Emiri KAKOI

Evaluation of Michi-no-Eki Facilities by Analytic Hierarchy Process and Study of Expansion Measures

Kazushi SANO

 This study evaluates Michi-no-Eki from both the demand and supply aspects. 
We evaluate the facilities by calculating the evaluation value for the supply of facilities at Michi-no-Eki. In addition, for the functions for which the provision of facilities is insufficient in relation to the demand, we will study the expansion of the Michi-no-Eki to improve the supply score to the same level as the demand.
 First, a questionnaire survey of Michi-no-Eki managers was conducted to confirm the status of the facilities provided by Michi-no-Eki and to understand the functions and facilities that they consider important when developing them. As a result, many Michi-no-Eki managers considered it important to focus on "stopover" and "stay" type users as the purpose of maintenance. The calculation of facility importance was analyzed using AHP. As a result, the importance of the facilities listed in the Michi-no-Eki registration requirements was higher. In addition, a questionnaire survey of Michi-no-Eki users was conducted in order to understand the differences in perception between Michi-no-Eki and its management. Most of the Michi-no-Eki users' purposes were to rest and shop for souvenirs. The analysis of the importance of the facilities showed that the dispersion of users was low and that there was no significant difference in the level of importance among the facilities. However, for the functions with relatively high dispersion ratios, there was no significant difference in perception between managers and users.
 Next, using the location potential of Michi-no-Eki, we analyzed the supply-demand gap at each Michi-no-Eki. Most of the Michi-no-Eki that were over-supplied were those that were developed based on their characteristics, such as being a highway oasis or having many tourists. After the supply-demand gap analysis, expansion and improvement were considered for Michi-no-Eki that were judged to have low supply for each function, and the cost of improvement was calculated. The results showed that the functions of providing information on transportation and traffic connections could be developed more efficiently than other functions. In addition, the number of cash register counts was analyzed to determine the extent to which the expansion of facilities would increase the number of users. More than half of Michi-no-Eki stations were expected to increase the number of cash register counts, suggesting the usefulness of facility expansion.