Use Of Transport Modes Research Articles

Border effects on the travel mode choice of resident and crossborder workers in Luxembourg

We investigate the travel mode choice behaviour of both resident and cross-border workers in Luxembourg. Two categories of mode choice are considered: sustainable (public transport) and unsustainable (single occupancy car use), which both depend on a large set of spatial and sociodemographic variables. In particular, we determine whether and how the borders of the four countries involved (Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Germany) affect this choice. The results of a classical binary logistic regression model show that significant variables depend on the area of residence and that some border effects are relevant in the context of the studied cross-border areas. Moreover, the identification of these various border-effect variables does not require the use of big data processing techniques. Therefore the proposed method can be applied generally to other cross-border areas with an open border context to highlight the effects of border on functional integration. This study is helpful in terms of developing a better understanding of the determinants involved in the use of sustainable transport modes and in supporting decisionmaking to improve transport planning.

Einfluss des Migrationshintergrundes auf die Alltagsmobilität im urbanen Raum

Germany is facing substantial demographic changes. Beside ageing and shrinking there is a growing ethnic diversity due to past and ongoing migration. Migrants and their offspring (people with a migration background) account for a noticeable and growing share of the population. Despite these developments, only very few German transport studies focussed so far on migrants and their mobility behaviour. Therefore, this study examines the mobility behaviour of people with and without a migration background in Offenbach am Main. The results show differences for various mobility indicators such as driving licence, numbers of cars and bicycles per household, cycling ability and the use of different transport modes. Additional multivariate analyses show the main influencing factors for transport mode use. Thus, the study extends the spare empirical knowledge of migrants and their daily urban mobility in Germany.

Cluster Analysis for Diminishing Heterogeneous Opinions of Service Quality Public Transport Passengers

One of the principal measures that public transport administrations are following for reaching a sustainable transportation in the cities consists on attract a higher number of citizens towards the use of public transport modes, by offering high quality services. Collecting users opinions is the best way of detecting where the service is failing and which aspects are been provided successfully. The main problem that has to be faced for analyzing service quality is the subjective nature of its measurement, offering heterogeneous assessments among passengers about the service. Stratifying the sample of users on segments of passengers which have more uniform opinions about the service can help to reduce this heterogeneity. This stratification usually is conducted based on the social and demographic characteristics of the passengers. However, there are more advance techniques that permits to identify more homogeneous groups of users. One of these techniques is the Cluster Analysis, which is a data mining technique that can be used for segmenting the sample of passengers on groups that share some common characteristics, and that have more homogeneous perceptions about the service. This technique has been applied in other fields of transport engineering but it has never been applied for searching homogeneous groups of users with regards to service quality evaluation in a public transport service. For this reason, the aim of this work is to find groups of passengers that perceive the quality of the service in a more homogeneous way, and to apply to this clusters a suitable statistic technique that permit us to discover which are the variables that more influence the passengers’ overall evaluation about the service. The comparison among the results of each cluster will show considerable differences among them and also with the results obtained using the global sample.

Transportation mode usage and physical, mental and social functions in older Japanese adults

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to cross-sectionally examine associations between frequencies of bicycle and motor vehicle travel, physical and mental statuses and social networks. MethodsThis study was conducted from 2009 to 2012 with 629 community-dwelling older adults (73.3±5.2 years old, female 53.7%) in Kasama City, Rural Japan. Travel status, physical activity scale for the elderly, Lubben social network scale and geriatric depression scale were collected via a self-administrated questionnaire. We also calculated a standardized physical function score through physical performance tests. ResultsAfter adjusting for age, gender, education, living arrangement, body mass index and clinical history, we found a positive association between frequency of bicycle and motor vehicle travel and physical activity, social networks and mental status (Trend P<0.05). Physical function was also significantly associated with motor vehicle travel (Trend P<0.05). Additional analysis revealed that older adults who mainly stayed within a walking area were more likely to experience less physical activity and social networking and have diminished mental status and physical function (Trend P<0.05). ConclusionExtending the travel area through use of transportation modes might provide health benefits. Assessing transportation mode usage could improve screening and assistance strategies for people who are physically or mentally frail or lonely.

Modeling the relationships among urban passenger travel carbon dioxide emissions, transportation demand and supply, population density, and proxy policy variables

To support the development of policies that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by encouraging reduced travel and increased use of efficient transportation modes, it is necessary to better understand the explanatory effects that transportation, population density, and policy variables have on passenger travel related CO2 emissions. This study presents the development of a model of CO2 emissions per capita as a function of various explanatory variables using data on 146 urbanized areas in the United States. The model takes into account selectivity bias resulting from the fact that adopting policies aimed at reducing emissions in an urbanized area may be partly driven by the presence of environmental concerns in that area. The results indicate that population density, transit share, freeway lane-miles per capita, private vehicle occupancy, and average travel time have a statistically significant explanatory effect on passenger travel related CO2 emissions. In addition, the presence of automobile emissions inspection programs, which serves as a proxy indicator of other policies addressing environmental concerns and which could influence travelers in making environmentally favorable travel choices, markedly changes the manner in which transportation variables explain CO2 emission levels.

Modeling the Effects of Public Bicycle Schemes in a Congested Multi-Modal Road Network

With increasing concerns about environmental and energy issues in many large Chinese cities, local authorities are introducing public bicycle schemes to promote the use of green transportation modes. This paper proposes a novel model for investigating the effects of the public bicycle schemes in a congested multi-modal road network with auto, bus, and public bicycle travel. The decision-making process of travelers regarding travel modes and route choices is assumed to follow a hierarchical choice structure. The effects of pollution emissions by motorized vehicles (i.e., autos and buses), crowding discomfort in buses, and riding fatigue on bicycles are considered in the proposed model. The multi-modal travel choice equilibrium problem is formulated as an equivalent variational inequality problem. The existence and uniqueness of the solution of the proposed model are examined. A heuristic solution algorithm that combines a diagonalization approach and the method of successive averages is adapted to solve the proposed model. A numerical example is given to illustrate the application of the proposed model and solution algorithm. Findings are reported on the effects of the public bicycle schemes and emission tax policy on the multi-modal transportation system. The optimal public bicycle rental price and emission tax for maximization of social welfare can also be determined by the proposed model.

The role of deliberate planning, car habit and resistance to change in public transportation mode use

Few studies have examined the role of deliberate planning, car habit and resistance to change in relation to transportation mode use. The aim of this study was to examine the relative role of components in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), car habit and resistance to change in use of public transportation. A postal questionnaire survey was carried out in a randomly obtained representative sample (n=1039) of the Norwegian population living in the six largest urban areas of Norway. The sample was randomly recruited from the Norwegian population registry. The results showed that an isolated TPB-model was better fitted to the data than an isolated habit-resistance to change model. The isolated TPB also explained substantially more of the variance in intentions to use public transport compared to the habit-based model. A combined model including the TPB, car habit and resistance to change was also found to have good fit. Within this model, the most important predictor of intentions to use public transport was strong subjective norms of public transportation mode use. Favorable attitudes towards public transport mode use were weakly related to intentions, when car habit and resistance to change were accounted for in the model. Perceived control was not mediated by intentions to use public transport and solely related directly to use. Car habit was a negative predictor of these intentions. It is concluded that car habit is not the sole factor related to intentions of using public transportation and that social cognition and social influence are instrumental in promoting use of such transportation. Use of public transportation seems to partly reflect a planned and deliberate psychological process.

Un enfoque multicriterio para el diseño de una red para el transporte de embarques internacionales

One of the important challenges for manufacturers and distributors of autoparts is the coordination of multiple sourcing areas where their international suppliers are located. The objective of this research is the design of a service transportation network that takes into account the time shipments are held at customs and transshipment terminals, as well as the possible delays due to the use of different transportation modes. To assure the best performance of the whole transportation network, a bi-criteria optimization model was formulated, the two criteria considered were cost and time. The solution to the model was the structure of the transportation network to be used by a manufacturer of auto parts located in the Toluca industrial zone; this firm imports auto parts produced by suppliers located in the United States (E.E.U.U.) and commercializes them among multiple automakers. The structure of the optimization problem was analyzed to obtain a convenient separable arrangement and then the problem was solved by using Lagrangian relaxation. A set of possible efficient solutions for the structure of the transportation network was generated by using the weighting method and the ε-constraint method; the resulting solutions represent the set of best alternatives from which the logistics managers may choose the service network that best attends the needs and logistics performance goals of the firm.

Active transportation and public transportation use to achieve physical activity recommendations? A combined GPS, accelerometer, and mobility survey study.

BackgroundAccurate information is lacking on the extent of transportation as a source of physical activity, on the physical activity gains from public transportation use, and on the extent to which population shifts in the use of transportation modes could increase the percentage of people reaching official physical activity recommendations.MethodsIn 2012–2013, 234 participants of the RECORD GPS Study (French Paris region, median age = 58) wore a portable GPS receiver and an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days and completed a 7-day GPS-based mobility survey (participation rate = 57.1%). Information on transportation modes and accelerometry data aggregated at the trip level [number of steps taken, energy expended, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary time] were available for 7,644 trips. Associations between transportation modes and accelerometer-derived physical activity were estimated at the trip level with multilevel linear models.ResultsParticipants spent a median of 1 h 58 min per day in transportation (8.2% of total time). Thirty-eight per-cent of steps taken, 31% of energy expended, and 33% of MVPA over 7 days were attributable to transportation. Walking and biking trips but also public transportation trips with all four transit modes examined were associated with greater steps, MVPA, and energy expenditure when compared to trips by personal motorized vehicle. Two simulated scenarios, implying a shift of approximately 14% and 33% of all motorized trips to public transportation or walking, were associated with a predicted 6 point and 13 point increase in the percentage of participants achieving the current physical activity recommendation.ConclusionsCollecting data with GPS receivers, accelerometers, and a GPS-based electronic mobility survey of activities and transportation modes allowed us to investigate relationships between transportation modes and physical activity at the trip level. Our findings suggest that an increase in active transportation participation and public transportation use may have substantial impacts on the percentage of people achieving physical activity recommendations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-014-0124-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Managing the safe mobility of older road users: How to cope with their diversity?

Against the background of an ageing population, the management of older people׳s safe mobility is becoming an increasingly important issue. Mobility is vital for older people׳s quality of life and several examples of good practice that support older people׳s safe mobility already exist. However, the older population is increasingly diverse and its different segments have different mobility needs and expectations. This paper has reviewed practices to manage older people׳s safe mobility and identified 29 examples of good practice which fall into six categories. The different kinds of practices were assessed with regard to their suitability for different segments of the older population as identified in previous studies. In addition, we considered whether the needs of certain segments remain unmet. Our study found that most practices target individuals with mobility restrictions and mainly attract groups who are already users and improve their (safe) use of the preferred transport mode. However, they do not seem to succeed in increasing mobility options, e.g. by encouraging car-reliant users to cycle or use public transport or by helping older women to continue to drive. We advise that existing practices should more directly target those segments that would benefit from them the most and be adapted more specifically to these segments׳ needs and preferences. We have identified a complete failure to provide awareness programs to inform older users about the potential benefits of driver assistance systems, a lack of programmes to increase perceived security, as well as a comprehensive scheme for older drivers who have to stop driving.

Securing travel plans through the planning approvals process: A case study of practice from Victoria, Australia

Travel plans can be required for new developments through the land use planning and approvals process. They contain specific measures that can be implemented at a site to reduce car use and encourage the use of more sustainable transport modes. Travel plans have been used in various countries as a requirement of development approval, including the United States, United Kingdom and other parts of Europe. However, the scale of practice in Australia is largely unknown.Using a case study from the Australian state of Victoria, a survey of councils was undertaken to assess the scale of travel planning practice for new developments. Results showed that half of the councils had previously required a travel plan for a new development, with a total of around 100 travel plans secured through the planning process between 2010 and 2012 alone. Key issues facing councils include the lack of any state planning policy that is supportive of travel plans, difficulties with monitoring and enforcement, and general uncertainty regarding effectiveness. Some of these issues could be addressed through the preparation of travel planning guidance specific to new developments, comprehensive training, and changes to planning policy and enforcement practices.Future research is needed to contrast experience with other jurisdictions and to better understand the effectiveness of travel plans at new developments, both in terms of their process and outcomes.

What are the impacts of giving up the driving licence?

ABSTRACTDriving cessation is a gradual process, where driver's self-regulation plays an important role. Age-based licence renewal may interfere with this process and trigger premature driving cessation. The present study compares Danish drivers (aged 69 years at the baseline) who either renewed or gave up their driving licence. Data were collected in 2009 (N=1,792) and in 2012 (N=863). The standardised interviews covered respondents' background information, health and wellbeing, and transportation patterns. Non-renewers had poorer health already at baseline but did become more dependent on others in their activities after giving up their licence. In travel frequency, neither the differences between renewers and non-renewers nor the changes over time within the groups were pronounced. The groups differed in their use of transport modes already at the baseline: the renewers drove, while non-renewers travelled as passengers, used public transport, walked or cycled. Not renewing the licence was a strong predictor of unmet mobility needs, especially in relation to leisure activities. The present study indicates that younger seniors' mobility is not likely to be affected by the strict renewal policies. However, given the positive economic and safety consequences of independent mobility in old age, society should try to prevent unwarranted mobility loss. Having restrictive, ageist policies that moreover fail as societal investments may work against this goal.

An extended theory of planned behaviour model of the psychological factors affecting commuters' transport mode use

The present study tested an extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model within the domain of transport mode choice and identified the most important factors impacting on whether participants drove or used public transport to commute to work. Structural equation modelling of data from 827 participants showed that car use was determined by intention and habit but not perceived behavioural control (PBC), whereas public transport use was influenced solely by intention. The analysis also revealed that TPB variables (attitude, subjective norm and PBC) influenced use of both transport modes indirectly through their effects on intention and habit. In contrast, the incremental validity of variables not contained in the model (moral norm, descriptive norm and environmental concern) was mixed and varied according to transport mode. Theoretical and applied implications of the findings are discussed.

Implication of pedestrians׳ stated preference of certain attributes of crosswalks

Pedestrians in Tanzania face many problems when crossing roads, including safety and convenience, which discourage the use of this important mode of transport. This study was aimed at determining pedestrians׳ preferences of environmental and infrastructural attributes of crosswalks in order to improve the utility of the facilities and mode by promoting elements preferred by the majority of pedestrians. The survey involved interviewing pedestrians and the results indicated that the majority prefer to cross on level ground and medians, with females and younger pedestrians more willing to use non-level crossings. The most preferred viable options for controlling vehicles׳ speed and the crosswalk were humps on either side of the crossing and the use of signals (especially on higher class roads), respectively. The majority considered safety to be the most desirable improvement with females and those on utilitarian trips most in support. Also, pedestrians׳ preference of attributes in relation to different road classes highly agrees with current design principles. It was found that gender, age of pedestrian, purpose of trip and road class affect pedestrian preference and if considered in the planning and design of crossing facilities, they can result in improved safety, convenience and use of this Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) mode.

Enhanced Imputation of GPS Traces Forcing Full or Partial Consistency in Activity Travel Sequences

Imputation of activity travel sequences from GPS data is dominantly based on epoch-level characteristics and land use data. This study showed that the accuracy of GPS data imputation can be improved by enforcing consistencies in transportation mode use across the day. In particular, a new algorithm was proposed to reduce misclassification error in imputed activity travel diaries. The suggested algorithm identified a hierarchical set of tours and superimposed logically consistent transportation modes at the tour level. Three methods, which maintain some degree of consistency while allowing different transportation modes within a tour, were examined. Method 1 identified the most probable transportation mode for each trip episode separately and then compared the modes across all segments of the tour. Method 2 selected the most probable mode across the whole travel episode. Method 3 selected the most likely main mode in the intermediate portion of a tour as the mode in all trip segments. All methods imputed transportation mode based on the highest number of epochs for which the predicted probability of that mode was the highest. The algorithm was examined by using GPS data recently collected in the Netherlands. Results showed that the new algorithm significantly improved the imputation accuracy of transportation modes. The enhanced algorithm, which partly relaxed the strict assumption of consistency, yielded results even closer to reality.

Urban Multimodal Travel Behaviour: Towards Mobility without a Private Car

This paper provides empirical data gathered in the research project City2.e on the motivations and organisation of multimodal transport use of urban car owners and the possible impact of travel demand management to support a mode shift to multimodal mobility. Our results emphasise the growing dominance of multimodal mobility and the declining role of private cars in everyday mobility in dense urban areas. This shows a potential for alternative mobility solutions including car use without owning a car. To fulfil this hypothetical mode shift, it is necessary to implement targeted measures to encourage the use of alternative transport modes and to make car ownership and car use unattractive. The results show the need to re-design the installed parking management in order to support a rethinking of habitualized car use and further car abolishment. The formulated practical recommendations to design combined push and pull travel demand measures were specified according to the identified groups of car owners.

The Academic Literature on Intermodal Freight Transport

It is widely accepted that non-road freight transport is less energy intensive than freight transport by road. The use of other transport modes than truck for long haul freight transport can therefore contribute to more energy efficient transportation systems. As a result, the successful promotion of intermodal transport, using rail or sea on the long haul part, has been identified as the most critical action to achieve a sustainable transport sector. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, we examine the historical development of academic research on intermodal freight transport. Second, we identify the seminal works on the topic. In our analysis we identify and classify the academic literature on intermodal freight transport. This approach has also previously been used to aggregate knowledge about particular fields of research and it aims to be as unbiased as possible by being auditable and repeatable. A timeline on the evolution of the academic literature on intermodal freight transport is presented and the development in publication frequency and topics are commented on in relation to keywords, journals, author affiliations and countries. Publishing frequencies are measured, and reported, both in terms of absolute and relative values. Finally, what is likely the most important and influential papers on intermodal freight transport are identified, using citation frequency.

Methodology for Evaluating Quality of Travel Plans for New Developments

A travel plan contains a package of site-specific measures that aim to manage car use and to encourage the use of more sustainable transport modes. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in using the land use planning and approvals process to secure travel plans for new developments. Although evaluations of travel plans tend to focus on outcomes such as reductions in car use, scant attention has been paid to evaluating the process through which they are developed. For this study, an assessment framework was developed to evaluate the quality of travel plans for new developments. With a case study from Victoria, Australia, the framework was applied to 31 travel plans. Results showed that most travel plans were prepared for residential and mixed use developments and contained measures that were focused primarily on information and infrastructure provision. Relevant background information and the selection of measures generally were covered by travel plans. However, the process for managing their implementation scored relatively low in the assessment in comparison with other elements. Overall, the framework developed provides a useful tool for assessing the relative merits and deficiencies of travel plans prepared for new developments and can be used to improve the quality of travel plans that are submitted through the planning process. Further work is required to refine the framework according to the collective views of travel planning practitioners.

Relationship between Travel-Related Feelings, On-Trip Activities, and use of various Transport Means in Urban Areas

A key issue in contemporary transport research is how to achieve a better balance in the use of various travel means in urban areas, in particular, how to promote the use of both transit and active modes (feet, bicycle). However, such behavioral changes cannot be achieved fully through acting only on the relative performances of the means themselves, for example, in terms of travel times and costs. This study considered some dimensions of the traveling experience–-whether the trip was important only for reaching a destination, whether it was tiring, whether it was pleasant or unpleasant–-and related these aspects to the completion of activities during the trip and to the use of various transport modes. Correspondence analysis and association analysis were jointly developed for some categorical variables of the French National Travel Survey. Such a combined technique uses the strengths of each method and has proved its effectiveness. The method potentially could be used with unstructured and dispersed data sets such as so-called big data sets. The results show that, all else being equal, evaluations often depend more on a person traveling alone or with others than on the travel means used. Previous research results related to the symbolic and affective value of driving were confirmed for traveling alone, whereas the experience of traveling with others as a driver or a passenger was more similar to the use of transit services.

ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING USE OF MOTORCARS IN INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

Trends in transport have been changing and will continue to change over the next few years. A number of issues on the national and international transport scene have driven a need for organisations such as the Universities to further develop a sustainable transport strategy to encourage use of sustainable transport modes to achieve better environmental qualities on-campus. This research highlights the factors influencing the choice of using motorcars among student population for trips on-campus. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to collect data on "trip-makers" and "trip-making" characteristics and "preference to use motorcars as their main travel mode choice". The questionnaires were distributed to the student population who use motorcars oncampus. The total sample size selected was 100 and samples were selected from each Mahallah (hostel) by using stratified sampling method. The factors influencing use of motorcars on-campus was analysed using Pearson Chi- Square, Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient and t-test. The preference of the respondents on the measures that should be implemented to attract students to travel by sustainable transport modes such as walking, cycling, carpooling, or using public transportation are also discussed. The factors such as “year of study”, “vehicle registration status”, “travel time by walking from Mahallah (hostel) to Kulliyyah (faculty)” and “experienced delay time to the Kulliyyah” were found to influence the use of motorcars on-campus. 86% of the respondents were willing to shift from using motorcars to sustainable transportation modes. Recommendations to realize the willingness to shift from motorcars to other travel modes include: formulation of policy by the University authority to reduce the over-dependence on motorcars on campus; provision and management of efficient and effective public transportation services on-campus; provision and improvement of infrastructure to facilitate walking and cycling on-campus and strict enforcement on the use of illegal motorcars on-campus.