705 research outputs found
A hybrid discrete choice model to assess the effect of awareness and attitude towards environmentally friendly travel modes
No full textThe need to reduce private vehicle use has led to the development of soft measures aimed at re-educating car users through information processes that raise their awareness regarding the benefits of environmentally friendly modes, encouraging them to voluntarily change their mode choice behaviour (level-of-service characteristics being equal). It has been observed, though not scientifically demonstrated, that these measures can produce changes, being the result of mindful decisions. However, in some cases, as demonstrated by numerous environmental psychology studies such measures are not sufficient to overcome the effect of cognitive dissonance, one of the main factors hindering change. In fact it is not unusual to find discrepancies between attitudes and behaviour in travel behaviour research. The objective of the present work is to understand the relationship between awareness, attitude and behaviour in the context of mode choice and to measure the effect of awareness after the implementation of a soft measure after controlling for individual environmental attitudes. Using a dataset gathered in two weeks, before and after individuals are informed of the benefits of using park and ride (P&R) instead of their car, we estimated a hybrid mode choice model
Modal share change following implementation of travel demand management strategies
No full textThe demand for urban mobility has seen a marked increase over the last few decades. The expansion of road networks, the increase in distance traveled and in the number of trips made has created car-dependent cities. One solution for achieving the switch from private car to public transport is the introduction of a new public transport line that improves the accessibility and frequency of service. However, an important behavioral process underpins travel choices and often a change in choice context is not sufficient to evoke behavior change. Voluntary travel behavior change (VTBC) programs were developed for heightening individuals’ awareness of the consequences of their travel choices and of the benefits to be reaped from using sustainable alternatives, through information provision and communication strategies. The objective of the present paper is to analyze the effect on travel mode choice of introducing a new light railway line into the choice set (hard measure) when implementing a VTBC program on a large scale, but with a high degree of personalization (soft measure). Although numerous studies have demonstrated the need to implement a (hard) measure that acts on the choice context, in combination with a (soft) measure that acts in a personalized way on demand, as far as the authors are aware, few have put this into practice. The first results have shown that a combination of hard and soft measures is more effective in evoking travel behavior change and personalized travel plans produce better results than generalized soft measures
Hybrid choice model to disentangle the effect of awareness from attitudes: Application test of soft measures in medium size city
No full textThe need to reduce private vehicle use has led to the development of soft measures aimed at re-educating car users through information processes that raise their awareness about the benefits of environmentally friendly modes, encouraging them to voluntarily change their travel choice behaviour (level of services characteristics being equal). It has been observed that these measures can produce enduring changes, being the result of mindful decisions. It is important then to try and understand what contributes to shape individuals’ preferences in order to be able to define the best policy for fostering changes toward more pro-environmental modes. The objective of this work is to provide empirical evidence of the effect of awareness and individual attitudes on the switch from car driver to more sustainable modes such as Park and Ride. In particular we attempt to discriminate the effect of awareness due to the information provided in a Stated Preference experiment from the effect of individuals’ attitudes toward stress and social norms with respect to sustainable transport modes. The case study refers to the implementation of a Voluntary Travel Behaviour Change programme in Cagliari (Italy), carried out with the purpose of promoting the use of the light rail in Park and Ride mode. To account for all these effects in the choice between car and Park and Ride we estimate a Hybrid Choice Model where the discrete choice structure allows us to estimate the effect of awareness of environment and stress, while the latent structure allows us to estimate the effect of the latent effect of norms and attitudes toward environment and stress. The results from this case study show that the more people consider the information about stress useful, the more they tend to behave sustainably, suggesting the importance of reporting feedback about stress in the personalised travel plan to promote sustainable mobility. Interestingly, the information about pollution has instead less impact in shifting behaviour toward sustainable modes
Supporting tourism through the promotion of cycling: GIS model applied in the metropolitan area of Cagliari (Italy)
No full textIn Italy, where bicycle culture is struggling to catch on, the Extraordinary Plan for Tourism Mobility 2017–22 aims to increase the accessibility of tourist sites through safe and pleasant cycling routes, interconnected with other modes of transport. These same objectives have been pursued by Sardinia, one of the Italian regions more attractive to tourists, through the design of a regional cycle network and a long-distance tourist cycling routes (Ciclovia della Sardegna).
The current study focuses on tourism mobility in the metropolitan city of Cagliari, the largest urban area in Sardinia, and aims to explore how much the existing and planned cycling routes constitute an alternative mobility solution for tourists who intend to reach the beaches. In particular, the study aims to evaluate the level of accessibility offered by bicycling to the beaches, which are among the most visited and attractive places for tourists, before and after the implementation of a regional bike tourism network system. A GIS-based procedure was employed and the method comprised of three main steps: (1) data collection and preparation, (2) GIS analysis, and (3) assessment of results. We performed two main types of analysis using GIS. First, we delineated service areas around each beach for various distances. Then, we overlaid and analyzed these areas in conjunction with the accommodation facilities. Second, we measured the accessibility of beaches using a gravity-based accessibility index.
Our results demonstrate that, following the implementation of the regional cycle network Sardinia, various zones in the metropolitan area of Cagliari significantly increased their level of accessibility to the beaches, while others did not. Importantly, the adopted methodology has proven to be a valid tool for assessing cycling accessibility for different infrastructure scenarios
Analyzing the individual factors determining the usage duration of an active GPS tracker app using a joint binary-ordered probit model
No full textThe complexity of people's travel behavior, along with the growing need to modify less sustainable behaviors, has made demand analysis methodology increasingly sophisticated, requiring more precise and high-performing data. GPS-tracker applications for smartphones, used for travel surveys, have been highlighted as valid alternatives to traditional methods for data collection, offering a higher level of detail. These applications allow for the detection of travel choices over a broader temporal horizon than single trips, enabling a detailed understanding of user needs. In the context of finding alternative modal solutions to private motorized transport, this type of data proves effective in identifying the modal alternative that best fits the daily/weekly activity and travel schedule, also considering the possibility of better rescheduling the sequence of activities. While the advantages of these surveys are recognized, little is known about the motivations and modalities of participation. Challenges, including high battery consumption and privacy concerns, are acknowledged, but few studies have explored individual factors influencing participation in smartphone travel surveys.
This study uses survival analysis to investigate how socio-demographic attributes influence both participation in and the duration of use of an active GPS tracker application called ‘Svoltiamo’. Participants were instructed to utilize the application continuously for two consecutive weeks (three consecutive days within each week) during the third wave of a panel survey conducted in Cagliari, Italy. A censored exponentiated discrete Weibull distribution model highlighted that two of the main factors that influence participation in this type of survey are related to the composition of the household and the distance of regular commuting for work/study
Measuring soft measures within a stated preference survey: the effect of pollution and stress from traffic in the mode choice
No full textA hybrid discrete choice model to assess the effect of awarness and attitude toward environmental friendly modes
No full textMeasuring soft measures within a stated preference survey: The effect of pollution and traffic stress on mode choice
No full textThe objective of this research is to study the extent to which information on pollution and individual stress has on the choice to shift from private car to Park and Ride. A Stated Preference experiment was built where the reduction of CO2 and stress are attributes of the experimental design. Results showed that the utility to Park and Ride increases with the level of awareness, 2) the more individuals consider receiving information about stress useful, the more they tend to behave sustainably, 3) aspects associated with stress appear to have a greater influence on travel choice than environmental aspects
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