Guest editorial. Special issue: Extending the scope of travel surveys

Five papers that were presented as part of the December 1995 Entretiens du Centre Jacques Cartier in Lyon, France are enclosed. The primary objective of the colloquium was to review the state of the art of collecting data, on travel behaviour as well as on the mechanisms by which behaviour are changed, in order to better respond to rapidly evolving transport policy issues. Reintroducing attitude theory in travel behaviour research: the validity of an interactive interview procedure to predict car use (Gärling, Gillholm and Gärling, pp.129-46) argues that successfully forecasting travel behaviour relies on a distinction between planned, habitual, and impulsive travel. The quality of survey data: telephone versus face-to-face interviews (Bonnel and Le Nir, pp.147-67) discusses the issue of nonresponses and the choice of the sample base, as well as the accuracy of the information and choice of survey area when recording all trips, including short distance travel. Stated adaptation surveys and choice process: some methodological issues (D'Arcier, Andan and Raux, pp.169-84) uses a simulation game to obtain a clearer picture of the attitudes and behaviours of individuals in particular travel situations. A review of separate and joint strategies for the use of data on revealed and stated choices (Stropher, pp.187-204) elaborates what is meant by the concept of total survey design with respect to activity surveys versus time-use surveys. Adapting interactive stated response techniques to self-completion survey (Turrentine and Kurani, pp.207-22) reports on a survey of 454 Californian households (USA) which measured the market for electric vehicles as an alternative transport mode. All five contributions reflect the way in which the political priorities of the day tend to strongly influence the demand for survey and modelling expertise, in that the currency of sustainable development principles guide much of the existing research.