Effects of changing travel patterns on travel satisfaction: A focus on recently relocated residents

Previous studies indicate that travel satisfaction is affected by elements such as travel mode choice and trip duration. However, how people’s satisfaction levels with travel adapt after changing their travel behaviour has not yet been analysed thoroughly. In this study we analyse travel satisfaction of 1650 respondents who recently relocated to selected neighbourhoods in the city of Ghent (Belgium), and therefore changed their daily travel patterns (i.e., commute and leisure trips). Based on a two-step approach, i.e., a factor analysis followed by a cluster analysis, respondents are segmented into four clusters based on their changes in travel behaviour after they moved. Results indicate that especially clusters with respondents that decreased travel distance and duration, and increased the use of car alternatives have high levels of travel satisfaction, for both commute trips and leisure trips. Respondents from these clusters also indicated the highest levels of travel satisfaction improvements. This study provides additional motivation for policy makers and urban planners to convince more people to relocate to urban areas, or for densification and land use mixing of existing neighbourhoods, as this will not only result in more sustainable travel patterns, but also in more satisfying travel patterns

Step-free railway station access in the UK: The value of inclusive design

Background: Despite substantial investment in step-free access at UK railway stations, persons with reduced mobility (PRMs) continue to travel less than their able-bodied counterparts and little is known about the value of step-free access. This research examines the benefits of step-free access and its relationship with rail usage among PRMs, and the wider benefits of railway station accessibility. Methods: These issues are explored through a mixed methods approach. Semi-structured interviews with ten key organisations were undertaken, as was an analysis of Senior/Disabled Persons Railcard data from 17 railway stations in Buckinghamshire, each with varying levels of step-free accessibility. Results: The results show that the benefits of step-free access extend beyond benefits at the individual level typically associated with those limited to PRMs, and demonstrate the potential to positively affect the society at large economically, environmentally, and socially. The findings also show a positive correlation between the level of step-free accessibility at a railway station and the percentage of PRMs using it. Conclusions: This research argues that government and interested stakeholders should commit to expanding the number and coverage of step-free stations throughout the UK. They should ensure that the appraisal process for investment in step-free accessibility appropriately captures both user and non-user benefits

Do e-shopping attitudes mediate the effect of the built environment on online shopping frequency of e-shoppers?

It is widely acknowledged that e-shopping has considerable effects on e-shoppers’ travel behavior. Therefore, it is valuable to investigate the built environment effects on online shopping, which can help clarify whether land use policy is effective to manage online shopping and further moderate travel demand. However, this issue has not been fully investigated in prior research. In particular, some existing studies fail to identify a significant link between the built environment and online shopping. One of the possible reasons is that the indirect effects of the built environment on e-shopping through e-shopping attitudes are rarely considered. Against this backdrop, considering the mediating role of e-shopping attitudes, this paper aims to explore the influence of the built environment on the frequency of e-shopping for clothes and shoes, food and drinks, cosmetics, and electronics. Data used in this study are acquired from 675 face-to-face interviews with online buyers in Chengdu, China, and the Structural Equation Modeling method is employed. The outcomes show that higher residential density has a positive impact on online shopping frequency. Higher accessibility to metro stations has an indirect and negative influence on e-shopping frequency through pro-e-shopping attitudes. In contrast, mediated by e-shopping attitudes, higher accessibility to bus stations has an indirect and positive impact on online shopping frequency. The mediating role of attitudes provides a possible explanation for the influences of transportation accessibility on e-shopping frequency. Land use policies seem influential in online shopping attitudes and frequency, and thus moderate e-shoppers’ travel demand

Examining the spatially heterogeneous effects of the built environment on walking among older adults

Understanding the relationship between the built environment and walking among older adults could offer important insights for land use and transport policies which seek to promote active ageing. However, most previous studies have explored global relationships, i.e. the effects are averaged or assumed to be constant over the region of interest. In this study, we focus on the local spatial variations in the relationship between the built environment and the daily time spent walking by older adults. We apply a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model, using data collected from 702 older adults in Nanjing, China. Our results show that spatial heterogeneity exists for built environment effects within the entire study area. It has an impact on all the relationships, with nuances in the significance level, parameter magnitude or sign reversals, depending on the location. Therefore, policy interventions would only be effective in certain areas for certain built environment attributes. By exploring the local contexts of relationships, we further suggest that the spatial heterogeneity stems from contextual effects, i.e. the specificities of places with a discriminative composition of individual and/or environmental characteristics. Our findings can help to enrich the understanding of associations between land use and travel behaviour, as well as offer local planning guidance for creating age-friendly neighbourhoods

On undirected trips, satisfaction, and well-being: Evidence from Flanders (Belgium)

Despite having the potential to improve subjective well-being, satisfaction with undirected travel, or travel for its own sake (e.g. taking a walk, bike ride, or joy ride), has not yet been empirically investigated. Using mean-comparison and generalized linear regression models, this study analyzes 1579 undirected trips made by 852 respondents to a survey in Flanders, Belgium during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (18 March – 4 May 2020). Undirected travel was found to be longer in duration and more satisfying than results from directed trips in previous literature, with an indication that higher levels of physical activity are important to satisfaction. Undirected travel satisfaction was found to have a clear positive relationship to well-being. As these trips are often active and were found to imply a positive utility of travel, understanding them can be important to policy goals regarding health, sustainability, and improving individual well-being

Evolutions in undirected travel (satisfaction) during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated that undirected travel (UT), or trips taken for their own sake, can partly compensate for a reduction in destination-based trips due to governmental regulations. Consequently, UT (in general, but particularly during the pandemic) may be especially satisfying and therefore important to subjective well-being. However, through the course of the pandemic, changes in UT were anticipated as individuals adapted to a ‘new normal’. This research – conducted in Flanders, Belgium – first investigates whether the characteristics of and satisfaction with UT persisted after one year into the pandemic (April 2020 to May 2021) using longitudinal panel data from two waves (n = 332). Results of paired sample t-tests indicate that UT satisfaction increased though duration of trips decreased, and results of the Sign test indicate that the frequency of UT generally decreased. Second, this research investigates characteristics of individuals with different UT behavior. Six profiles of UT behavior were identified based on starting or stopping UT, increasing or decreasing UT, maintaining UT frequency, or not participating in UT. Chi2 tests identified differences among profiles based on wave 1 UT frequency, most recent trip mode, socio-demographic, and household characteristics. Results indicate that participation in UT might motivate future UT, one to three UT trips per week is a maintainable frequency, UT might be important to those with smaller living spaces and those living with children or other adults, and suggest that attention should be paid to mobility equity, including how and for whom systems are planned. These findings are important to understanding the effects of long-term governmental regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on travel behavior, and how investigating UT might help to challenge and reimagine traditional mobility systems post-pandemic

The influence of ride-hailing on travel frequency and mode choice

Using data derived from 597 face-to-face interviews with ride-hailing users in Chengdu (China), we examined the influence of ride-hailing on travel frequency and mode choice and further analyzed what the main determinants for these are. The results indicate that 16.8% of the respondents increase their frequency of trips because of the adoption of ride-hailing services, suggesting a complementary effect of ride-hailing on travel. Meanwhile, the use of traditional travel modes is considerably substituted by ride-hailing services. Particularly, around half of the respondents indicated a substitution of ride-hailing for sustainable modes (i.e., public transit, cycling, and walking), which may thus generate environmental problems (e.g., increasing greenhouse gas emissions). Additionally, regression outcomes show that higher accessibility to bus stations is negatively correlated with the shift from sustainable modes to ride-hailing. Therefore, optimizing the access to bus facilities may be effective to cope with potential transportation problems posed by ride-hailing

The influence of the built environment on online purchases of intangible services: Examining the mediating role of online purchase attitudes

Via the internet, people can easily access high quantities of (information on) intangible services (e.g., dining out services, movie theater visits), often at low(er) prices. Therefore, purchasing these services online likely stimulates consumers to make extra trips for on-site consumption, thus posing a possible challenge for transportation systems. Meanwhile, attitudes toward online purchases may vary by the built environment. People in non-urban areas (compared to those in urban areas) may benefit more from online purchases due to lower accessibility to physical purchase opportunities. Therefore, they may have more positive attitudes toward online purchases and thus purchase more online. In this study, we analyze the effects of the built environment on online purchases – considering the potential mediating effects of attitudes – in order to clarify whether implementing built environment interventions is effective to cope with this transportation challenge. Using data acquired from 717 interviews in Beijing, China in 2015, a Structural Equation Modeling analysis indicates that higher employment density, lower accessibility to metro stations, and lower street density have direct and positive effects on online buying of intangible services. Additionally, higher accessibility to shopping centers has an indirect and adverse effect on online buying behavior through attitudes toward online buying. Therefore, implementing built environment interventions might be valid to moderate travel demands resulting from online purchases of intangible services