Developing a Behavioural Model for Modal Shift in Commuting

Abstract

Travel patterns of people across Australian cities have been dominated by private cars. As noted by transport researchers, a sustainable transportation system encourages people to make the shift towards non-motorised transport (i.e. public and active transport) and emerging types of transport (i.e. ride-hailing and shared bikes). Using an online questionnaire survey (n = 410), this research reports on the determinants of people’s transition to more sustainable modes of transport in Adelaide, Australia . Further analysis undertaken using a discrete choice model, found that home relocation and job changes were strongly associated with the modal shift of respondents. Younger cohorts were likely to shift away from car usage despite the significant influence in the change in participants’ family composition (i.e. birth of a child), level of education, driving license, dwelling tenure, perceived safety and costs. The significance of this study is that it determined that car dominance can be reduced since there is a willingness of people to opt for non-motorised transport options and other new shared mobility services. The chapter concludes with a varied set of transport policies and strategies addressing different socio-economic groups to increase the share of sustainable mobility , a critical step in moving towards a ‘smarter’ city.

Appendix 1: UniSA Travel Behaviours Questionnaire

1.1 Section A: Attitudes to Mobility Options

• A1 [ASK ALL] How important are environmental issues (for instance, CO₂ emissions) for you when it comes to selecting a mode of transport within Adelaide CBD area? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	Very important	Continue
2	Important
3	Moderately important
4	Slightly important
5	Not important

• A2 [ASK ALL] How do you rate the following criteria when choosing a transport mode? (Please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 = not at all important and 5 = very important).

Code	Response	(1) Not important	(2) Slightly important	(3) Moderately important	(4) important	(5) Very important	Routing
1	Comfort						Continue
2	Convenience and/or practicality
3	Safety and/or personal security
4	Cost savings
5	Speed
6	Time savings
7	Health
8	Exercise
9	Travel distance
10	Independence
11	Status/image

The following questions are asked for those who indicated code 1,11,12 at A2vi. For respondents who did not use a car to get the destination skip to A7.

• A3 [ASK IF CODE 1,11,12 AT A2vi] Thinking about your most recent trip to ____________ [USE CODE AT A2] that you made by CAR, what are the main reasons you used your car to get to/from this destination (choose up to 3)? MR

Code	Response	Routing
1	Saving in time	Continue
2	Convenience and/or comfort
3	Flexibility and/or Reliability
4	Safety and/or Personal security
5	Easy to find a park
6	Habit
7	Health /physical condition
8	Independence/status
9	Children and/or family issue
10	Lack of alternative
11	Don’t like other modes e.g. public transport /walking/cycling
12	Other (please specify)

• A4 [ASK IF CODE 1,11,12 AT A2vi] And still thinking about your most recent trip to _______________ [USE CODE AT A2], where did you park your CAR at that time ?

Code	Response	Routing
1	Private parking area	Continue
2	Off-street public parking area
3	On-street public parking area
4	Public parking garage (car parking structure)
5	Other (please specify)

• A5 [ASK IF CODE 1,11,12 AT A2vi] And how did you get from your CAR PARK to your final destination for that most recent trip?

Code	Response	Routing
1	Walked	Continue
2	Used public transit
3	Taxi/Uber
4	Cycled
5	None, I parked at the destination itself

• A6 [ASK IF CODE 1,11,12 AT A2vi] And on a scale of 1–10 where 1 is very unlikely and 10 is very likely how likely would you be to use any of the following options to access this location in the future rather than taking a personal car?

Code	Type	1 = Very unlikely	2	3	4	5 = Very likely	Routing
1	Shared bike (OfO)						Continue
2	Shared bike (O’Bike)
3	Shared bike (Adelaide CityBike)
4	Your own bike
5	UBER
6	GoGet sharing car
7	Driverless autonomous car
8	Free City bus
9	Free tram
10	Other (please specify)

• A7 [ASK ALL] Have you changed the primary mode of transport by which you travel to work in the last two years at all? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	Yes	Continue
2	No	Skip to B11
3	Unsure	Skip to B11

• A8 [Ask if YES at A7] What was the main reason for changing your mode of transport? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	Relocation of job	Continue
2	Relocation of home	Continue
3	Other (please specify)	Continue

1.2 Section B: Personal and Household Information

• B1 What is your gender SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	Male	Continue
2	Female
3	Prefer not to say

• B2 What category of age are you in? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	17–19	Continue
2	20–24
3	25–29
4	30–34
5	35–39
6	40–44
7	45–49
8	50–54
9	55–59
10	60–64
11	65–69
12	70–74
13	75–79
14	80–84
15	85 and over
16	Prefer not to say

• B3 What is your employment status? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	Working full time (35 + hours per week)	Continue
2	Working part time (less than 35 h per week)
3	Casual worker
4	Working from home
5	Not working (e.g., stay at home parent)
6	Seeking for job
7	Student (and not working)
8	Retired
9	Other (please specify)

• B4 What is your highest level of education? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	None	Continue
2	Primary School level
3	High School Certificate
4	Undergraduate University degree
5	Postgraduate University degree
6	Other (please specify) …….

• B5 What is your residency status? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	Australian born	Continue
2	Australian resident or citizen (born overseas)
3	Short term non-Australian resident (on a student visa)
4	Visiting (tourist)
5	Other (please specify)

• B6 How would you describe your home? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	Separate house	Continue
2	Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc.
3	Flat or apartment
4	Other (please specify)

• B7 Which of the following categories best describes your weekly personal pre-tax income ? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	Nil income	Continue
2	$1–$199
3	$200–$299
4	$300–$399
5	$400–$599
6	$600–$799
7	$800–$999
8	$1000–$1249
9	$1250–$1499
10	$1500–$1999
11	$2000 or more

• B8 What is the size of your household ? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	1, just me	Continue
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	5 or more

• B9 How many registered cars are available at your household ? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	0	Continue
2	1
3	2
4	3
5	4 or more

• B10 Do you use a smartphone or tablet (e.g., an iPad) for transport purpose (public transit application; bike share application, check up on a bus/tram/train timetable or route map)? SR

Code	Response	Routing
1	Yes	Continue
2	No
3	Unsure

• B11 What is the name of the suburb and Street where you live? OE

  Suburb __________________________________________________

  Street ________________________________________________