Does telecommuting promote sustainable travel and physical activity?

Abstract

Abstract Researchers have explored the efficacy of telecommuting as a travel demand management strategy in the U.S. Conditions under which telecommuting can reduce VMT (vehicle miles traveled) and ease peak-period traffic congestion have been extensively investigated; empirical findings are well documented in the literature. Analysis of the impact of telecommuting on non-motorized travel, public transit use, and physical activity, however, has received relatively less attention in the past. In this paper, I use the 2009 U.S. National Household Travel Survey to explore how telecommuting is associated with usual travel behavior, i.e. walking/bicycling, transit use and driving, as well as with average time spent in daily physical activity. I also compare telecommuters’ travel behavior and physical activity on a typical workday in telecommuting vs. non-telecommuting scenarios. I find that frequent telecommuting (4+ times/month) is associated with 15% more walk trips per week, 56% higher odds of 1+ transit trip per month, 44% higher odds of 30+ minutes of physical activity per day, and 27% higher odds of driving 20,000+ miles per year compared to no-telecommuting scenario. On a typical workday, telecommuting is associated with 41% higher odds of walking/bicycling > 1 mile, 71% higher odds of 30+ minutes of physical activity, 71% lower odds of riding transit, and 3.58 times greater odds of driving