Travel Mode Change Research Articles

The spatial development of tourism over eight decades: a Horizon 2050 paper

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show the spatial extent and growth of tourism and its likely patterns as past forces of change are replaced by new pressures to reduce climate change and meet new definitions of success. Design/methodology/approach The approach involves a review of changes that have occurred over the Horizon period with a focus on the spatial spread and development of tourism, using and based on a literature review, past research and personal experience. Likely new developments are identified based on the expected result of influences including climate change mitigation and altered understandings of what is meant by success in tourism. Findings Much of the spatial change in tourism has been evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but in the future, restrictive forces external to tourism may change travel patterns with severe effects on long haul travel and a change in travel mode. Research limitations/implications The research focus needs to produce effective measures of success as understood by all stakeholders in tourist destinations. Alternative destinations will need to replace those long haul destinations no longer available and research needs to refocus on managing rather than solely attracting visitors. Practical implications Long haul destinations will lose market share, destinations will change goals to satisfaction for stakeholders and travel modes will change to lower emission generators. Social implications Destination choice will be reduced, transport modes may be limited and tourism closer to home will become the norm. Originality/value A general overview of this type has not been presented before.

Does high-speed rail mitigate peak vacation car traffic to tourist city? Evidence from China

Tourist travel contributes greatly to transport problems in attractive tourist cities. To take full advantage of high-speed rail (HSR) for alleviating massive car traffic during the peak vacation period, this paper analyses the travel modes of domestic visitors to Shaoxing before and after the operation of HSR. Scenario-based comparison and a random-coefficients structure Mixed Logit (MXL) model with error components were adopted to analyze the travel mode change and the factors explaining tourists’ travel mode choices. Our findings show that the HSR modal share increased substantially at the expense of express buses, more than cars. Also, HSR was found to be less competitive than cars on toll-free days for medium short travel distances. The MXL model results indicate that HSR was more likely to be used over automobiles by young people, females, and one-destination travellers, for longer travel distances, and with high service frequency to Shaoxing. Besides, online booking services were highly associated with HSR use. Driving was favoured over HSR by higher income level groups, when travelling with family or friends, on toll-free national holidays. Current government policy to waive road tolls during the peak holiday period further induced car traffic to tourist cities. When individual taste was considered, tourists showed a similar preference in their valuation of the travel time variable, while were heterogenous in their preference for low per-distance cost. Our findings suggest that the adjustment of the road-toll policy, pre-booking design for targeted tourists, and measures to reduce the total travel time of HSR should be considered to promote HSR as well as impede the use of cars during peak periods. This study offers empirical evidence of achieving effective travel demand management and reducing car dependence through HSR and complementary measures.

Examining the interactions between working from home, travel behavior and change in car ownership due to the impact of COVID-19

COVID-19 has disrupted society and changed how people learn, work and live. The availability of vaccines in the spring of 2021, however, led to a gradual return of many pre-pandemic activities in Massachusetts in the fall of 2021. Leveraging data that were collected using a map-based survey tool in the Greater Boston area in the fall of 2021, this study explores changes in travel behavior due to COVID-19 and investigates the underlying factors contributing to these changes. First, a structural equation modeling technique is developed to capture the interactions between various travel choices, including working from home, travel mode use and change in car ownership. Moreover, attitudinal factors such as risk perceptions and attitudes towards WFH are incorporated into the framework to explain behavior changes. Second, a discrete choice modeling approach is taken to study shifts in commuting mode choices in the fall of 2021. The results show that in the fall of 2021, people became more likely to use their cars to commute, and for those who bought cars during the pandemic, they tended to work on-site more. Our findings can provide planners and policymakers with information upon which to base travel demand management decisions in the post-pandemic era.

Effects of Individual and Built Environmental Features on Commuting Mode Shifts before and after the COVID-19 Outbreak in Guangzhou, China

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on transportation. Understanding how the epidemic in China has affected people’s travel mode choices can help city managers analyze the travel mode of different populations in the postepidemic phase. Based on a travel behavior questionnaire conducted in Guangzhou, China, during the COVID-19 epidemic and points-of-interest data, this study explored the impact of the built environment, travel characteristics, and socioeconomic factors on changes in commuters’ travel modes during the postepidemic phase. We found that gender, age, occupation, the decline in the rate of travel frequency, and built environment characteristics significantly influenced the change in travel mode. When respondents had to give up public transport, those in different professions had different options for alternative means of transportation. The density of residential facilities, bus stations, and government institutions had a more significant impact on the change in the travel mode of commuters. The research results provide a theoretical basis for policy and practice. After the outbreak of a major public health event, urban transport managers and policymakers should consider individual heterogeneity and environmental factors when formulating strategies to address public travel in unconventional situations.

Commuting Habits of the University of Otago Staff

Transport contributes greatly to CO2 emissions in New Zealand. Studies have suggested that this is because there is a great reliance on private cars with reduced incentive to use public or active transport. This research project looks at the current commuting habits of University of Otago employees and the potential barriers or facilitators surrounding a change in travel mode. This will be done by analyzing relevant academic literature which looks at barriers surrounding public transport use nationally and internationally. Data will also be obtained quantitatively through a survey which is sent to all university staff, and qualitatively through focus groups. The three research questions that this study will be conducted through are: What proportion of university employees use different travel modes and what are the reasons for this? What is the potential for mode shift? What are potential barriers or facilitators? Three major themes came up throughout this study and they relate to the frequency of service, waiting time, and travel time. This research seeks to find out how University of Otago staff could be encouraged or facilitated to use public or zero-emission transport. Furthermore, this research supports New Zealand’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 goal.
 Supervised by: Dr Vanessa Beanland & Associate Professor Rebecca McLean, University of OtagoScholarship funded by: Sustainability Office/Psychology Department, University of Otago

Understanding the determinants for predicting citizens' travel mode change from private cars to public transport in China.

Rapid urbanization and motorization have generated increasing social and environmental challenges to the urban transport sector in China, such as traffic congestion, car accidents, air pollution, and global warming. Prioritizing the development of urban public transport system has been adopted as a primary strategy by Chinese government. However, the problems caused by large numbers of private cars are still far from being solved, and the ridership of public transport in China is relatively low. Therefore, the current study proposes a new comprehensive framework by enhancing the norm activation model (NAM) and theory of planned behavior (TPB) with the perceived accessibility to public transport, to better understand the determinants for predicting citizens’ choice of public transport as a sustainable travel mode. An online survey concerning travel mode change was conducted among citizens in Hangzhou, China. Based on 341 valid samples, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to verify the proposed framework. The analytical results confirm that awareness of consequences and subjective norms are the two key constructs for connecting the two theories as a whole. Further, the examination of intention-behavior relationship shows that perceived accessibility to public transport could strengthen the relationship between behavioral intention and actual behavior in using public transport. The findings not only contribute to the development of pro-environmental theories, but also have meaningful implications for governments to develop relevant policies to encourage citizens to use public transport as a sustainable travel mode.

The TROLLEY Study: assessing travel, health, and equity impacts of a new light rail transit investment during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life in extraordinary ways impacting health and daily mobility. Public transit provides a strategy to improve individual and population health through increased active travel and reduced vehicle dependency, while ensuring equitable access to jobs, healthcare, education, and mitigating climate change. However, health safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic eroded ridership, which could have longstanding negative consequences. Research is needed to understand how mobility and health change as the pandemic recedes and how transit investments impact health and equity outcomes.MethodsThe TROLLEY (TRansit Opportunities for HeaLth, Livability, Exercise and EquitY) study will prospectively investigate a diverse cohort of university employees after the opening of a new light rail transit (LRT) line and the easing of campus COVID-19 restrictions. Participants are current staff who live either < 1 mile, 1–2 miles, or > 2 miles from LRT, with equal distribution across economic and racial/ethnic strata. The primary aim is to assess change in physical activity, travel mode, and vehicle miles travelled using accelerometer and GPS devices. Equity outcomes include household transportation and health-related expenditures. Change in health outcomes, including depressive symptoms, stress, quality of life, body mass index and behavior change constructs related to transit use will be assessed via self-report. Pre-pandemic variables will be retrospectively collected. Participants will be measured at 3 times over 2 years of follow up. Longitudinal changes in outcomes will be assessed using multilevel mixed effects models. Analyses will evaluate whether proximity to LRT, sociodemographic, and environmental factors modify change in outcomes over time.DiscussionThe TROLLEY study will utilize rigorous methods to advance our understanding of health, well-being, and equity-oriented outcomes of new LRT infrastructure through the COVID-19 recovery period, in a sample of demographically diverse adult workers whose employment location is accessed by new transit. Results will inform land use, transportation and health investments, and workplace interventions. Findings have the potential to elevate LRT as a public health priority and provide insight on how to ensure public transit meets the needs of vulnerable users and is more resilient in the face of future health pandemics.Trial registrationThe TROLLEY study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04940481) June 17, 2021, and OSF Registries (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/PGEHU) June 24, 2021, prior to participant enrollment.

The socio-ecological determinants of change in school travel mode over the transition from childhood to adolescence and the association with physical activity intensity.

School active travel contributes to young people's physical activity levels, yet the prevalence is low, and declines with age. Based on determinants from the social-ecological model we investigated changes in school travel behaviour over the transition from childhood to adolescence in participants from the baseline and four-year follow-up of the SPEEDY cohort. Descriptive analysis examined how travel behaviours changed and were related to physical activity. Multinomial logistic regression investigated determinants. Some 38% of participants changed travel mode; 66% from active to passive. Passively traveling participants at follow-up showed a decrease in physical activity. Several social-ecological domains were associated with change. Findings suggest multicomponent interventions are required to support active travel in youth.

Associations of active travel with adiposity among children and socioeconomic differentials: a longitudinal study

ObjectivesExamine longitudinal associations between modes of travel to school and adiposity.SettingThe UK.Participants8432 children surveyed at ages 7, 11 and 14 years from the UK Millennium Cohort Study.Primary and secondary outcomesObjective...

Considering Habit in Research on Travel Mode Choice: A Literature Review with a Two-Level Methodology

This study used sources from selected databases to provide an overview of the role of habit in choosing a mode of travel. The articles were selected from two levels. The first included selected studies that considered the psychological aspects of travel mode choice and travel mode change. These created the context for the issues of mode choice and the change of travel mode. The second level was narrower and included studies that were directly focused on the role of habit in travel mode choice or that took the role of habit into account. These studies were used as the core of the review. Subsequently, the topic of habit and travel mode choice was divided into four fields: the theoretical definition of the concept of habit, both in general and in the context of travel mode choice; the theoretical bases of the selected studies; follow-up strategies for transport-mode change; and the measurements and methods used in the field. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) is the most often used theory for explaining the travel mode choice. Other approaches include the Norm Activation Model and the Value Belief Norm Theory. The aim for other approaches is usually to trigger conscious choice processes, but most reaearchers believe that travel mode choices are automatic and habitual when made in a stable context. The Comprehensive Action Determination Model is a promising theoretical integration that may be used in future research. It integrates assumptions of the TPB, Norm Activation Model, theoretical habit conception, and ipsative behaviour theory in order to build on habitual processes, intention processes, situation effects, and personal and social norms. As habit seems to have the most important role in the choice of travel modes and the possible changes, it should also be considered for mode-choice models in the automation era.

Effects of new dock-less bicycle-sharing programs on cycling: a retrospective study in Shanghai

ObjectivesTo examine (1) the effect of new dock-less bicycle-sharing programmes on change in travel mode and (2) the correlates of change in travel mode.DesignA retrospective natural experimental study.Setting12 neighbourhoods in...

Association between innovative dockless bicycle sharing programs and adopting cycling in commuting and non-commuting trips

As a city-level intervention for travel mode, dockless bicycle-sharing programs provide great opportunities to promote bicycle travel in both commuting and non-commuting trips. Our study is the first to quantitatively examine whether dockless bicycle-sharing programs promote changes in travel mode in commuting and non-commuting trips, and to examine the association between change in travel mode and potential correlates. In May 2017, a cross-sectional study with a retrospective assessment was conducted to investigate travel modes before and after the launch of dockless bicycle sharing. A total of 1180 respondents provided complete self-administered questionnaires. After the advent of dockless bicycle sharing, the proportion of cyclists significantly increased from 21.9% to 30.9% in commuting and from 22.1% to 33.6% in non-commuting trips. The potential correlates of adopting cycling included age, living area, access to a public transportation stop/station, surroundings and aesthetics along the bicycle lanes, social norms, and travel mode before the advent of dockless bicycle sharing programs. Furthermore, the potential correlates of adopting cycling in travel mode differed by purpose of trips.

The climate change mitigation potential of Algiers URT through mode shift from the car to rail – assessing CO2 emissions reductions on the basis of savings in fuel consumption

ABSTRACTThis paper attempts to assess the potential of a transport policy to mitigate climate change by assessing the impacts of urban rail transit (URT) investments on travel mode choice and carbon dioxide emission reductions in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria. The objectives are: (1) to assess the extent of travel mode change from private automobiles to rail for commuting trips as an effect of the URT operation; (2) to identify complementary measures which might be adopted to enhance the effect of the URT; and (3) to quantify the CO2 emission reductions on the basis of the fuel saved per person as a result of the travel mode change that occurred, following the IPCC guideline methodologies. A questionnaire survey of the URT users was conducted to observe the behavioural changes. Positive effects of rail projects in terms of attracting car users to the new travel modes have been evidenced, resulting in a significant extent of carbon emission reductions, which signifies a contribution to sustainable urban mobility and climate change mitigation. The findings also show reinforcing effects of both fuel price increases and parking restrictions on mitigating transport-related carbon emissions.

Activity-travel adaptations in response to a tradable driving credits scheme

Although interest in the concept of tradable driving credits (TDC) has increased in recent years, empirical research into the potential effects of such a measure is scarce. The study reported in this paper employed an activity-based approach to investigate drivers’ responses to two distance-based TDC scenarios. Three hundred and eight Dutch frequent car commuters participated in an online stated adaptation experiment in which they recorded their car use for 7 days and, in response to the TDC scenarios, had the opportunity to reorganise their car use pattern, if desired. This paper investigates adaptation behaviours at the trip level. The results show that approximately 30% of trips made for maintenance and leisure-oriented activities were subject to change. In cases of change, a travel mode change was the most preferred adaptation strategy. A mixed logit modelling framework is used to test the effect of a variety of activity/trip attributes, TDC scenario attributes, and individual characteristics on the preference for adaptation alternatives.

Lifestyle, efficiency and limits: modelling transport energy and emissions using a socio-technical approach

It is well-known that societal energy consumption and pollutant emissions from transport are influenced not only by technical efficiency, mode choice and the carbon/pollutant content of energy but also by lifestyle choices and socio-cultural factors. However, only a few attempts have been made to integrate all of these insights into systems models of future transport energy demand or even scenario analysis. This paper addresses this gap in research and practice by presenting the development and use of quantitative scenarios using an integrated transport-energy-environment systems model to explore four contrasting futures for Scotland that compare transport-related ‘lifestyle’ changes and socio-cultural factors against a transition pathway focussing on transport electrification and the phasing out of conventionally fuelled vehicles using a socio-technical approach. We found that radical demand and supply strategies can have important synergies and trade-offs between reducing life cycle greenhouse gas and air quality emissions. Lifestyle change alone can have a comparable and earlier effect on transport carbon and air quality emissions than a transition to EVs with no lifestyle change. Yet, the detailed modelling of four contrasting futures suggests that both strategies have limits to meeting legislated carbon budgets, which may only be achieved with a combined strategy of radical change in travel patterns, mode and vehicle choice, vehicle occupancy and on-road driving behaviour with high electrification and phasing out of conventional petrol and diesel road vehicles. The newfound urgency of ‘cleaning up our act’ since the Paris Agreement and Dieselgate scandal suggests that we cannot just wait for the ‘technology fix’.

Identification of determinants for rescheduling travel mode choice and transportation policies to reduce car use in urban areas

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a qualitative analysis about the determinants related to rescheduling travel mode decisions during the activity scheduling process. Notably, we were interested to study changes between intention and behavior. Data used came from an in-depth Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) follow up survey to habitual drivers carried out during the implementation of a panel survey. An interpretative qualitative method based on Analytic Induction was used to cope with the complex nature of rescheduling decisions and the characteristics of the data. The Theory of Planned Behavior has been used to gain a better understanding of the reasons associated with rescheduling travel mode decisions and to obtain a possible explanation of the phenomena studied. In our sample, 12 codes were identified as the main determinants of travel mode changing. Main reasons for rescheduling a travel mode are different considering gender, age, and the type of travel mode change. Main reasons for changing a nonprivate preplanned travel mode to a private travel mode are different considering the type of travel mode preplanned. New determinants of rescheduling decisions different from those associated with other activity scheduling decisions previously identified emerge when analyzing travel mode changes. A number of important sustainable transportation policies to reduce car use in urban areas are derived from the results of this study.

Using a Responsive Interactive Program to Enhance Daily Travel Feedback

The purpose of this paper is to explore how individuals responded to a robust and interactive daily travel feedback program. Fifty individuals from the Moscow, Idaho area participated in a before-and-after study using an android-based device that continuously logged their physical movement. All participants subsequently received an e-mail each day linking them to a website that showed one to five trips, predicted their mode of travel and trip purpose, and asked specific questions related to their daily travel. Based on the cumulative results of this study, participants reacted favorably to the ease of use, visual feedback, and information related to travel time, associated costs, and energy usage. However, the travel feedback program did not influence a dramatic change in travel behavior or mode during this particular two week study. It is anticipated that the lessons learned with regard to methodology and implementation will provide researchers and practitioners with valuable insight for future travel feedback or user nudging studies.

Is a Change to Active Travel to School an Important Source of Physical Activity for Chinese Children?

This study investigated the association between a change in travel mode to school and one-year changes in physical activity (PA) among children in Hong Kong. Data from 677 children aged 7-10 years (56% boys) who participated in the Understanding Children's Activity and Nutrition (UCAN) study were analyzed. During the 2010/11 and 2011/12 school years, the children wore an accelerometer for a week and their parents completed a questionnaire about the children's modes of travel to school and nonschool destinations. Associations between a change in the mode of travel to school and changes in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) were determined using linear mixed models, adjusting for covariates. Compared with children who consistently used passive travel modes, a change from passive to active travel to school was positively associated with changes in the percentage of time spent in MVPA (b = 1.32, 95% CI = 0.63, 2.02) and MVPA min/day (b = 10.97, 95% CI = 5.26, 16.68) on weekdays. Similar results were found for weekly MVPA. Promoting active travel to school may help to combat age-related decline in PA for some Chinese children. However, maintaining active travel to school may not be sufficient to halt the decreasing trend in MVPA with age.

The value-belief-norm theory, personal norms and sustainable travel mode choice in urban areas

To examine determinants of environmentally significant transport behaviour could contribute to the development of efforts aimed to influence people's travel mode choice in a sustainable manner. Travel mode choices are especially interesting in urban areas where sustainable public transportation is available. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the value-belief-norm theory can explain reported travel mode change in the Norwegian urban population. The results are based on a self-completion questionnaire survey carried out among representative samples in six urban areas in Norway (n = 1043). Using structural equation modelling, values and beliefs explained 58 per cent of the variance in personal norms. Three groups of transport mode users were identified: Frequent users of public transportation, frequent users of a car, and a group of people frequently walking or using bicycle. Both personal norms and situational factors were found to be significant predictors of reported travel mode choice.

Changes in mode of travel to work: a natural experimental study of new transport infrastructure.

BackgroundNew transport infrastructure may promote a shift towards active travel, thereby improving population health. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a major transport infrastructure project on commuters’ mode of travel, trip frequency and distance travelled to work.MethodsQuasi-experimental analysis nested within a cohort study of 470 adults working in Cambridge, UK. The intervention consisted of the opening of a guided busway with a path for walking and cycling in 2011. Exposure to the intervention was defined as the negative of the square root of the shortest distance from home to busway. The outcome measures were changes in commute mode share and number of commute trips — both based on a seven-day travel-to-work record collected before (2009) and after (2012) the intervention — and change in objective commute distance. The mode share outcomes were changes in the proportions of trips (i) involving any active travel, (ii) involving any public transport, and (iii) made entirely by car. Separate multinomial regression models were estimated adjusting for commute and sociodemographic characteristics, residential settlement size and life events.ResultsProximity to the busway predicted an increased likelihood of a large (>30 %) increase in the share of commute trips involving any active travel (relative risk ratio [RRR] 1.80, 95 % CI 1.27, 2.55) and a large decrease in the share of trips made entirely by car (RRR 2.09, 95 % CI 1.35, 3.21), as well as a lower likelihood of a small (<30 %) reduction in the share of trips involving any active travel (RRR 0.47, 95 % CI 0.28, 0.81). It was not associated with changes in the share of commute trips involving any public transport, the number of commute trips, or commute distance.ConclusionsThe new infrastructure promoted an increase in the share of commuting trips involving active travel and a decrease in the share made entirely by car. Further analysis will show the extent to which the changes in commute mode share were translated into an increase in time spent in active commuting and consequent health gain.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-015-0239-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.