Chapter 11 - Long-distance and intercity travel: Who participates in global mobility?

Abstract

Long-distance intercity travel has received less attention in planning and research despite its growing importance and the promise that passive mobile data will at last bring origin and destination flow patterns at the national and international scale. The objective of this chapter is to describe some of the most recent data on long-distance travel by residents of the United States (US). Tabulation of federal public data for miles of travel by mode suggests long-distance travel comprises approximately 30% of the passenger miles in the United States and has been growing over time. Consideration of 2016 survey data in Vermont on unmet travel need and 2017 survey data in California on self-reported long trips indicate that there is unmet demand for long-distance travel and that access, or at least participation, in long-distance travel is inequitably related to income and other factors. This differential access to intercity travel may translate to disadvantage in terms of quality of life or social capital. The use of big data to fill the long-standing gap in long-distance travel runs the risk of ignoring those with the inability to participate in global mobility, thereby demonstrating the disproportionate benefits and contributing negative externalities of long-distance travel. This chapter argues that even with the arrival of large quantities of mobile-device location information, those interested in transport equity must remain dedicated to advocacy for long-distance travel surveys that include person-level socioeconomic measures and trip information.