the public transport system.
The link to the dissertation presentation can be found on the SAICE Transport website https://saicetransportation.org.za/events/