IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jotrge/v91y2021ics096669232100003x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The factors in residents' mobility in rural towns of China: Car ownership, road infrastructure and public transport services

Author

Listed:
  • Yu, Zhao
  • Zhao, Pengjun

Abstract

The improvement of rural people's mobility in developing countries has informed many policies. Still, debates remain on which policies are efficient, for instance, building more roads, providing public transport or promoting car ownership. The empirical evidence for these debates at the national level remains scarce. As a result, this paper aims to provide fresh evidence for discussions by examining residents' mobility in China using nationwide survey data with 12,524 respondents from 119 rural towns. The results of the analysis show car ownership is the most significant factor influencing rural people's mobility than other factors. Higher car ownership relates to a higher travel frequency to counties or cities. Other kinds of transport vehicles (i.e. electric cars, motorcycles and electric bikes) also have positive but relatively weaker impacts on rural mobility. For public transport, it is more accessible to access bus stops, which encourages travel to higher-order centres rather than increasing the frequency of county bus services. The accessibility of high-quality road systems tends to have a negative influence and has combined effects with levels of local services. People from towns with insufficient local services and poor access to highways travel the most frequently to higher-order centres. This study highlights the critical role of road investments and car ownership enhancement policies in improving mobility. Moreover, this study also underscores the supplemental role of public transport services given the current low car ownership rates in rural towns of China and the global consensus on sustainable green transport development. It highlights the importance of engaging eco-friendly and locally adaptive transport alternatives, such as electric cars and electric bikes. It also calls for a rational distribution of bus stops and more flexible, convenient, and physically accessible public transport and carshare modes in rural China.

Suggested Citation

  • Yu, Zhao & Zhao, Pengjun, 2021. "The factors in residents' mobility in rural towns of China: Car ownership, road infrastructure and public transport services," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:91:y:2021:i:c:s096669232100003x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.102950
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096669232100003X
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.102950?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. Kolodinsky, Jane M. & Battista, Geoffrey & Roche, Erin & Lee, Brian H.Y. & Johnson, Rachel K., 2017. "Estimating the effect of mobility and food choice on obesity in a rural, northern environment," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 30-39.
    2. Reid Ewing & Robert Cervero, 2010. "Travel and the Built Environment," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 76(3), pages 265-294.
    3. Sharav, Nir & Givoni, Moshe & Shiftan, Yoram, 2019. "What transit service does the periphery need? A case study of Israel’s rural country," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 320-333.
    4. Manoj, M. & Verma, Ashish & Navyatha, M., 2015. "Commute travel and its effect on housing tenure choice of males and females living in the urban and rural areas of Bangalore city in India," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 62-69.
    5. Ao, Yibin & Yang, Dujuan & Chen, Chuan & Wang, Yan, 2019. "Exploring the effects of the rural built environment on household car ownership after controlling for preference and attitude: Evidence from Sichuan, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 24-36.
    6. Shirmohammadli, Abdolmatin & Louen, Conny & Vallée, Dirk, 2016. "Exploring mobility equity in a society undergoing changes in travel behavior: A case study of Aachen, Germany," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 32-39.
    7. Kamruzzaman, Md. & Hine, Julian, 2011. "Participation index: a measure to identify rural transport disadvantage?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 882-899.
    8. Olsson, Jerry, 2009. "Improved road accessibility and indirect development effects: evidence from rural Philippines," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 476-483.
    9. Venter, Christoffel J. & Molomo, Malesela & Mashiri, Mac, 2014. "Supply and pricing strategies of informal rural transport providers," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 239-248.
    10. Sabina Mahapa & Mac Mashiri, 2001. "Social exclusion and rural transport: Gender aspects of a road improvement project in Tshitwe, Northern Province," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(3), pages 365-376.
    11. Titheridge, Helena & Achuthan, Kamalasudhan & Mackett, Roger L & Solomon, Juliet, 2009. "Assessing the extent of transport social exclusion among the elderly," The Journal of Transport and Land Use, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, vol. 2(2), pages 31-48.
    12. Israel Schwarzlose, Alicia A. & Mjelde, James W. & Dudensing, Rebekka M. & Jin, Yanhong & Cherrington, Linda K. & Chen, Junyi, 2014. "Willingness to pay for public transportation options for improving the quality of life of the rural elderly," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 1-14.
    13. Velaga, Nagendra R. & Beecroft, Mark & Nelson, John D. & Corsar, David & Edwards, Peter, 2012. "Transport poverty meets the digital divide: accessibility and connectivity in rural communities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 102-112.
    14. Sultana, Zohora & Mishra, Sabyasachee & Cherry, Christopher R. & Golias, Mihalis M. & Tabrizizadeh Jeffers, Saman, 2018. "Modeling frequency of rural demand response transit trips," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 494-505.
    15. Owen, David & Hogarth, Terence & Green, Anne E., 2012. "Skills, transport and economic development: evidence from a rural area in England," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 80-92.
    16. Zhao, Pengjun & Yu, Zhao, 2020. "Investigating mobility in rural areas of China: Features, equity, and factors," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 66-77.
    17. Choudhary, Ravi & Vasudevan, Vinod, 2017. "Study of vehicle ownership for urban and rural households in India," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 52-58.
    18. Julian Hine & Md. Kamruzzaman & Neale Blair, 2012. "Weekly activity-travel behaviour in rural Northern Ireland: differences by context and socio-demographic," Transportation, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 175-195, January.
    19. Zhao, Pengjun & Zhang, Yixue, 2019. "The effects of metro fare increase on transport equity: New evidence from Beijing," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 73-83.
    20. John Pucher & John Renne, 2005. "Rural mobility and mode choice: Evidence from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey," Transportation, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 165-186, March.
    21. Porter, Gina & Tewodros, Amleset & Bifandimu, Flavian & Gorman, Mark & Heslop, Amanda & Sibale, Elisha & Awadh, Abdul & Kiswaga, Lorraine, 2013. "Transport and mobility constraints in an aging population: health and livelihood implications in rural Tanzania," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 161-169.
    22. Stern, Steven, 1993. "A disaggregate discrete choice model of transportation demand by elderly and disabled people in rural Virginia," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 315-327, July.
    23. Gina Porter, 2016. "Mobilities in Rural Africa: New Connections, New Challenges," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 106(2), pages 434-441, March.
    24. Porter, Gina, 2002. "Living in a Walking World: Rural Mobility and Social Equity Issues in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 285-300, February.
    25. Seedhouse, Andrew & Johnson, Rebecca & Newbery, Robert, 2016. "Potholes and pitfalls: The impact of rural transport on female entrepreneurs in Nigeria," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 140-147.
    26. Gina Porter, 2014. "Transport Services and Their Impact on Poverty and Growth in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of Recent Research and Future Research Needs," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(1), pages 25-45, January.
    27. Kolodinsky, Jane M. & DeSisto, Thomas Patrick & Propen, David & Putnam, Matthew E. & Roche, Erin & Sawyer, William R., 2013. "It is not how far you go, it is whether you can get there: modeling the effects of mobility on quality of life in rural New England," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 113-122.
    28. Eveline van Leeuwen & Piet Rietveld, 2011. "Spatial Consumer Behaviour in Small and Medium-sized Towns," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(8), pages 1107-1119.
    29. repec:bla:devpol:v:26:y:2008:i:4:p:459-482 is not listed on IDEAS
    30. Gina Porter & Kate Hampshire & Mac Mashiri & Sipho Dube & Goodhope Maponya, 2010. "‘Youthscapes’ and escapes in rural Africa: Education, mobility and livelihood trajectories for young people in Eastern Cape, South Africa," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(8), pages 1090-1101, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhou, Qiang & Liu, Yong & Qu, Shen, 2022. "Emission effects of China's rural revitalization: The nexus of infrastructure investment, household income, and direct residential CO2 emissions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    2. Zhao, Pengjun & Yu, Zhao, 2021. "Rural poverty and mobility in China: A national-level survey," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    3. Yuan, Dandan & Zhao, Pengjun & Yu, Zhao & Liu, Qiyang, 2023. "Villagers' travel burden and the built environment in rural China: Evidence from a national level survey," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    4. Miwa, Tomio & Wang, Jianbiao & Morikawa, Takayuki, 2023. "Are seniors in mountainous areas able to realize their desired trips? A novel approach to estimate trip demand," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    5. Vilaça, Mariana & Santos, Gonçalo & Oliveira, Mónica S.A. & Coelho, Margarida C. & Correia, Gonçalo H.A., 2022. "Life cycle assessment of shared and private use of automated and electric vehicles on interurban mobility," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).

    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. Zhao, Pengjun & Yu, Zhao, 2020. "Investigating mobility in rural areas of China: Features, equity, and factors," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 66-77.
    2. Zhao, Pengjun & Yu, Zhao, 2021. "Rural poverty and mobility in China: A national-level survey," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    3. Yuan, Dandan & Zhao, Pengjun & Yu, Zhao & Liu, Qiyang, 2023. "Villagers' travel burden and the built environment in rural China: Evidence from a national level survey," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    4. Gina Porter & Jeff Turner, 2019. "Meeting Young People’s Mobility and Transport Needs: Review and Prospect," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-23, November.
    5. Ranković Plazinić, Biljana & Jović, Jadranka, 2018. "Mobility and transport potential of elderly in differently accessible rural areas," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 169-180.
    6. Chetan Doddamani & M. Manoj, 2023. "Analysis of the influences of built environment measures on household car and motorcycle ownership decisions in Hubli-Dharwad cities," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 205-243, February.
    7. Venter, Christoffel J. & Molomo, Malesela & Mashiri, Mac, 2014. "Supply and pricing strategies of informal rural transport providers," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 239-248.
    8. Benevenuto, Rodolfo & Caulfield, Brian, 2020. "Measuring access to urban centres in rural Northeast Brazil: A spatial accessibility poverty index," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    9. Mattioli, Giulio & Lucas, Karen & Marsden, Greg, 2018. "Reprint of Transport poverty and fuel poverty in the UK: From analogy to comparison," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 114-125.
    10. Horn, Christine & Gifford, Sandra M. & Ting, Christina Y.P., 2021. "Informal, essential and embedded: Transport strategies in remote Sarawak," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    11. Zhao, Pengjun & Wan, Jie, 2021. "Land use and travel burden of residents in urban fringe and rural areas: An evaluation of urban-rural integration initiatives in Beijing," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    12. Curl, Angela & Davison, Lisa, 2014. "Transport Geography: perspectives upon entering an accomplished research sub-discipline," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 100-105.
    13. Mattioli, Giulio & Lucas, Karen & Marsden, Greg, 2017. "Transport poverty and fuel poverty in the UK: From analogy to comparison," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 93-105.
    14. Kolodinsky, Jane M. & Battista, Geoffrey & Roche, Erin & Lee, Brian H.Y. & Johnson, Rachel K., 2017. "Estimating the effect of mobility and food choice on obesity in a rural, northern environment," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 30-39.
    15. Foley, Louise & Brugulat-Panés, Anna & Woodcock, James & Govia, Ishtar & Hambleton, Ian & Turner-Moss, Eleanor & Mogo, Ebele R.I. & Awinja, Alice Charity & Dambisya, Philip M. & Matina, Sostina Spiwe , 2022. "Socioeconomic and gendered inequities in travel behaviour in Africa: Mixed-method systematic review and meta-ethnography," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    16. Zhihong Li & Zinan Wang & Yanjie Wen & Li Zhao, 2022. "Exploration and Prediction of the Elderly Travel Behavior Based on a Novel GR-GA-BP Hybrid Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-17, October.
    17. Yang Zhou & Chunyang Tong & Yongsheng Wang, 2022. "Road construction, economic growth, and poverty alleviation in China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 1306-1332, September.
    18. Sörensen, Leif & Bossert, Andreas & Jokinen, Jani-Pekka & Schlüter, Jan, 2021. "How much flexibility does rural public transport need? – Implications from a fully flexible DRT system," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 5-20.
    19. Anna Brugulat-Panés & Lee Randall & Thiago Hérick de Sá & Megha Anil & Haowen Kwan & Lambed Tatah & James Woodcock & Ian R. Hambleton & Ebele R. I. Mogo & Lisa Micklesfield & Caitlin Pley & Ishtar Gov, 2023. "The Potential for Healthy, Sustainable, and Equitable Transport Systems in Africa and the Caribbean: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review and Meta-Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-27, March.
    20. Miwa, Tomio & Wang, Jianbiao & Morikawa, Takayuki, 2023. "Are seniors in mountainous areas able to realize their desired trips? A novel approach to estimate trip demand," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 175(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:91:y:2021:i:c:s096669232100003x. 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.