Experimental Evaluation of Information Interventions to Encourage Non-Motorized Travel: A Case Study in Hefei, China

Jichao Geng,Ruyin Long,Li Yang,Getnet Engeda Birhane,Junqi Zhu

doi:10.3390/su12156201

Abstract

This study aims at presenting an experimental evaluation of the different effects of environmental and health information on encouraging car owners to travel on foot and by bicycle. Health information consists of a high and a low target setting. One hundred and forty-six participants in Hefei city reported their travel behaviors in terms of mode, time, and trip before and after the experiment. Their cognitive and emotional processes with regard to the protection motivation theory (PMT) that determine their potential travel behavior changes in response to information intervention are also identified. Three experimental groups and one control group based on a between-group design are adopted and the methodology of paired sample chi-squared tests and stepwise linear regressions are used. The results show that environmental information alone fails to encourage car owners’ non-motorized travel. When health information is added, information intervention can effectively encourage a time increase in walking and cycling as well as a time and trip decrease in car use in the short term. But the long-term effect is not significant after a year and a half. Moreover, there are no significant differences between the high and the low target settings in health information for encouraging non-motorized travel. In terms of PMT constructs, severity has a significant relationship with the change of time or trip on foot and by bicycle. Vulnerability emerges as a non-effective predictor. Reward, self-efficacy, response efficacy, and response cost are more remarkable in predicting the change of time or trip by car. This study recommends that (1) health information with a target setting is superior to environmental information, (2) reduction strategy is potentially superior to transfer strategy to control car usage, (3) policymakers should design intervention strategies relevant to the coping appraisal rather than to the threat appraisal.

Highlights

Nowadays, many developed and developing countries have adopted the concept of travel demand management (TDM) to mitigate the impact of car congestion, pollution, and disease
The experimental results showed that health information played a dominant role in promoting non-motorized travel
Health information in this experiment reported on the things that matter to oneself and gave an objective, specific, measurable, and attainable goal that would teach people what/how they will do to cope with emotions of unrest, such as fear

Summary

Introduction

Many developed and developing countries have adopted the concept of travel demand management (TDM) to mitigate the impact of car congestion, pollution, and disease. Instead of providing more roads and services to cars, many countries have started to promote people’s sustainable travel behavior. The goal is to reduce car use time and distance or to encourage a shift form car to sustainable ways of travel, such as foot, bicycle, and public transport. Non-motorized means including walking and cycling are important ways recommended for short-distance travels from the social, environmental, and health perspectives. Tolls, charges, subsidies, regulations, investments, and technological upgrades, information is one of the important persuasion strategies to promote people’s sustainable travel behavior from the perspective of TDM. Many researchers from developed and developing countries have shown that people’s travel mode and behavior are highly influenced by information, knowledge, awareness, and attitudes [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]

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Discussion

Conclusion