Subjectivity matters: Investigating the relationship between perceived accessibility and travel behaviour

IF 6.3 1区工程技术 Q1 ECONOMICS

Transportation Research Part A-Policy and Practice Pub Date : 2025-02-03 DOI:10.1016/j.tra.2025.104399

Hisham Negm , Ahmed El-Geneidy

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Accessibility, the ease of reaching destinations, encompass local and regional metrics used to evaluate the performance of the land use and transport systems in a region. These measures are known to impact individuals’ travel behaviour, which led to their adoption in practice as performance indicators to evaluate transport projects and plans, monitor progress towards equity goals, and evaluate changes induced by various policies. However, calculated measures of accessibility do not account for individuals’ experiences and perceptions, which play a pivotal role in travel behaviour. This research examines the relationship between travel behaviour and perceived accessibility, while accounting for calculated accessibility, residential selection, travel identity, and individual characteristics. Using data from a large-scale bilingual online survey administered in Montreal, Canada in Fall 2023 (N = 5,277), we perform statistical analyses at both local and regional levels to model weekly mode shares for walking and public transit, respectively. Calculated accessibility is accounted for locally using Walk Score® and regionally using cumulative opportunities accessibility measures by public transit. Our findings reveal that perceived accessibility by walking and public transit positively impact the weekly walking and transit mode share, respectively, for all purposes. Accounting for calculated accessibility and travel identity is important to avoid overestimating the influence of perceived accessibility on travel behaviour. This research provides transport professionals a nuanced understanding of the link between accessibility (perceived and calculated) and travel behaviour, offering insights for promoting the use of sustainable travel modes.

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来源期刊

Transportation Research Part A-Policy and Practice 工程技术-运输科技

CiteScore

13.20

自引率

7.80%

发文量

257

审稿时长

9.8 months

期刊介绍： Transportation Research: Part A contains papers of general interest in all passenger and freight transportation modes: policy analysis, formulation and evaluation; planning; interaction with the political, socioeconomic and physical environment; design, management and evaluation of transportation systems. Topics are approached from any discipline or perspective: economics, engineering, sociology, psychology, etc. Case studies, survey and expository papers are included, as are articles which contribute to unification of the field, or to an understanding of the comparative aspects of different systems. Papers which assess the scope for technological innovation within a social or political framework are also published. The journal is international, and places equal emphasis on the problems of industrialized and non-industrialized regions. Part A''s aims and scope are complementary to Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Part C: Emerging Technologies and Part D: Transport and Environment. Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review. Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. The complete set forms the most cohesive and comprehensive reference of current research in transportation science.