How does Internet usage influence young travellers' choices?

New technologies have significant effects on travel behavior, attitudes, habits and potentially future travel demand. Effects may be more prominent for Millennials. Little empirical research has investigated these relationships, mainly due to data limitations. This study focuses on the potential influence of using the Internet while traveling on Millennials’ plans for car ownership. We examine two questions: Does using the Internet while traveling influence trip frequencies? and Does it affect Millennials’ intention to purchase a car? Results suggest that Internet use while traveling is positively associated with travel demand and the intention to purchase a car in the near future

Linking Smartphone GPS Data with Transport Planning: A Framework of Data Aggregation and Anonymization for a Journey Planning App

With the proliferation of GPS tracking data provided by smartphone apps, it is desirable to develop a data processing and anonymizing framework to transform raw GPS data into a suitable format for transport planning models. The paper aims to describe the effort to address such issues by map matching and aggregating the GPS information derived from a journey planning app. The effectiveness and flexibility of such a framework is demonstrated by an analysis of speeding and waiting time patterns in England and Wales by tracking 120 users for a year

The role of young users in determining long term care expenditure in Norway

<i>Aims</i>: In Norway, it is the responsibility of the country's 429 municipalities to provide long term care (LTC) services to their residents. Recent years have seen a sharp rise in the number of LTC users under the age of 65. This paper aims to explore the effect of this rise on LTC expenditure. <i>Methods</i>: Panel data models are used on data from municipalities from 1986 to 2011. An instrumental variable approach is also utilised to account for possible endogeneity related to the number of young users. <i>Results</i>: The number of young users appears to have a strong effect on LTC expenditure. There is also evidence of municipalities exercising discretion in defining eligibility criteria for young users in order to limit expenditure. Conclusions: The rise in the number of young LTC users presents a long-term challenge to the sustainability of LTC financing. The current budgeting system does not appear to fully compensate municipalities for expenditure on young LTC users. This may put strain on the financing of services for older users

Congested Interregional Infrastructure, Road Pricing and Regional Labour Markets

Traffic congestion and the policies to combat it have been studied extensively. However, most studies neglect the labour market impacts of congestion. Many also fail to account for the simultaneity between commuting and migration. This paper models impacts such as unemployment disparities, changes in commuting flows and changes in the flow of migrants by adopting an agent based simulation approach. This approach has the strength that it allows the simultaneous consideration of commuting, migration and labour force participation decisions. The results obtained have important theoretical and policy implications and show how an "optimal" charge may, in fact, be sub-optimal.Congestion; Road pricing; Agent-based approach; Spatial interaction; Infrastructure investment

Visualising where commuting cyclists travel using crowdsourced data

Encouraging more cycling is increasingly seen as an important way to create more sustainable cities and to improve public health. Understanding how cyclists travel and how to encourage cycling requires data; something which has traditionally been lacking. New sources of data are emerging which promise to reveal new insights. In this paper, we use data from the activity tracking app Strava to examine where people in Glasgow cycle and how new forms of data could be utilised to better understand cycling patterns. We propose a method for augmenting the data by comparing the observed link flows to the link flows which would have resulted if people took the shortest route. Comparing these flows gives some expected results, for example, that people like to cycle along the river, as well as some unexpected results, for example, that some routes with cycling infrastructure are avoided by cyclists. This study proposes a practical approach that planners can use for cycling plans with new/emerging cycling data

The impact of pecuniary costs on commuting flows

In western Norway, fjords cause disconnections in the road network, necessitating the use of ferries. In several cases, ferries have been replaced by roads, often part-financed by tolls. We use data on commuting from a region with a high number of ferries, tunnels and bridges. Using a doubly-constrained gravity-based model specification, we focus on how commuting responds to varying tolls and ferry prices. Focus is placed on the role played by tolls on infrastructure in inhibiting spatial interaction. We show there is considerable latent demand, and suggest that these tolls contradict the aim of greater territorial cohesion.Commuting flows; pecuniary costs

The spatial transferability of parameters in a gravity model of commuting flows

This paper studies whether gravity model parameters estimated in one geographic area can give reasonable predictions of commuting flows in another. To do this, three sets of parameters are estimated for geographically proximate yet separate regions in south-west Norway. All possible combinations of data and parameters are considered, giving a total of nine cases. Of particular importance is the distinction between statistical equality of parameters and `practical' equality i.e. are the differences in predictions big enough to matter. A new type test best on the Standardised Root Mean Square Error (SRMSE) and Monte Carlo simulation is proposed and utilised.Gravity model; commuting flows; regional science

Did safe cycling infrastructure still matter during a COVID-19 lockdown?

The UK government introduced strict measures (including asking people to work from home and a lockdown) to slow the spread of COVID-19 by limiting people’s movement. This led to substantial reductions in traffic, making roads much safer for cyclists. This provides a unique opportunity to study the role played by safe cycling infrastructure. Many UK cities have provided cycling infrastructure to improve safety and encourage cycling. However, access to safe cycling infrastructure varies across neighbourhoods, potentially contributing to inequality. Since roads became safer due to the unprecedented reduction in traffic during the lockdown, safe cycling infrastructure may not play a significant role during this period. On the other hand, safe cycling lanes are often connected to amenities, potentially attracting cyclists even if they confer no additional safety benefit. That is, connectivity might matter more than safety. In this study, we utilised crowdsourced cycling data and regression models to examine the extent to which cycling intensity for non-commuting purposes changes with different types of cycling infrastructure in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. In addition, we selected some areas with large increases in cycling intensity and examined the surrounding environments using Google Street View. Our results showed that non-commuting cycling activities increased significantly after the government interventions on both typical roads and safe cycling lanes while much higher increases were observed on safe cycling lanes than on other roads. A further analysis showed that there were large increases in cycling volumes on both typical roads and safe cycling lanes with good amenities and connectivity, highlighting the importance of these factors when building new cycling infrastructure. Since safe cycling lanes are not equally accessible to people, providing temporary cycling lanes during the pandemic considering these conditions could encourage people to cycle more, and thereby improve their health

The evaluation of large cycling infrastructure investments in Glasgow using crowdsourced cycle data

The benefits of cycling have been well established for several decades. It can improve public health and make cities more active and environmentally friendly. Due to the significant net benefits, many local governments in Scotland have promoted cycling. Glasgow City Council constructed four significant pieces of cycling infrastructure between 2013 and 2015, partly in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and partly to encourage cycling more generally. This required substantial capital investment. However, the effectiveness of these big new infrastructure investments has not been well examined, mostly due to data limitations. In this study, we utilised data from the activity tracking app Strava for the years 2013–2016 and fixed effects panel data regression models to examine whether the new cycling infrastructure has increased cycling volumes on these routes. Our results show that three of the infrastructure projects have a positive effect on the monthly total volume of cycling trips made by users of the app, with flows up by around 12% to 18%. Although this result is promising, it needs to be interpreted with care due to the characteristics of the data

Can accessing the Internet while travelling encourage commuters to use public transport regardless of their attitude?

Due to advances in technology (in particular the Internet), people have become less restricted by space and time, and can use travel time more productively by using their Internet-connected mobile devices on the move. Some operators provided Internet access on public transport to increase ridership. This has been shown to increase ridership, however it is not clear if it can induce people who prefer private cars to public transport to consider using public transport. In this paper, we examine the relationship between the frequency of using the Internet while commuting or travelling, and commuting mode choice, and how this relationship varies for people who have different attitudes toward public transport. Our results show that commuters who use the Internet frequently on the move tend to use public transport more. In addition, this association is significant for those who prefer private cars to public transport, showing the potential effectiveness of new technology in generating new riders