INFLUENCE OF SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS ON ACTIVITY TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR OF COMMUTERS IN A MEDIUM SIZED CITY IN INDIA

Abstract

: Technological developments in small or medium sized cities are often at a slower rate due to the lack or scarcity of funds. Proper planning of facilities in such cities should hence be executed meticulously. This requires an understanding of travel needs of individuals. As majority of the travel are made for work the study aims to explore the activity and travel preferences of workers. Majority of the commuters are likely to travel at the same time of day, causing congestion during peak hours. Under these circumstances, it is essential to explore the commuting behaviour of individuals. It also aids transportation engineers and planners to recognise individual preferences for arriving at user friendly strategies and a sustainable environment. The aim of the study is to identify the travel related choice of work commute. These choice dimensions are explored through activity participation model, mode and time of day choice models using multinomial and binary logit modelling approaches incorporating the socio–demographic characteristics. Modelling results underscore the importance of variables like gender, age and presence of school children on an individual’s decision to commute. The study indicates that majority of the workers prefer public transportation for commuting. They are more likely to commute between 8 am to 10 am in the morning. Scenario analyses were done to understand the shifts in travel mode of workers, with changes in travel time. These results highlight the substantial impact of travel time on mode share of commuters in the area.