IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jotrge/v18y2010i1p75-84.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Interrelations between travel mode choice and trip distance: trends in Germany 1976–2002

Author

Listed:
  • Scheiner, Joachim

Abstract

In recent decades, trends in travel behaviour have been characterised by increasing trip distances and a modal shift towards the private car. This paper reports findings from longitudinal analyses of the German nation-wide travel survey KONTIV for the period 1976–2002. It focuses on travel mode choice, subdivided by distance categories, and also takes car availability and city size into account. In addition, trends in car availability itself are examined by city size categories. The results indicate that even within the same distance categories car use has considerably increased. In some cases bicycle use has increased as well. Gains in the use of the private car are mainly at the expense of trips on foot and by public transport. Accordingly, the shift in modal split towards the car is not (only) caused by increasing trip distances but took place even within distance classes. Once car availability is taken into account, the modal shifts appear to be considerably weaker. This suggests that once car availability is held constant the decision rationales of mode choice for a certain trip distance have remained relatively stable. The increase in motorisation over the study period was considerably weaker in large cities than in small towns, although the cities started from a lower level in the 1970s. Thus, the motorisation divide between cities on the one hand, and suburban and rural areas on the other hand has become ever wider. For travel mode choice, the picture is similar. What is more, the results suggest that even car owners are more inclined to walk a given distance in the cities than in small towns, even more so if they live in a central urban area. The built environment, thus, appears to have a strong impact on whether an available car is used or not.

Suggested Citation

  • Scheiner, Joachim, 2010. "Interrelations between travel mode choice and trip distance: trends in Germany 1976–2002," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 75-84.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:18:y:2010:i:1:p:75-84
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2009.01.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692309000052
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2009.01.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Simma, A. & Axhausen, K. W., 2001. "Structures of commitment in mode use: a comparison of Switzerland, Germany and Great Britain," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 8(4), pages 279-288, October.
    2. Tim Schwanen & Martin Dijst & Frans M. Dieleman, 2004. "Policies for Urban Form and their Impact on Travel: The Netherlands Experience," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 41(3), pages 579-603, March.
    3. Lyons, Glenn & Urry, John, 2005. "Travel time use in the information age," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 39(2-3), pages 257-276.
    4. Ann Forsyth & J. Michael Oakes & Kathryn H. Schmitz & Mary Hearst, 2007. "Does Residential Density Increase Walking and Other Physical Activity?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 44(4), pages 679-697, April.
    5. Pierre Filion & Kathleen McSpurren & Brad Appleby, 2006. "Wasted Density? The Impact of Toronto's Residential-Density-Distribution Policies on Public-Transit Use and Walking," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 38(7), pages 1367-1392, July.
    6. Xinyu Cao & Susan Handy & Patricia Mokhtarian, 2006. "The Influences of the Built Environment and Residential Self-Selection on Pedestrian Behavior: Evidence from Austin, TX," Transportation, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 1-20, January.
    7. Susan Handy & Kelly Clifton, 2001. "Local shopping as a strategy for reducing automobile travel," Transportation, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 317-346, November.
    8. Gatersleben, Birgitta & Appleton, Katherine M., 2007. "Contemplating cycling to work: Attitudes and perceptions in different stages of change," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 302-312, May.
    9. Roger Mackett, 2003. "Why do people use their cars for short trips?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 30(3), pages 329-349, August.
    10. Kenyon, Susan & Lyons, Glenn, 2007. "Introducing multitasking to the study of travel and ICT: Examining its extent and assessing its potential importance," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 161-175, February.
    11. Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Chen, Cynthia, 2004. "TTB or not TTB, that is the question: a review and analysis of the empirical literature on travel time (and money) budgets," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 38(9-10), pages 643-675.
    12. Jessica Guo & Cynthia Chen, 2007. "The built environment and travel behavior: making the connection," Transportation, Springer, vol. 34(5), pages 529-533, September.
    13. Joachim Scheiner & Christian Holz-Rau, 2007. "Travel mode choice: affected by objective or subjective determinants?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 34(4), pages 487-511, July.
    14. Ye, Xin & Pendyala, Ram M. & Gottardi, Giovanni, 2007. "An exploration of the relationship between mode choice and complexity of trip chaining patterns," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 96-113, January.
    15. Giuliano, Genevieve & Dargay, Joyce, 2006. "Car ownership, travel and land use: a comparison of the US and Great Britain," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 106-124, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jianxi Feng & Martin Dijst & Bart Wissink & Jan Prillwitz, 2014. "Understanding Mode Choice in the Chinese Context: The Case of Nanjing Metropolitan Area," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 105(3), pages 315-330, July.
    2. Cao, Xinyu & Mokhtarian, Patricia & Handy, Susan, 2008. "Examining The Impacts of Residential Self-Selection on Travel Behavior: Methodologies and Empirical Findings," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt08x1k476, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    3. Van Acker, Veronique & Witlox, Frank, 2010. "Car ownership as a mediating variable in car travel behaviour research using a structural equation modelling approach to identify its dual relationship," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 65-74.
    4. Vale, David S., 2013. "Does commuting time tolerance impede sustainable urban mobility? Analysing the impacts on commuting behaviour as a result of workplace relocation to a mixed-use centre in Lisbon," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 38-48.
    5. Michael Duncan, 2016. "How much can trip chaining reduce VMT? A simplified method," Transportation, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 643-659, July.
    6. Mattioli, Giulio & Anable, Jillian & Vrotsou, Katerina, 2016. "Car dependent practices: Findings from a sequence pattern mining study of UK time use data," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 56-72.
    7. De Witte, Astrid & Hollevoet, Joachim & Dobruszkes, Frédéric & Hubert, Michel & Macharis, Cathy, 2013. "Linking modal choice to motility: A comprehensive review," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 329-341.
    8. Schneider, Robert James, 2011. "Understanding Sustainable Transportation Choices: Shifting Routine Automobile Travel to Walking and Bicycling," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt06v2g6dh, University of California Transportation Center.
    9. Klinger, Thomas & Kenworthy, Jeffrey R. & Lanzendorf, Martin, 2013. "Dimensions of urban mobility cultures – a comparison of German cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 18-29.
    10. Veronique Acker & Frank Witlox, 2011. "Commuting trips within tours: how is commuting related to land use?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 465-486, May.
    11. Jain, Juliet & Lyons, Glenn, 2008. "The gift of travel time," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 81-89.
    12. Bertil Vilhelmson & Eva Thulin, 2008. "Virtual Mobility, Time Use And The Place Of The Home," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 99(5), pages 602-618, December.
    13. Holz-Rau, Christian & Scheiner, Joachim, 2011. "Safety and travel time in cost-benefit analysis: A sensitivity analysis for North Rhine-Westphalia," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 336-346, March.
    14. van Wee, Bert, 2011. "Evaluating the impact of land use on travel behaviour: the environment versus accessibility," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 1530-1533.
    15. Kamruzzaman, Md. & Baker, Douglas & Washington, Simon & Turrell, Gavin, 2013. "Residential dissonance and mode choice," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 12-28.
    16. Li, Jingjing & Kim, Changjoo & Sang, Sunhee, 2018. "Exploring impacts of land use characteristics in residential neighborhood and activity space on non-work travel behaviors," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 141-147.
    17. Scheiner, Joachim & Holz-Rau, Christian, 2013. "A comprehensive study of life course, cohort, and period effects on changes in travel mode use," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 167-181.
    18. Aguiléra, Anne & Guillot, Caroline & Rallet, Alain, 2012. "Mobile ICTs and physical mobility: Review and research agenda," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 664-672.
    19. Scheiner, Joachim, 2010. "Social inequalities in travel behaviour: trip distances in the context of residential self-selection and lifestyles," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 679-690.
    20. Tang, Jia & Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Zhen, Feng, 2020. "How do passengers allocate and evaluate their travel time? Evidence from a survey on the Shanghai–Nanjing high speed rail corridor, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:18:y:2010:i:1:p:75-84. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-transport-geography .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.