Explaining the Railheading Travel Behaviour with Home Location, Park ‘N’ Ride Characteristics, and the Built Environment to Strengthen Multimodalism

Abstract

Urban planning is transitioning away from the ‘Predict and Provide’ approach that accommodates automobility and towards the ‘Demand Management’ approach that prioritises alternatives that include active, shared, and public transport and restricts the convenience of automobility. While this transition could prove a sustainable solution for urban mobility, individuals already residing within auto-dependent settings may be unwilling or unable to relocate to high urban density where the alternatives are more viable. As such, restricting the automobility of these individuals potentially leaves them stranded throughout the urban form. The ‘Multimodalism’ approach is a pragmatic alternative that provides Park `n’ Rides, Kiss `n’ Rides, and feeder transit services that ensure everyone has access to rapid public transport yet the approach receives relatively little research attention. As such, researchers, policy makers, and planners are poorly equipped to influence intended multimodal travel behaviours or discourage the unintended such as ‘railheading’ towards more distantly located PnR. In this study, the transport planning and social psychology literature is examined to develop a conceptual model of travel behaviour, and for the first time, railheading behaviour is examined at the metropolitan-scale and explained using the conceptual model. The conceptual model and research findings strengthen the theoretical and empirical foundations for understanding travel behaviour, which in turn supports planning authorities and practitioners in promoting more sustainable transport behaviour, and in preparing for an urban future where Mobility-as-a-Service, ride-hailing, ride-sharing, eScooters, and autonomous vehicles become more integrated and commonplace.