Journey Time Analysis

Journey time analysis is a transportation planning and location intelligence technique that measures how long it takes to travel between locations using one or more modes of transport. By computing travel times across a road, transit, or pedestrian networkPedestrian NetworkA Pedestrian Network is the interconnected system of sidewalks, crosswalks, paths, and trails that enables walking wi..., analysts can map the accessibility of any point in a study area and identify gaps in connectivity. The results are typically visualized as isochroneIsochroneAn isochrone is a line or polygon on a map connecting all points reachable from a given location within a specified t... maps, where contour lines or shaded zones show all locations reachable within specified time thresholds, such as 15, 30, or 60 minutes. The analysis relies on detailed network data that encodes road segments, speed limits, turn restrictions, and transit schedules. For public-transit journey times, General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data provides stop locations, route geometries, and timetables, allowing models to account for wait times, transfers, and service frequency. Commercial providers such as HERE, TomTom, and the Google Maps Platform supply real-time and historical traffic data that capture congestion patterns, enabling analysts to compare peak and off-peak travel times. Walking and cycling journey times use pedestrian and bike-network graphs, often derived from OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative, open-source mapping project that creates a free, editable map of the world. B.... Urban planners use journey time analysis extensively for accessibility studies. By mapping how quickly residents can reach employment centers, hospitals, grocery stores, or schools, planners identify underserved areas and prioritize infrastructure investments. Transit agencies rely on journey time metrics to evaluate proposed route changes, measure the impact of new stations, and compare service equity across neighborhoods. Retailers and healthcare providers apply the same techniques during site selectionSite SelectionSite selection is the analytical process of evaluating and choosing optimal physical locations for new stores, facili... to ensure that prospective locations are reachable by their target populations within acceptable travel times. Journey time analysis also plays an important role in equity research. By disaggregating results by income, race, or car-ownership status, researchers can quantify disparities in access to opportunities and essential services. For example, a study might reveal that low-income neighborhoods have significantly longer transit journey times to major employment hubs than wealthier areas with better highway access. These findings inform policy decisions about where to invest in new transit lines, bike lanes, or road improvements. As real-time data sources and cloud-based routing engines become more accessible, journey time analysis is evolving from a static planning exercise into a dynamic monitoring tool. Analysts can now track how travel times fluctuate throughout the day, evaluate the before-and-after effects of infrastructure projects, and feed live accessibility metrics into dashboards used by city managers and logistics operators.