Sperimentazione e modellizzazione di un programma di cambiamento volontario del comportamento di viaggio

This research is motivated by the need to gain a better understanding of individual behaviour change processes and in particular assess the efficacy of travel behaviour change strategies. This work aims to provide major insights into how to reduce private car use and addresses sustainable mobility objectives associated with CO2 reduction. This is particularly important at a time when the car still dominates individual lifestyles. In this regard, it has been demonstrated that, though many people are willing to reduce personal car use, in practice, they are unable to do so on their own (Ampt, 2003). Thus, strategies and measures have emerged to encourage and inform people to consciously and deliberately rethink their travel choices. These are called soft measures (Bamberg et al., 2011), and are also labelled Voluntary Behavioural Change Programmes (VTBC) (Ampt, 2003). The Voluntary Travel Behaviour Change (VTBC) programmes are policy interventions that provide appropriate information, assistance, and motivation (or incentives) for promoting more sustainable travel behaviour, inducing people to voluntarily choose to travel in ways that benefit themselves, the community, and the environment. Through the provision of information and motivation to switch to more sustainable modes of travel, VTBC programmes aim to reduce the motorized vehicle-kilometres travelled (VKT) thereby reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption. In a context characterized by the reduced availability of financial resources for new investments in infrastructure (supply side), VTBC programmes can offer a useful tool for managing (and reduce) travel demand. Results from several VTBC implementations have shown the effectiveness of these policies in reducing private car use. However, there is a dearth of research on identifying and quantifying the influence of individual factors on the propensity to change travel behaviour. The effectiveness of a programme should be assessed in relation to the target population and the type of information provided. Indeed, identifying relatively micro-level factors underlying behavioural change could enhance the effectiveness of the programme, in terms of the selection of specific individual segments (who may be more sensitive to certain aspects of the programme), and in terms of the type of information provided and emphasis placed on the personalized travel plan (monetary benefits, reduction in travel time, decrease in CO2 emissions, etc.). The objective of this thesis work is to contribute to the development of a programme for voluntary travel behaviour change, adopting an innovative approach consisting in: (1) the analysis of models of behaviour and theories of change (Chapter 1); the two bodies of theory are considered indeed complementary; understanding both is necessary for developing effective approaches to behaviour change. (2) a review of existing VTBC programmes implemented in different parts of the world, in order to identify the main steps to be followed for changing travel behaviour (Chapter 2), (3) the development and application of a method (Chapter 3) aimed at testing and validating innovative tools applied in the first Italian VTBC programme; (4) verifying the efficacy of the method through an in-depth analysis of activity travel data collected before and after the implementation of the policy measure (Chapter 4); (5) the formulation of models aimed at gaining a deeper knowledge of behaviour change and in particular that are able to simulate the effects of implementing these measures and their efficacy in changing travel behaviour (Chapter 5). For this purpose, an experimental VTBC programme was conducted in Cagliari (Italy) between 2011 and 2012 to promote the use of a underutilized light rail service among car users travelling daily along the same congested corridor. The programme was funded by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia. The methodological approach relies on the personalized travel planning technique (PTP), integrating traditional and innovative tools, aimed at enhancing the efficacy of a VTBC programme. In particular, compared to the existing programmes, in this work the method developed relies on innovative tools for (1) selection of participants, (2) promoting and, (3) monitoring behaviour change. The data collected during the implementation are examined by means of exploratory and discrete choice analyses. The results obtained revealed that the selection process undeniably enabled to intercept individuals interested in the alternative mode promoted. An efficient selection and the PTP itself, certainly complement each other, in the sense that selecting the target audience was a necessary condition for promoting a convenient alternative, whereas providing car users with detailed feedback about their current behaviour and existing alternatives seems to have positive effects on behaviour change. It appears that information about the major benefits to be gained from changing travel behaviour are more likely to encourage the switch to alternative modes. People will choose to change of their own free will if the benefits are very substantial. Another finding that emerged from the short term monitoring phase (three months after programme implementation) is that once car users, selected among those with an available sustainable alternative, experience the benefits of switching to an alternative mode (of their own free will or following a suggestion), they rarely revert to using their cars. The model simulation revealed that the effectiveness of VTBC programmes in producing a shift toward sustainable modes is a function of the demographic, attitudinal, and activity-travel context of individuals. Disregarding these moderating effects can lead to incorrect predictions of the aggregate shift toward the sustainable mode as well as of the distribution of the shift across population segments. Further, accommodating the contextual variations can also help in targeting and positioning VTBC programmes, and in tailoring different aspects of the programme to individuals’needs so as to enhance its effectiveness

La condizione di insularità nell’Unione Europea: accessibilità e incidenza del trasporto marittimo

Questo paper esamina gli aspetti relativi all’accessibilità delle isole, così come definite dall’U.E., in ambito Europeo. L’accessibilità, nell’Unione Europea (in accordo con lo studio ESPON "Atlas" del 2006) è stata legata al concetto di “cuore” del territorio Europeo e di “periferia”; in questo modo l’ubicazione geografica e la distanza fisica sono divenuti i parametri significativi in relazione all’accessibilità in termini di infrastrutture e di sistema di trasporti. L’obiettivo del seguente studio è quello di indagare in che modo l’insularità possa essere analizzata, caratterizzata e misurata in relazione alle peculiarità endogene ed ai requisiti strutturali e funzionali del sistema dei collegamenti ed in che modo questa misura possa garantire un confronto quantitativo, semplice da interpretare, dell’accessibilità con realtà e regioni della terraferma, anche periferiche. In particolare, vengono proposti una serie di indicatori che descrivono l’accessibilità delle isole in riferimento al sistema dei trasporti marittimi, attraverso la specificazione di una serie di attributi dell’accessibilità che fanno riferimento ai parametri di lontananza (distanza reale), isolamento e discontinuità geografica (frequenza e tempi di attesa), parametri che caratterizzano le realtà insulari

Individual Persuasive Eco-Travel Technology, a mobile persuasive application for implementing voluntary travel behaviour change programmes

This study presents a voluntary travel behaviour change (VTBC) programme that involves the use of a technology platform. The platform has been developed both for enhancing the efficacy of the implementation and for highlighting the contribution that technology itself can provide in persuasion strategies. It can be applied in the VTBC implementation for encouraging individuals to reduce car use, mitigating global greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, the proposed platform is designed to automate phases and activities of a VTBC programme, with a view to extending it to the large scale, reducing the resource commitment. Indeed, technology could contribute to facilitating the operational and functional aspects, through the implementation of automated VTBC programmes, broadening their applicability while maintaining effectiveness. Furthermore, technology can be persuasive in changing behaviour

Using a GPS Active Logger to Implement Travel Behaviour Change Programs

Implementing behavioural strategies aimed at reducing car use represents one of the most topical challenges for current transport research. Most of the current voluntary travel behaviour change (VTBC) programs are moving towards ICT devices for data collection. The advantages of using ICT have been recognized for implementing behavioural strategies and VTBC, in order to improve observation of pre- and post-implementation behaviour. This paper describes the implications of a personal active logger (AL) implemented by CRiMM (University of Cagliari, Italy) for the collection of individual activity-travel patterns before and after a VTBC implementation. In particular, VTBC data collected through an active tracking system (GPS tracking + real time activity diary completion) are compared with data collected using a hybrid tracking system (GPS-only system + deferred activity-travel patterns). The results show that, despite the greater effort involved in real time compilation, the information collected by the active logger is more in line with VTBC requirements and expectations

I-pet individual persuasive eco-travel technology: A tool for VTBC program implementation

Voluntary Travel Behaviour Change programs aim to improve both community information and awareness about personal contributions to the negative effects produced by private car use. Indeed, providing individuals with feedback (travel time and costs, CO2 emitted, etc.), as well as information about existing alternatives to the car, has been shown to motivate people to reduce car use. This paper presents the architecture of a technology platform constructed for the purpose of automating phases and activities of a Voluntary Travel Behaviour Change program, with a view to extending it to the large scale, reducing the resource commitment and enhancing the efficacy of the implementation

La condizione di insularità nell’Unione Europea: accessibilità e incidenza del trasporto marittimo

Questo paper esamina gli aspetti relativi all’accessibilità delle isole, così come definite dall’U.E., in ambito Europeo. L’accessibilità, nell’Unione Europea (in accordo con lo studio ESPON "Atlas" del 2006) è stata legata al concetto di “cuore” del territorio Europeo e di “periferia”; in questo modo l’ubicazione geografica e la distanza fisica sono divenuti i parametri significativi in relazione all’accessibilità in termini di infrastrutture e di sistema di trasporti. L’obiettivo del seguente studio è quello di indagare in che modo l’insularità possa essere analizzata, caratterizzata e misurata in relazione alle peculiarità endogene ed ai requisiti strutturali e funzionali del sistema dei collegamenti ed in che modo questa misura possa garantire un confronto quantitativo, semplice da interpretare, dell’accessibilità con realtà e regioni della terraferma, anche periferiche. In particolare, vengono proposti una serie di indicatori che descrivono l’accessibilità delle isole in riferimento al sistema dei trasporti marittimi, attraverso la specificazione di una serie di attributi dell’accessibilità che fanno riferimento ai parametri di lontananza (distanza reale), isolamento e discontinuità geografica (frequenza e tempi di attesa), parametri che caratterizzano le realtà insulari

The influence of activity-travel patterns on the success of VTBC

The objective of this work is to verify how the complexity of activity-travel patterns may influence the propensity to change travel behaviour in the context of a Voluntary Travel Behaviour Change (VTBC) programme. Data used in this work was drawn from a VTBC programme implemented in Cagliari, Italy between 2011 and 2012, for promoting the use of an underutilised Light Rail service (LR). A descriptive comparative analysis of activity–travel patterns recorded before and after the delivery of a personalised travel plan was reported. In addition to the descriptive analysis, a panel Probit model is proposed to further understand the influence of complex trip-chaining behaviours on the propensity to change travel behaviours. The results indicate that when individuals are presented with a convenient transport alternative that allows them to flexibly chain their activities, the propensity to use a sustainable mode of transport increases. Abbreviations: ABA: activity – based analysis; AW: after work tour; BW: before work tour; CMS: casteddu mobility styles; CW: complex working day; HWC: home to work commute tour; LR: light rail; NHB: non home based tour; NNW: non work tour; NW: non working day; P&R: park and rider; PP&R: prospective park and rider; PTP: personalised travel plan; SW: simple working day; VTBC: voluntary travel behaviour change; WB: work based tou

Lessons learned from a personalized travel planning (PTP) research program to reduce car dependence

Voluntary travel behavior change programs have been implemented worldwide since the late 1990s at a personal and community level. Most of the now completed programs were commissioned by local authorities to commercial firms, in an attempt to reduce private car use. In this context, the evaluation and review of the reliability of these policy measures have been at the core of most of the debates and studies in this field. In this paper, we describe the lessons learned from a research program funded by the Sardinian Government (Italy), aimed at testing a soft transport policy measure for reducing car dependence. In particular, the work reviews in detail the methodological approach and participants’ feedback on a personalized travel plan (PTP). After implementation of the soft measure, the PTP participants were divided into two groups depending on whether they had reduced car use or not, and separate analyses were conducted to highlight the factors underlying different behavior change decisions. General conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the PTP are beyond the scope of the present study

Air travel demand forecasting in the presence of PSO (Public Service Obligation)

Knowing the potential evolution of air transport demand is necessary in order to ensure the positive effects that are generated by air transport itself, in terms of economic and social development. There are several air transport demand forecasting models, which differ from each other in terms of time, available data and the aspects to be analysed. The aim of this study is to create forecasts that can help government authorities to formulate air transport development policies. This paper focuses on a regional context — Sardinia — the second largest island in the Mediterranean. A large part of its economic and social development potential (tourism-related) is based on breaking its isolation by substantially improving air transportation services. In particular, the originality of these forecasts lies in the attempt to interpret a context characterised by different factors influencing the air transport market. Public Service Obligation (PSO) (Art. 4 RC 2408/92) was first imposed in Sardinia in 2002, on several domestic routes. Low cost companies have been operating since 2007, and some of them took advantage of public subsidies to develop new routes. During the same period, the three major Sardinian airports were expanded and improved. This paper provides a detailed, descriptive analysis of air transport demand evolution at Cagliari’s airport (1995–2014). Based on this analysis, several regression models for aggregate data have been specified and calibrated, distinguishing between domestic and international passengers