Analysis of the non-motorized commuter journeys in major Irish cities

Abstract

Non-motorized commuting such as, walking and cycling to work has been recognized as essential in attaining sustainability in urban mobility. Owing to this recognition, in recent years there has been a surge of interest among policy makers and practitioners in promoting non-motorized commuting in Ireland. This paper presents an investigative study to explain the non-motorized mode share of commuter journeys in terms of relevant socioeconomic, transportation and household specific factors in five major cities of Ireland. The non-motorized modes were analyzed using the latest available Irish census data (2006). An overall analysis of the entire study region was conducted along with the development of models specific to each city, gender, distance (under and over 5km) and to the choice between non-motorized modes (walking and cycling) to gain a deeper understanding of the determinants which influence the choice of non-motorized travel mode for commuter journeys. Gender, car ownership and journey distance were revealed by analysis to have the largest effect on the use of non-motorized transport (NMT). Major Irish cities show similar behavior regarding NMT use and nation-wide policy development can be successful, provided some region or city specific differences are incorporated during policy implementation. The developed models are important tools in understanding the effectiveness of the policy interventions in promoting non-motorized travel for utilitarian purposes across the major cities of Ireland.