Active Travel Research Articles

Heterogeneity in activity and travel mode patterns of older Indonesians

Older adults aged 50 years and over may experience varied participation levels in out-of-home activities and travel modes, with their ability to walk being a significant factor. However, the heterogeneity of the activity–travel patterns of people at this age, especially in the Indonesian context, is not well understood. Using Yogyakarta as a case study and applying a latent class cluster analysis, this study is the first to categorize older adults’ participation in activities and use of travel modes and to understand the distinct characteristics of older adults. The model results revealed four discrete groups based on older adults’ activity participation and another four discrete groups based on their travel mode use. In the activity participation group, active older adults are the largest group, followed by inactive, working, and very active older adults. Meanwhile, those reliant on their motorized vehicles make up the largest travel mode group, followed by low-cost-vehicle users, captive riders of personal motorcycles, and car users. The model results also reveal that captive riders of personal motorcycles tend to be male and the youngest-old, while smartphone users are more likely to belong to the car users group. Walking ability constraints also significantly affect heterogeneity in older adults’ activity and travel mode, where those with no constraints on their ability to walk tend to be categorized as active older adult car users. The findings of this study may help policymakers identify older people with particular activity patterns and travel modes and develop policies to accommodate their mobility needs.

Social support and travel: Enhancing relationships, communication, and understanding for travel companions

AbstractThis study explores the multifaceted relationship between travel patterns and mental health (MH) in China, offering a novel integrative approach that synthesizes various factors such as mode of transportation, cultural distance, financial implications, and trip planning. Utilizing a descriptive research design, 622 tourists were surveyed using a pen‐and‐paper questionnaire at designated tourist destinations in China. Findings reveal that travel positively influences MH by providing new experiences, socialization, and relaxation, leading to reduced stress and improved well‐being. Duration, frequency, and active travel modes are associated with better MH outcomes. Solo travel fosters personal growth, while group travel enhances social support. Natural environments offer greater MH benefits than urban settings, and leisure travel surpasses work‐related trips in promoting MH. Greater cultural distance, poor trip planning, and financial burdens negatively impact MH. This comprehensive framework offers insights into public health and tourism policies, advancing the understanding of how travel elements collectively influence MH.

Feature pyramid biLSTM: Using smartphone sensors for transportation mode detection

The wide utilization of smartphones has provided extensive availability to Inertial Measurement Units, providing a wide range of sensory data that can be advantageous for transportation mode detection. This study proposes a novel end-to-end approach to effectively explore a reduced amount of sensory data collected from a smartphone, aiming to achieve accurate mode detection in common daily traveling activities. Our approach, called Feature Pyramid biLSTM (FPbiLSTM), is characterized by its ability to reduce the number of sensors required and processing demands, resulting in a more efficient modeling process without sacrificing the quality of the outcomes than the other current models. FPbiLSTM extends an existing CNN biLSTM model with the Feature Pyramid Network, leveraging the advantages of both shallow layer richness and deeper layer feature resilience for capturing temporal moving patterns in various transportation modes. It exhibits an excellent performance by employing the data collected from only three out of seven sensors, i.e., accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers, in the 2018 Sussex-Huawei Locomotion (SHL) challenge dataset, attaining a noteworthy accuracy of 95% and an F1-score of 94% in detecting eight different transportation modes.

THE PREVALENCE OF MOTION SICKNESS IN YOUNG ADULTS OF MYSORE, KARNATAKA

Background: Motion sickness is a common condition characterized by symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and vomiting, triggered by movements during travel or other activities. Despite its impact across all ages, there is lack of studies in the prevalence among 18– 28 years individuals.Understanding its effects on the quality of life and productivity is crucial for developing effective interventions. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of motion sickness among age 18 –28 years. Methods:A convenient sampling approach was employed, involving 562 participants (463 females, 99 males), aged 18 - 28 years from various departments of JSSAHER. Participants completed the Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire (MSSQ) short form to assess their susceptibility. Additionally, the Motion Sickness Assessment Questionnaire (MSAQ) was administered at the end of travel to evaluate the severity of symptoms experienced by them. Results:In this study of 562 participants (463 females, 99 males), 71.4% mild, 27.8% moderate, and 0.9% severe. The mean age was 19.89 years. There was no significant association between gender and motion sickness severity (p = 0.264), but age showed a significant correlation with motion sickness severity (p = 0.014). Linear regression indicated a weak positive relationship between age and motion sickness score (Beta = 0.196, p < 0.05), explaining 3.9% of the score variability. Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of motion sickness that impacts young adults quality of life and occupational performance. Currently, there is no permanent solution, highlighting further research and intervention strategies.

Rainfall impacts on urban route choices by private vehicle users: insights from São Paulo, Brazil

Urban drivers frequently experience challenges posed by adverse weather conditions like heavy rain. Despite the influence of these conditions on individual travel behaviour, there is limited understanding of how various aspects of rainfall affect the route choices in urban trips. In this context, this paper aims to evaluate the impacts of different rainfall conditions on the route choice behaviour of private vehicle users. We propose a method to identify the specific routes taken by drivers, utilizing observed trips reproduced from a large-scale dataset containing license plate information recognized by speed device cameras. Path Size Multinomial Logit models penalizing routes that share common links were estimated based on a choice set comprised of routes with a maximum similarity threshold. Distance and the actual travel times in the routes were estimated using real-world data from a third-party company, and cumulative, average and maximum rainfall through each route of the choice set were obtained from data captured by meteorological radar. A case study in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, considered the average and maximum rainfall intensities, distance, and travel time in different models. The results indicate that both average and maximum rainfall intensities negatively impact the utility of routes. This research enables the identification of routes with the highest probabilities of being chosen during intense rainfall. Such information is valuable for implementing measures to minimize the impacts caused by adverse weather conditions in urban trips.

Jointly modelling activity start time, travel mode, companionship, and destination location choices

Activity-travel decisions, including time use (i.e. activity start time), travel choices (i.e. mode and companionship), and destination location choices are interdependent and complex in nature. They are often controlled by observed factors such as sociodemographic, vehicle ownership, built environment, land use, and unobserved factors like attitude, preference, or habits which typically are not captured in the survey data. To accommodate these complex interactions and capture trade-offs among the time use-travel-land use choices, this study proposes a joint discrete choice model by introducing unobserved factors that are common to them. The model results confirm the presence of complex interdependencies among these choice dimensions. In addition, this study highlights the contribution of observed and unobserved factors introduced in the model by calculating the total variance of utility differences. Lastly, this study provides behavioural insights on the activity-travel patterns, which can be further used to develop robust travel demand management policies.

Unpacking the perceived cycling safety of road environment using street view imagery and cycle accident data

Cycling, as a routine mode of travel, offers significant benefits in promoting health, eliminating emissions, and alleviating traffic congestion. Many cities, including London, have introduced various policies and measures to promote ’active travel’ in view of its manifold advantages. Nevertheless, the reality is not as desirable as expected. Existing studies suggest that cyclists’ perceptions of cycling safety significantly hinder the broader adoption of cycling. Our study investigates the perceived cycling safety and unpacks the association between the cycling safety level and the road environment, taking London as a case study. First, we proposed novel cycling safety level indicators that incorporate both collision and injury risks, based on which a tri-tiered cycling safety level prediction spanning the entirety of London’s road network has been generated with good accuracy. Second, we assessed the road environment by harnessing imagery features of street view reflecting the cyclist’s perception of space and combined it with road features of cycle accident sites. Finally, associations between road environment features and cycling safety levels have been explained using SHAP values, leading to tailored policy recommendations. Our research has identified several key factors that contribute to a risky environment for cycling. Among these, the “second road effects,” which refers to roads intersecting with the road where the accident occurred, is the most critical to cycling safety levels. This would also support and further contribute to the literature on road safety. Other results related to road greenery, speed limits, etc, are also discussed in detail. In summary, our study offers insights into urban design and transport planning, emphasising the perceived cycling safety of road environment.

Kesiapan Rumah Sakit Indonesia Menghadapi Kompetensi Medicaltourism Di Asiatenggara

Medical tourism or health tourism is a travel activity to get health services. Many Indonesian citizens choose to seek treatment abroad because Indonesia does not have a good health industry. This of course causes a reduction in state revenues in the health and tourism sectors. The writing of this article aims to determine the factors that influence people's interest in seeking treatment abroad so that they can be input for hospitals in Indonesia to be able to compete against medical tourism which is growing rapidly in Southeast Asia. The method used is to review the articles obtained from the database using inclusion criteria and keywords. The results obtained indicate that the factors that attract patients to get services in hospitals are high quality services, served by communicative medical personnel and staff, competent with international expertise and reputation, with short service times and affordable prices, availability of clear information, as well as safe and quality treatment outcomes.

Enabling Self-Practice of Digital Audio–Tactile Maps for Visually Impaired People by Large Language Models

Digital audio–tactile maps (DATMs) on touchscreen devices provide valuable opportunities for people who are visually impaired (PVIs) to explore the spatial environment for engaging in travel activities. Existing solutions for DATMs usually require extensive training for the PVIs to understand the feedback mechanism. Due to the shortage of human resources for training specialists, as well as PVIs’ desire for frequent practice to maintain their usage skills, it has become challenging to widely adopt DATMs in real life. This paper discusses the use of large language models (LLMs) to provide a verbal evaluation of the PVIs’ perception, which is crucial for the independent practice of DATM usage. A smartphone-based prototype providing DATMs of simple floor plans was developed for a preliminary investigation. The evaluation results have proven that the interaction with the LLM could help the participants better understand the DATMs’ content and could vividly replicate them by drawings.

Hyperpolarization-activated currents drive neuronal activation sequences in sleep

Sequential neuronal patterns are believed to support information processing in the cortex, yet their origin is still a matter of debate. We report that neuronal activity in the mouse postsubiculum (PoSub), where a majority of neurons are modulated by the animal's head direction, was sequentially activated along the dorsoventral axis during sleep at the transition from hyperpolarized "DOWN" to activated "UP" states, while representing a stable direction. Computational modeling suggested that these dynamics could be attributed to a spatial gradient of hyperpolarization-activated currents (Ih), which we confirmed in exvivo slice experiments and corroborated in other cortical structures. These findings open up the possibility that varying amounts of Ih across cortical neurons could result in sequential neuronal patterns and that traveling activity upstream of the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit organizes large-scale neuronal activity supporting learning and memory during sleep.

The Synergistic Effect of Urban Economic, Social and Space Factors on Residential Carbon Emissions: A Case Study on Provincial Capitals in China

Within the context of China’s commitment to carbon reduction goals, particularly in urban areas, addressing carbon emissions stemming from residents’ travel activities assumes paramount significance. Drawing upon established theoretical frameworks, this study advances several hypotheses delineating the determinants of low-carbon behaviors among urban residents. It analyzes panel data from 30 provincial capitals in China using a time–individual dual fixed effects model. This study empirically scrutinizes the posited theoretical model, aiming to elucidate the factors shaping urban residents’ low-carbon behavioral patterns and provide a decision-making basis for low-carbon construction and management of urban space. The findings underscore several notable associations. The disposable income, population density, and urban built-up areas exhibit significant positive correlations with carbon emissions among residents. Conversely, the urban gross domestic product (GDP) displays a significant negative correlation with carbon emissions. Furthermore, a positive correlation is discerned between the expanse of green spaces and the per capita carbon emissions intensity, while the availability of subway systems exhibits a negative correlation with both the per capita public green space area and the carbon emissions intensity. Notably, the configuration intensity of urban bus systems manifests an inverted U-shaped relationship with residents’ carbon emissions intensity. Specifically, within a certain threshold, an escalation in the bus equipment intensity coincides with heightened carbon emission intensity; however, beyond this threshold, a notable reduction in the per capita carbon emissions intensity ensues. Additionally, a U-shaped relationship is observed between the number of urban parks and residents’ carbon emissions intensity, indicating that an increase in parks may not necessarily contribute to carbon reduction efforts. Moreover, a discernible synergy is observed among various factors influencing carbon reduction efforts. These factors encompass residents’ education levels and disposable incomes, the presence of subway and regular public transportation systems, urban land utilization scales, economic development levels, green space provisions, public transportation infrastructure, population densities, and land equilibrium. This interplay underscores the interconnectedness and interdependence of diverse variables in shaping strategies for mitigating carbon emissions within urban contexts.

MODERN STATE OF SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL TOURISM

The article explores the concept of sports and recreational tourism. It defines the basic characteristics and goals of sports and recreational tourism, analyzes its varieties and functions. Various approaches to defining this concept are examined, and typical features and peculiarities are identified. The classification of sports and recreational tourism contributes to a more in-depth study of its modifications, determining key development trends and characteristics, and facilitates the systematization of knowledge for a deeper understanding of the essence of sports and recreational tourism. Health and sports activities are one of the most accessible and widespread forms of recreation. Its role will continue to grow, considering the objectively determined decrease in physical mobility and activity among people due to the nature of the development of modern society. Sports tourism is a component of modern tourism, the most active and dynamic part of tourist activity based on communal principles. Sports tourism is also a type of sport that includes various active tourist activities, sports hikes of all difficulty levels, championships, and competitions in all types of sports tourism (hiking, skiing, mountain, water, cycling, motorcycle, car, spelunking, and sailing), complex events, and expeditions. This type of tourism not only offers the opportunity to travel but also involves engaging in sports, preserving and improving health while deriving pleasure from active recreation. One of the key characteristics of sports and recreational tourism is the variety of activities that can be involved in this type of travel. This may include cycling tourism, hiking, water sports, mountaineering, skiing resorts, kayaking or canoeing, snowboarding, and many other activities. This variety provides the opportunity to choose sports activities according to physical abilities and personal preferences. The second key component of sports and recreational tourism is its promotion of a healthy lifestyle. The activities offered by this type of tourism contribute to physical fitness improvement, health preservation, and overall well-being. It allows people not only to relax but also to maintain and improve their health, deriving satisfaction from activity and new travel experiences. Moreover, sports and recreational tourism contribute to understanding among people and create a favourable atmosphere for interaction and joint activities. Travellers who choose this type of journey often travel in groups, where they interact, support each other, and collectively achieve sports goals. This also contributes to the formation of new friendships and team relationships. With the development of infrastructure, sports and recreational tourism become more accessible and popular for the public. This type of travel offers the opportunity to combine the pleasure of relaxation and activity, preserving and improving health, and provides unforgettable travel experiences. Key words: tourism, sports and recreational tourism, sports tourism, functions of sports and recreational tourism, types of sports and recreational tourism.

Tourist lifestyle: Food and travel activities at a gastronomy destination in Türkiye through the mediating role of destination familiarity

Tourist lifestyle: Food and travel activities at a gastronomy destination in Türkiye through the mediating role of destination familiarity

Diverse experiences by active travel for carbon neutrality: A longitudinal study of residential context, daily travel and experience types

Two key goals for sustainable spatial planning are to promote low-carbon travel in daily life and to enhance human wellbeing through diverse human-environment interactions. Yet, the integration of these goals has been underexplored. This study investigates the potential for experiential diversity via active travel in different residential contexts within the Gävle city-region, Sweden. Over 15 months, we collected spatiotemporal data from 165 participants, analyzing 4,362 reported experiences and 13,192 GPS-derived travel trajectories. Our analysis uncovered a significant spatial discrepancy: while the travelled distances to locations of positive experiences typically ranged from 1.5 km to 5 km, active travel predominated only within 1.5 km. This discrepancy persisted across urban, suburban, and peripheral contexts. Although residents in different contexts reported the same types of experiences, urban dwellers travelled about 50 % farther for nature experiences compared with other positive experiences, whereas peripheral dwellers travelled twice the distance for urbanicity experiences compared with other positive experiences. Consequently, urban residents mostly relied on active travel for urbanicity experiences and motorised travel for nature experiences, with the reverse trend observed among peripheral dwellers. These results illustrate the importance of spatial scale for promoting diverse positive experiences via active travel, regardless of residential context. Effective planning strategies may include enhancing environmental diversity near homes and developing infrastructure that favours active over motorised travel for short to moderate distances.

Active life–active mind? Associations between active travel and cognitive functions across the lifespan: a systematic review

Active life–active mind? Associations between active travel and cognitive functions across the lifespan: a systematic review

О перспективах совершенствования правового регулирования и организации публичной власти в сфере туризма в Российской Федерации. Опыт правового моделирования

The publication is dedicated to the issues of raising the quality of the legal regulation and efficiency of the structure and operations of public government authorities in the tourism sphere in the Russian Federation. The article analyzes the main results of law-making activities, studies approaches towards systematization of laws on travel activities and proposals for improvement of public administration in the tourism sphere that have become the basis for corresponding conceptual models.

Travel behaviour changes among post-secondary students after COVID-19 pandemic – A case of Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Canada

Recent research has reported travel behaviour changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speculatively, these short-term disruptions in travel may lead to new habit formation and longer-term travel behaviour changes among young adults belonging to generations Y and Z. Focusing on post-secondary students within Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Canada and using longitudinal data collected in fall 2019 and spring 2022, our exploratory study examined the post-COVID-19 travel behaviour changes and analyzed whether these changes are associated with their socio-demographic characteristics and life events experienced over the course of pandemic. Results show that many public transit users and active travellers (pedestrians and cyclists) switched to cars for commuting post-pandemic. The post-pandemic retention of public transit use was lower compared to cars, while active transportation modes had the lowest post-pandemic retention rate. Some socio-demographic characteristics such as age, living situation, work hours and access to cars were significantly associated with these changes. In terms of life events, students who joined workforce after completion of education between 2019 and 2022 were more likely to shift their commute mode from public transit to cars, implying some influence of this life event on commute mode changes, in addition to pandemic-induced changes. Our findings suggest that the post-pandemic commute mode changes observed among young adults in the GTHA may not be a result of only COVID-19 pandemic and may also be partly associated with important life events that they experienced over the course of pandemic. Future transportation planning and policy implications, and directions for future research have been discussed.

Determinants of Quality of Life for People with Disabilities Using Panel Data Analysis

ABSTRACT This research aims to examine the determinants of the quality of life for people with disabilities using panel data. Through a review of the extant literature, this research proposes five attributes to account for differences in the quality of life for people with disabilities: social participation, cultural activity participation, travel, employment, and stress. For the data collection, this study employed the Panel Survey of Employment for people with disabilities data from 2016 to 2018, which is published by the Korea employment agency. In total, there are 11,467 valid observations available. This study implemented descriptive statistics, correlation matrix, and econometric analysis for the archival data analysis. The results indicate that the quality of life of a person with a disability is enhanced by participation in social, cultural activities, travel, and employment; meanwhile, the quality of life for people with disabilities is negatively influenced by stress. This study presents relevant implications given the results of the data analysis.

Modelling cycling to school in Finland

Active travel to school is an important contributor to the physical activity levels of children and adolescents and the source of many health benefits. In this work, we model cycling to school in Finland. The probability to cycle on a given trip is modelled using a binary logistic regression model based on trip length, average route gradient, the cyclist’s gender, and age. Variables denoting the city regions were also included to account for differences in cycling cultures and infrastructure. In addition, weather variables were added as cycling levels in Finland are highly dependent on the season. Air temperature and the presence of snow were found to reflect well the observed seasonal variations. The observed influence of winter conditions on trip distances and the cycling of girls is also replicated in the model through interaction terms. This model is employed to explore two sustainable mobility scenarios: a scenario where the cycling of girls increases to the same level as that of boys and a scenario where all school children cycle as much as those living in Oulu, Finland’s top cycling region. Our results suggest that it would be possible to increase the number of trips by bicycle and cycled mileage significantly, up to 76 % in the Oulu scenario, even though school children already cycle much more than the general population.

Promoting adolescent girls' active school travel in Ghana: Contextualizing health belief model and theory of planned behavior

In recent years, efforts to promote safer active school travel (AST), i.e., walking and cycling behaviors in girls, have heightened in light of huge gender disparities in micromobility adoption. In developing countries where transport infrastructure is not advanced, and AST adoption is influenced by societal perceptions, theorizing empirical studies will help better explore and understand the travel needs of girls for effective planning. This study investigated the factors influencing AST behaviors of 232 adolescent girls in primary, junior, and senior high schools based in Sunyani Municipality, Ghana. A novel combination of the Health Belief Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior was employed to formulate a conceptual model that was evaluated using SEM-MIMIC modeling. Results revealed that age plays a significant role in AST preferences, with younger girls favoring walking and older girls showing interest in cycling. Interventions can capitalize on this to promote cycling habits during the transition to senior high school. Moreover, environmental attitudes have the most decisive influence on the perceived social benefits of AST, while perceived parental support positively impacts safety self-efficacy. Together with perceived parental support, safety self-efficacy, and distance/accessibility barriers, they significantly influence girls' intentions to use active transportation. Authorities can adopt proposed targeted interventions such as the walking school bus and bicycle train concepts to make AST more attractive to girls.