STUDY 03
Waiting as Infrastructure
"Treating time spent waiting as part of a city's built environment, not a gap in it."
PUBLISHEDPublic Systems2023
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Context
A study within the Public Systems area of Dr. Okafor's wider research on daily mobility and access to opportunity, conducted in Lagos over Apr–Sep 2023.
The Question
QUESTION
"Is waiting simply empty time, or does it function as an unbuilt piece of infrastructure that shapes a journey?"
Hypothesis
HYPOTHESIS
Where a wait happens — its shelter, visibility of arrival information, and predictability — changes how it is experienced independent of its length.
Method
Data
Findings
Where a wait happens changes how it is experienced, independent of how long it lasts.
MODERATE CONFIDENCEDataset
Sample
6,240 timed waits
Method
Variable
wait setting vs. reported stress
Observation
Waits at stops without shelter or visible arrival information were rated as more stressful than longer waits at better-equipped stops.
What We Know / What We Still Don't Know
WHAT WE KNOW
The physical setting of a wait shapes its cost to the traveller as much as its duration.
WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW
Whether improving wait settings changes actual transit ridership, or only reported comfort.