Mobility in daily life - The car and use of information and communication technology for family logistics

The development of “new” family structures, with an increasing portions of divorced parents choose joint custody of the children, and a differentiation and distribution of daily activities has opened the way for new and more flexible forms for information and communication technology (ICT) to coordinate the interaction between family members. The need for flexible transport to link together activities is also an issue. The point of departure for this paper is to examine the interaction between the uses of ICT, in particular mobile phones, physical mobility and social life in an increasingly differentiated and distributed daily life among families with children. The questions addressed are how different families use ICT to coordinate and maintain relationships in everyday life and how ICT and physical mobility interact within this context. The empirical analysis is based on in-depth interviews of 25 families in the Oslo region. The analysis of the interaction between the car and the mobile phone indicate that the one will not replace the other. It is rather such that they represent technologies that complement each other and can perhaps mutually increase use. While the car is an extension of the body and which increases the physical range of the individual, the mobile telephone increases one’s range of overview. To some degree the mobile telephone directs automobile use, in the sense that it may generate more trips since use of the mobile telephone means that there is not the need to plan daily activities. More of the activities are carried out spontaneously and daily life is more ad hoc, which also indicate more car uses. In the families of this study different time use arrangements are tied to the use of the car and the mobile telephone. At the one extreme we find the structured where all the activities are planned – both in time and space – and all the assignments are divided between the various members of the family. On the other hand we see families where everything is done spontaneously and there is very little planning aside from the fixed portions of life. The structured and ad hoc systems are two extremes on a scale where there are many alternative solutions. The families in this study represent positions between the extremes tending towards the ad hoc end of the spectrum. The car and the mobile telephone are devices that allow this type of organization, which seems to increase daily transport by car.

Mobility in daily life - The car and use of information and communication technology for family logistics

The development of "new” family structures, with an increasing portions of divorced parents choose joint custody of the children, and a differentiation and distribution of daily activities has opened the way for new and more flexible forms for information and communication technology (ICT) to coordinate the interaction between family members. The need for flexible transport to link together activities is also an issue. The point of departure for this paper is to examine the interaction between the uses of ICT, in particular mobile phones, physical mobility and social life in an increasingly differentiated and distributed daily life among families with children. The questions addressed are how different families use ICT to coordinate and maintain relationships in everyday life and how ICT and physical mobility interact within this context. The empirical analysis is based on in-depth interviews of 25 families in the Oslo region. The analysis of the interaction between the car and the mobile phone indicate that the one will not replace the other. It is rather such that they represent technologies that complement each other and can perhaps mutually increase use. While the car is an extension of the body and which increases the physical range of the individual, the mobile telephone increases one's range of overview. To some degree the mobile telephone directs automobile use, in the sense that it may generate more trips since use of the mobile telephone means that there is not the need to plan daily activities. More of the activities are carried out spontaneously and daily life is more ad hoc, which also indicate more car uses. In the families of this study different time use arrangements are tied to the use of the car and the mobile telephone. At the one extreme we find the structured where all the activities are planned – both in time and space – and all the assignments are divided between the various members of the family. On the other hand we see families where everything is done spontaneously and there is very little planning aside from the fixed portions of life. The structured and ad hoc systems are two extremes on a scale where there are many alternative solutions. The families in this study represent positions between the extremes tending towards the ad hoc end of the spectrum. The car and the mobile telephone are devices that allow this type of organization, which seems to increase daily transport by car

«Jeg går på skole for å fikse fremtiden min» : Enslige mindreårige flyktningers møte med grunnskoleopplæring for voksne

Enslige mindreårige flyktninger er barn og unge under 18 år som kommer til Norge for å søke asyl uten å ha følge av foreldre eller andre voksne med foreldreansvar. De som får innvilget opphold bosettes i en kommune, som får statstilskudd til å kunne gjennomføre et aktivt bosettings- og integreringsarbeid. Flyktningungdommer fra 16 år uten tilstrekkelig grunnskolebakgrunn får undervisningstilbud ved voksenopplæringen. Denne kvalitative studien utforsker enslige mindreårige flyktningers møte med eksamensrettet grunnskoleopplæring for voksne i en kommune på Østlandet. Gjennom klasseromsobservasjon og intervjuer med fem elever, fire lærere og en ansatt i kommunens psykiske helseteam, ønsker studien å målbære flyktningungdommenes egne erfaringer med skoletilbudet, samt belyse de voksnes perspektiver på elevenes skolesituasjon. Studiens teoretiske forankring er sosiokulturell teori, den økologiske utviklingsmodellen og kulturpsykologi. Undervisningen preges av hyppige misforståelser grunnet elevenes språkferdigheter og manglende kulturell bakgrunnskunnskap vedrørende grunnskolepensumet. Kulturelt ensrettet læremateriale utgjør et forståelseshinder for elevene. Lærernes undervisningsdiskurser drar i to retninger, normoppnåelse etter læringsmålene og tilpassing til den heterogene elevmassen. Videre misforstår elevene lærernes diskurs om realitetsorientering som uforholdsmessig lave forventninger til deres læringspotensial. For å beholde motiverte elever gjennom grunnskole-tilbudet før inntak til videregående skole, er det viktig med eksplisitt informasjon om elevenes karrieremuligheter i kunnskapssamfunnet Norge. Studien tyder på at elevenes skolemotivasjon påvirkes negativt av deres syn på grunnskoleopplæring som en mellomstasjon og ikke ”ekte” skole. En større anerkjennelse av flyktningelevenes behov for sosial tilhørighet i skolehverdagen vil kunne fremme inkludering, uformell språklæring, samt utvikling av en positiv identitet i tilknytning til skolen og samfunnet som helhet

Mobilitet i en aldrende befolkning

Spørsmålet om folk vil beholde sine reisevaner når de blir eldre eller om de endres, har betydning for hvilken utvikling som kan forventes når det gjelder bruk av bil i forhold til andre reisemåter. I dette paperet presenteres kohortanalyser fra tre norske landsomfattende reisevaneundersøkelser fra 1984/85, 1991/92 og 1997/98. Effektene av alder, kohort og periode diskuteres for grupper over 50 år mht tilgang til bil, egenrapporterte helseproblemer knyttet til ulike reisemåter og reisemønstre over tid

Kan utviklingen i mobilitet og reisevanor fortelle noe om likestilling?

Kvinder og mænds rejsevaner og rejsetyper er knytttet til sociale forventninger og normer. Analyser af kønnet mobilitet viser, at transport - i bred forstand - kan være et barometer på dagliglivets ligestilling

Measures to enhance mobility among older people in Scandinavia. A literature review of best practice.

Mobiliteten eller rörligheten för äldre människor är fortfarande ett område under utveckling. Det visar en VTI-studie gällande Norge, Danmark och Sverige där man har studerat äldre personers resande med personbil, kollektivtrafik, cykel, gång och i viss mån även övriga transportmedel som definieras av motoriserade rullstolar, skotrar, mopedbilar, etc. Åtgärder för att öka resandet med kollektivtrafik är på dagordningen i alla tre länderna. Det återstår dock mycket som kan förbättras enligt de forskningsrapporter och utvärderingar som ingått i studien. Exempelvis är mer än 200-300 meter en för lång promenadsträcka till eller från busshållplatsen för många äldre människor och miljön på stationer och hållplatser upplevs av många äldre som obehaglig och stressig. Dessutom bör information före och under resan vara både visuell och hörbar, informationstavlor bör placeras i ögonhöjd, tidtabeller ska vara lätta att läsa och förstå, det ska vara lätt att köpa en biljett och hantera biljettautomater, låggolvsfordon är att föredra, lediga platser ska finnas ombord och föraren ska inte börja köra innan passagerarna har satt sig. Det kan ofta vara små förbättringar som utgör skillnader för dem som reser, till exempel att trottoarer är utan trappor och att det finns bänkar på gångvägen till busshållplatsen. Dessutom handlar strategier och åtgärder för att förbättra kollektivtrafiken inte bara om frågor som tillgängliga fordon, vindskydd och enkla trottoarer vid busshållplatser, utan också om frekvens och rutter i förhållande till resmönstren hos den nya rörliga generationen äldre. Dock är bristen på information och kunskap om kollektivtrafiken ofta utbredd bland äldre människor, vilket resulterar i att de reser mindre än de skulle ha gjort eller avstår helt från att använda kollektivtrafiken. Informationskampanjer skulle kunna samordnas bättre för att möta äldre människors resmönster. Nya sätt att sprida information med den senaste tekniken skulle också kunna organiseras i större utsträckning för att möta behoven hos äldre människor. Egentligen är problemet ibland inte brist på information, utan för mycket information eller fel slags information.The present report is part of a larger project about mobility and its impact on older people\u92s well-being and welfare: Mobile age: The impact of everyday mobility for elderly people\u92s welfare and well-being. The heterogenity of older people is emphasised, not only with respect to physical age but also with respect to the specific resource situation and social context of everyday life. The geographical context of the project is Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The report is a literature review examining and evaluating measures designed to improve the independency of mobility among older people. While a few good examples of \u93best practice\u94 in the Scandinavian area (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) have been highlighted, gaps and weaknesses remain. The areas which are examined in the present report are private car, public transport, cycling, walking and to some extent other transport modes defined by motorized wheelchairs, scooters, four-wheeled mopeds/motorcycles, etc. Measures to increase travel with public transport are on the agenda in all three countries, i.e. accessible vehicles and increased accessibility to the interchanges. Also, often small amendments through the travel route could make difference, such as pavements without stairs and benches on the way to the bus stop. Furthermore, strategies and measures for improving public transport concern not only issues such as accessible vehicles, wind shelters and plain pavements at bus stops, but also frequency and routes in relation to the mobility needs of a new generation of older people. However, lack of information and knowledge about public transport services is often rife among older people, which results in them travelling less than they might have done or shying away completely from using public transport. Information campaigns could be synchronised consciously to meet older people\u92s travel trajectories. New ways of providing information using the latest technology could be found to meet the needs of older people. Actually, sometimes the problem is not lack of information but too much of it or the wrong kind

Children's active travel and independent mobility in four countries: Development, social contributing trends and measures

In many countries a decline in children's active and independent mobility, like walking and cycling is registered. In this paper the development of children's mobility in Denmark, Finland, Great Britain and Norway is compared to examine differences and similarities in these countries. Accessible data are used, which implies that not all of them are directly comparable, but they are employed as indicators of development. The trends are the same in these four countries, an increase in car use and decrease in bicycling and walking. Distance to school has increased, both as a result of bigger units and more children in private schools. Traffic is an important reason for taking children to school by car, but convenience for the parents is also part of it. Organized leisure activities has also contributed to less walking and cycling, in addition to more time pressure in families, increased access to car(s) and easier access to parents as a ‘transport service’ by the help of the mobile phone. The measures that different countries use in trying to meet the challenges of children's mobility tend to focus on the school trip and most often on traffic safety, both at national and local levels

Increasing the competitiveness of e-vehicles in Europe

Introduction This paper is concerned with incentives for the take-up and use of e-vehicles that are in place in different European countries. Especially, it analyses Norway and Austria, in order to establish and understand factors influencing the competitiveness of e-vehicles and potential market penetration. Norway currently enjoys the world’s largest take-up of electric cars per capita, achieved through an extensive package of incentives. Austria has used the concept of Model Regions with government support to stimulate market introduction. So far, this has been a less effective approach. Methods The paper brings in and combine analyses of national travel survey data and web surveys to e-vehicle owners and non-e-vehicle owners. It considers socio-economic factors including convenience and time savings due to e-vehicle policies. Results Analysing national travel surveys, we find a considerable potential for e-vehicles based on people’s everyday travel. Social networks play a crucial role in spreading knowledge about this relatively new technology. The take-up of battery electric vehicles correlates relatively closely with the user value of e-vehicle incentives. The fiscal effects of e-vehicle incentives are non-trivial – especially in the longer run. The cost of lifting a new technology into the market by means of government incentives is significant. We point to the importance of a strategy for the gradual phasing out of e-vehicle policies in countries with large incentives when the cost of vehicles goes down and the technology improves. Conclusions Successful market uptake and expansion of electric vehicles requires massive, expensive and combined policies. Central government backing, long term commitment and market-oriented incentives help reduce the perceived risk for market players like car importers and allow the e-vehicle market to thrive. For countries with low e-vehicle market shares the potential is promising. Battery electric vehicles are already a real option for the majority of peoples’ everyday trips and trip chains. However, their relative disadvantages must be compensated by means of incentives – at least in the initial market launch phase. Diffusion mechanisms play a sizeable role. The lack of knowledge in the population at large must be addressed

Vegetation change on mountaintops in northern Sweden: Stable vascular-plant but reordering of lichen and bryophyte communities

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A troublesome transport challenge? Working round the school run

Transport policy and practice could be challenged by the future of women's mobility if it means an increasing reliance on the car. The paper examines the contextual relationship between the journey to school/childcare and the journey to work undertaken by eleven women who work part-time. It considers what the problems these women face in managing their time-space commitments and argues that time is the central problem. Transport can be a solution and a further problem in negotiating the competing time needs of work and family schedules. The research indicates the role ICTs, notably the mobile phone, play in mitigating individual transport problems, thus solutions to the problem of women's time may not be sustainable. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd