Young Commuters Research Articles

A retrospective registry analysis of the transport‐related health burden of wheeled recreational devices in Queensland, Australia

ObjectiveEvaluate injury patterns from wheeled recreational devices (WRD) in the public space and explore risk factors for hospital admission. MethodA cross‐sectional analysis of WRD injury prevalence and risk factors for hospital admissions was conducted using data from the Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit (QISU) database for 2007 to 2017. Descriptive statistics and a log‐binomial regression model were used to calculate adjusted relative risk for hospital admission. ResultsMost WRD injury in the public space was related to stand‐alone WRD injury events such as falls, with few reported WRD users being hit by vehicles from 2007 to 2017. Stand‐alone WRD injury events had a higher independent risk of hospital admissions when injured in the head/neck/face (RR 2.08, 95%CI 1.6 to 2.8, p<0.001), and when the injury was a fracture (RR 2.57, 95%CI 2.1 to 3.3, p<0.001) or a brain injury (RR 3.19, 95%CI 2.5 to 4.1, p<0.001). ConclusionHead, brain and facial injuries and fractures are leading preventable factors for hospital admissions due to WRD injury. These types of injuries generate a preventable burden to the health system. Implications for public healthThe results support the need to consider legislation regarding mandatory helmet use for non‐motorised WRD when used on public roads and footpaths, while further research is conducted. This strategy could reduce the long‐term health outcomes associated with head, face and brain injury in young commuters.

Transport preferences and dilemmas in the post-lockdown (COVID-19) period: Findings from a qualitative study of young commuters in Dhaka, Bangladesh

At the start of the pandemic in early 2020, many cities went to complete or partial lockdown to minimize the mass transmission of COVID-19. Consequently, personal travel patterns have changed throughout the world. This study explores the transport mode preferences and associated dilemmas that commuters face in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in the post-lockdown period. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews of 20 young commuters residing in Dhaka. We followed a deductive reasoning approach, and the transcriptions were analyzed following thematic analysis. Findings suggest that despite the perceived high risk of COVID-19 transmission in certain modes, all commuters don’t have the ease and flexibility to switch to their preferred safer mode, with commuters trading-off between health risk, affordability and availability of suitable modes, along with other challenges. However, the country’s sustainable goals can still be achieved if proper actions, such as removing the challenges commuters face while switching to a sustainable and safe mode during COVID-19 are taken.

Mainstreaming Photo- and Video-Based Documentation as Method for Establishing a Level of Service Framework for the Mumbai Suburban Railway System

The city of Mumbai has grown at an unprecedented rate, increasing the burden of mobility on its core public transport system, the Mumbai suburban railway network. The system is likely failing from “over-optimization,” with stations not designed to cater to the needs of a rapidly growing city, which has led to a steady surge in fatalities over the years, primarily in the metropolitan region beyond the city limits. Besides fatalities, research indicates that crowding has led to extreme fear and insecurity, especially in women and young commuters, with inappropriate behavior by fellow passengers causing them extreme discomfort. There is a need to decongest the Mumbai suburban rail network across the system and to gain a better measure of the extent of crowding in and around transit facilities. Concepts such as level of service (LOS) from the vantage point of crowding science can be used to address this need. However, there are two critical challenges. First, concepts developed in the Global North are inadequate to deal with the kind of commuter densities and complexities typical of cities like Mumbai. Secondly, conventional data gathering methods have proved to be time consuming, costly, and too inflexible to capture dynamic commuter behavior critical to the science of crowd management. This paper aims to address these two challenges by articulating a set of “inquiries” that can inform a localized framework and share learnings from the application of basic video and image processing. Thus, it proposes dynamic data capture methods that inform and enable a scientific planning process.

Understanding Young Commuters’ Mode Choice Decision to Use Private Car or Public Transport from an Extended Theory of Planned Behavior

The research examines young commuters’ (age 18–25 years) decision-making process in choosing a mode to commute. The study presented here characterized young commuters’ travel decisions in relation to choosing to use a private car or public transportation for commuting travel. To contribute to greater understanding, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used to investigate commuting mode choice, particularly from a social-psychological perspective. Disaggregated travel data was collected from an in-depth survey of young commuters ( n = 3171) who lived in inner and metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Respondents were clustered based on their usual commuting mode (private car or public transportation). The questionnaire was designed to capture information on young commuters’ attitudes toward their commuting mode, social environment, and travel behavior. Linear regression analysis and binary logistic regression were used to predict intention to choose a commuting mode and the actual mode choice, respectively. Results suggest that young commuters who used a private car held a positive attitude toward the mode. On the contrary, public transportation users had few positive beliefs about commuting by public transportation. Convenience and flexibility were the most valued advantages that the private car offers as a commuting mode. For public transportation users, reliability of the commuting mode was more important than other factors, but they did not agree that public transportation provides reliability. The paper includes a discussion on how the implications of these results can influence government policies and strategies in an effort to increase commuting by public transportation.

Understanding the determinants of young commuters’ metro-bikeshare usage frequency using big data

This paper examines the determinants of young commuters’ frequency of using public bikes as a feeder mode to/from metro. Using three-week metro- and public bike- smart card data from Nanjing, 1,154 metro-bikeshare commuters aged 18–35 were extracted. As possible factors influencing the use of the combined mode, individual and household socio-demographics, travel-related attributes and built environment characteristics were extracted from multi-source data. A negative binomial regression model was used to examine the effects of these factors on usage frequency. We found that young commuters are the biggest group using metro-bikeshare system. They use public bikes frequently to transfer to/from metro when the cycling time is less than 10 min and the transfer happens during the morning peak. Built environment characteristics also influence usage frequencies, with high-density bike facilities being related to higher cycling rates in inner areas, and residential /employment locations related to lower rates of cycling in the core areas. This suggests that different measures and policies designed to encourage the integrated use of metro-bikeshare should be put forward for different regions.

Modeling demand for ridesourcing as feeder for high capacity mass transit systems with an application to the planned Beirut BRT

Ridesourcing (Uber, Careem, Lyft, …) is emerging as a main player in the transportation industry. However, its relation to mass transit remains ambiguous, with divided opinions on its complementarity or substitutive effect towards high capacity public transportation systems. This study examines the integration of ridesourcing and transit, particularly focusing on modeling the demand for mass transit when ridesourcing is used as an access or egress mode to mass transit. It extends the existing literature on the integration of transit and new mobility concepts by providing a modeling framework that incorporates all stages of multi-modal trips such as those that involve using mass transit. A mixed logit with error component structure is presented to capture correlations in unobserved factors across multi-modal alternatives sharing similar modes at certain stages. The framework incorporates uni-modal and multi-modal travel alternatives and distinguishes between access, main mode, and egress stages without applying constraints on possible combinations. An application to Beirut’s planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, performed on a data set of 392 respondents, reveals that ridesourcing as a feeder mode is mostly popular with young commuters while also being perceived as more reliable than feeder buses and jitneys. Awareness and familiarity are major drivers for the service implying higher potential in the future. A complementarity effect with transit is found as the introduction of ridesourcing at the feeders’ level is expected to drive an additional 2% of commuters to use the BRT. Decreasing ridesourcing fare is effective for its integration with transit, as a fare decrease of 50% increases BRT market share from 33.53% to 36.89% of all motorized trips, implying possible synergies between the two modes. Forecasting results further reveal that additional taxes on parking used by car commuters and increasing park and ride capacity at BRT stations are effective policies to augment BRT ridership.

Effects of dockless bike-sharing system on public bike system: case study in Nanjing, China

Public bike system (PBS) improves mobility in a healthy, emission-free, and congestion-reducing way. Various studies have examined the characteristics of PBS. Hitherto, there lacks a quantitative analysis directed to the effects of the newly emerged dockless bike-sharing system (DBSS) on the PBS. To fill this gap, this paper takes Nanjing PBS as a case study, to explore the changes of PBS usage after the popularity of DBSS at two levels, including user level and station level. Results show that the DBSS has a greater effect on weekdays than weekends, and in contrast with users over 40 years old, users who are younger, especially those of 21 to 25 years old, have a larger reduction in usage frequency. These findings suggest that the DBSS appeals to young commuters to some extent. Therefore, to improve the efficiency of PBS, more attention should be paid to the improvement of stations where young commuters often borrow and return bikes. As for the impacts of DBSS on the trip duration, there is no significant sexual difference. Notice that the patterns of pickups and returns over the hours of the day remain unchanged after the popularity of DBSS, but for station dynamics over the days of the week, the number of active days is reduced.

Al Colegio en Bici: Bike-to-School Program in Bogotá, Colombia

Bike-to-school programs are aimed at improving the daily travel experience and safety for young commuters and constitute an opportunity for behavioral shifts toward sustainable mobility. However, only a few cases of bike-to-school programs have been documented. The lack of information is especially critical in rapidly growing cities of the global south. This study documented a promising bike-to-school program called Al Colegio en Bici, implemented in Bogotá, Colombia. The program began in 2013, after a year of planning, and has provided improved access to public schools to low-income populations and gives children the opportunity to travel safely while using a sustainable mode of transport. More important, Al Colegio en Bici is expected to influence travel behavior in young generations and thus may positively affect health and reduce harmful emissions in the long run. The program and its implementation are described, and this account is expected to help other cities that are considering such programs as part of their plans for sustainable mobility and access to education.

Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in resuspendable fraction of settled bus dust and its implications for human exposure

This preliminary study measured Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations in the resuspendable fraction of settled dust on 39 bus lines, to evaluate the impact of engine type (gasoline and compressed natural gas) on exposure for commuters and drivers. Benzo(b)fluoranthene(BbF) was the predominant PAH in resuspendable fraction of settled bus dust. The concentration of total PAHs was 92.90 ± 116.00 μg/g (range: 0.57–410) in gasoline buses and 3.97 ± 1.81 (range: 2.01–9.47) in compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. Based on Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) equivalent concentrations for the sum of 16 PAHs, the average daily dose (ADD) via dust ingestion and dermal contact was calculated. The ADD of PAHs was higher for commuters and drivers in gasoline-powered buses than in buses using CNG buses. For both short and long duration journeys, young commuters were exposed to higher levels of PAHs via dust ingestion and dermal contact than adult commuters.

Inclination to speeding and its correlates among two-wheeler riding Indian youth.

Context:Concerns about road safety have been increasingly associated with two-wheeler riding and especially with young commuters in India.Aims:The study was designed to explore inclination to speeding and to profile the driving behaviors in two-wheeler riding young men and women who reported a tendency to ride faster than their peers.Design:A cross-sectional survey design was used.Materials and Methods:On the basis of three focus group discussions and review of literature, a survey was prepared to tap domains such as affect states associated with riding/speeding, factors contributing to speeding, inclination for competing, perceived speed and safety, etc. The study sample comprised of 961 two-wheeler riding college-going young men and women in Bangalore.Statistical Analysis:Descriptive and inferential statistical procedures were used including Chi-square, Spearman's rank correlation, and independent sample t-test.Results:The sample was divided into two subgroups on the basis of self-report of greater speeding than one's peers. A subgroup of 349 participants endorsed the item regarding inclination to ride faster than one's peers, whereas, the remaining 612 participants did not endorse it. The profiles of these two subgroups were obtained in terms of sociodemographic variables, riding behaviors, and associated domains. Significant differences between the subgroups emerged on domains such as motives for riding fast, tendency for competing, perceived safety and frequency of minor accidents while riding.Conclusions:Several correlates of the tendency to speeding among young two-wheeler riders emerged that have implications for enhancing safe riding.

Relationship of Walk Access Distance to Rapid Rail Transit Stations with Personal Characteristics and Station Context

This paper explores the relationship of walk access distance to rapid rail transit (RRT) stations with personal characteristics and station context, specifically in regard to an operated RRT system in the city of Nanjing, China. Both descriptive analysis and regression analysis on the commuter survey are conducted to reveal the association. Descriptive analysis indicates that the walk access distance in the morning peak is longer than that in the afternoon peak. Young commuters walk farther to access to RRT stations than children and older people. The walk access distance decreases with increasing household income. Regression analysis, in particular, on the association between walk access distance and station context suggests that commuters walk farther to reach a terminal station but walk a shorter distance to arrive at a transfer station than to a typical station. The walk access distance to an elevated station is longer than that to an underground station, and an approximately 100-m distance premium does seem to exist. In addition, the radius of the pedestrian catchment area (PCA) of an underground RRT station is about 200–300 m longer than the PCA of bus rapid transit station. Implications of the present study include defining flexible rail transit station’s PCAs in estimating urban rail transit (URT) ridership at the station level, optimizing the house location and price premium analysis around URT stations, and identifying the opportunities for transit-oriented development in the PCA of rail stations.

The freeloading generation

Young journalist Blackhurst poses the question, "Why shouldn't news be free" and comments: "Just as annual fees for credit cards disappeared almost overnight under market pressure, so a large middle swathe of the British newspaper market may be forced to dispense with a cover price over the next few decades. Perhaps we'll see a whole stable of free-sheets with different political and demographic complexions. Paid-for newspapers could still flourish in such a world, but they may well be limited to niches in the market... As the free news shock wave gains momentum, new papers, like the next London free sheet, may have to try harder by including the star-name columnists and celebrity interviews that have so far been confined to the paid-for press. Would young and budget-conscious commuters then even contemplate spending £275 pounds a year buying a daily quality paper, or £100 regularly reading an evening title? That sort of money buys, at least, a brace of return tickets for two on Easy Jet."

Present-day tendencies in the morpho-syntax of Istró-Romanian dialect

As compared to the idiom spoken by the southern Istro-Romanians who people several small villages and hamlets in the south of mount Učka, and speak a language subject to constant changes the idiom spoken by the inhabitants of Žejane (Yugos­ lavia) has preserved to a higher degree the archaic structures and elements inherited from proto-Romanian. The Istro-Romanians of Žejane have lived compactly to our days (102 house numbers, about 400 speakers),being more isolated from the massi­ ve influence, of Croatian (i.e., the literary variant of the Ceacavian dialect), and of­ fering us, through their language, a pattern of Romance idiom (of the Romanian ty­ pe) that has long opposed, especially phonologically and morpho-syntactically a po­ werful alloglotic influence (Croatian, Slovenian, Italian). The restrictive use of Istro-Romanian, especially in the last five decades (since it is hardly an instrument of communication, especially for the young commuters employed in the factories of Rieka, Opatia and the neighbourhood, or for those who, through mixed marriages, moved to other Yugoslavian towns of villages) is a process in full development even nowadays.