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Browsing by Subject "Travel patterns"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Advances in pedestrian travel monitoring: Temporal patterns and spatial characteristics using pedestrian push-button data from Utah traffic signals
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2021) Humagain, Prasanna; Singleton, Patrick A.
    In this study, we advanced pedestrian travel monitoring using a novel data source: pedestrian push-button presses obtained from archived traffic signal controller logs at more than 1,500 signalized intersections in Utah over one year. The purposes of this study were to: (1) quantify pedestrian activity patterns; (2) create factor groups and expansion/adjustment factors from these temporal patterns; and (3) explore relationships between patterns and spatial characteristics. Using empirical clustering, we classified signals into five groups, based on normalized hourly/weekly counts (each hour’s proportion of weekly totals, or the inverse of the expansion factors), and three clusters with similar monthly adjustment factors. We also used multinomial logit models to identify spatial characteristics (land use, built environment, socio-economic characteristics, and climatic regions) associated with different temporal patterns. For example, we found that signals near schools were much more likely to have bimodal daily peak hours and lower pedestrian activity during out-of-school months. Despite these good results, our hourly/weekday patterns differed less than in past research, highlighting the limits of existing infrastructure for capturing all kinds of activity patterns. Nevertheless, we demonstrated that signals with push-button data are a useful supplement to existing permanent counters within a broader pedestrian traffic monitoring program.
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    Beyond geometries of activity spaces: A holistic study of daily travel patterns, individual characteristics, and perceived wellbeing in Helsinki metropolitan area
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2019) Hasanzadeh, Kamyar; Czepkiewicz, Michal; Heinonen, Jukka; Kyttä, Marketta; Ala-Mantila, Sanna; Ottelin, Juudit
    Activity space (AS) is a measure of spatial behavior used to summarize the mobility behavior of individuals. Current studies often highlight the fact that AS is highly complex and multidimensional in character. Therefore, the need for more holistic approaches providing more comprehensive descriptions of mobility patterns is evident. This article assesses the activity spaces of young adults aged 25–40 living in the Helsinki metropolitan area using a dataset collected with an online map survey. Using a wide range of measurements covering different aspects of AS, we identified seven components that define activity spaces, namely size, intensity of activities, volume of trips, exteriority, polycentricity, elongation, and destination specialization. We then used the components together with travel mode use to identify a typology of daily mobility patterns. The results show that individuals with different types of AS differ significantly in their socio-demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, employment, household characteristics, and residential neighborhood. Furthermore, the study reveals interesting associations between AS characteristics and different aspects of wellbeing. Overall, the results highlight the importance of multidimensional and comprehensive approaches to understanding daily mobility of urban residents.
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    Impact of Twin Cities Transitways on Regional Labor Market Accessibility: A Transportation Equity Perspective
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2010-06) Fan, Yingling; Guthrie, Andrew; Teng, Rose
    This study evaluates the impact of the Hiawatha light rail line on job accessibility for the economically disadvantaged, seeking to further understanding of transit’s role in promoting social equity, and to identify commute flow changes among low-wage workers. The results will inform more equitable transit polices and improvements in the future. Numerous studies find spatial mismatch is an impediment to employment for low-wage workers. While transit is recognized as a tool for improving outcomes, results of empirical research are mixed. Several studies find positive relationships; others find none. The study examines changes in jobs accessible by transit throughout the service day. We utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) map analysis, summary statistics and regression analysis. Regression models estimate before- and after-LRT accessibility as a function of distance to the nearest transit stop, location within the immediate area of a light rail station or other transit premium stop, and of various demographic variables. We examine shifts in actual home-to-work commute flows using the Longitudinal Employment and Housing Database (LEHD) Origin-Destination Matrix. We employ GIS map analysis, summary statistics and regression analysis. Regression models estimate shifts in where individuals commute from and to as a function of distance to the nearest transit stop at both ends of a commute, location within the immediate area of a light rail station or other premium transit stop at both ends of a commute, and of various demographic variables. The report makes recommendations for applying our method to future transitways. Policy implications are discussed.
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    The influence of education level and job type on work-related travel patterns within rural metro-adjacent regions: The case of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2019) Mohino, Inmaculada; Ureña, José M.; Solís, Eloy
    Contemporary functional linkages and their relationships with the underlying settlement structure have been widely explored within polycentric urban configurations, but little attention has been paid to their adjacent rural regions. This paper examines the spatial patterns of commuting versus business travel in rural metro-adjacent regions to explain their reconfigured urban structures. These travel patterns are compared by considering workers’ education levels and occupations to investigate how rural metro-adjacent regions offer different opportunities for highly and non-highly skilled workers. Based on two surveys conducted by the authors in 2012, this work focuses on Castilla-La Mancha (CLM, Spain), a rural region under the influence of Madrid. The empirical results demonstrate the effectiveness of considering different functional linkages when explaining the underlying urban network. In particular, the results reinforce the idea of consolidating the polycentric spatial organization of urban centers in CLM, although this concentration is greater for commuting travel purposes and for highly skilled professionals. Conversely, the openness of CLM to other Spanish regions (including the adjacent metropolitan region) is greater for business travel than for commuting. The results also illustrate that the level of engagement, both in commuting and in business travel, increases with education. Finally, the results show that business travel occurs over longer distances than commuting does for all workers residing in rural metro-adjacent regions, regardless of education.
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    Longitudinal analysis of adolescent girls' activity patterns in San Diego and Minneapolis: Understanding the influence of the transition to licensure
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2016) McDonald, Noreen C.; Merlin, Louis A.; Hu, Haoting; Shih, Joshu; Cohen, Deborah A.; Evenson, Kelly R.; McKenzie, Thomas L.; Rodriguez, Daniel A.
    The proportion of teens and young adults with driver's licenses has declined sharply in many industrialized countries including the United States. Explanations for this decline have ranged from the introduction of graduated driver licensing programs to the increase in online social interaction. We used a longitudinal cohort study of teenage girls in San Diego and Minneapolis to evaluate factors associated with licensure and whether teens’ travel patterns become more independent as they age. We found that licensure depended not only on age but also on race and ethnicity as well as on variables that correlate with household income. Results also showed evidence that teen travel became more independent as teens aged, and that acquiring a license is an important part of this increased independence. However, we found limited evidence that teens' travel-activity patterns changed as a result of acquiring a driver’s license. Rather, teen independence resulted in less parental chauffeuring but little shift in travel patterns. For the larger debate on declining millennial mobility, our results suggest the need for more nuanced attention to variation across demographic groups and consideration of the equity implications if declines in travel and licensure are concentrated in low-income and minority populations.
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    Mitigating Highway Construction Impacts Through the Use of Transit
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2013-05) Becker, Carol
    Human beings are creatures of habit. Traveling patterns are routines that we repeat over and over until something disrupts those patterns. When disruption occurs, there is an opportunity to entice travelers into new travel patterns. Surveys found that the highway construction in Duluth disrupted travel patterns for 40% of persons surveyed. During the Duluth Megaproject highway construction project, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the Duluth Transit Authority (DTA) used the opportunity to entice travelers to transit. Additional trips and park and rides were added, which made transit more attractive to more travelers. Also, dedicated bus lanes were added to reduce travel time. Free fares enticed travelers to transit. A large promotional effort was undertaken to let travelers know about these enhanced options. Surveys of transit riders found that all of these efforts helped attract riders to transit. Surveys also looked at what factors were important for keeping riders on transit after highway construction ended. Once new habits are formed, it is likely travelers continue those habits until another event forces them to examine their travel patterns. This research found less than 15% of transit riders changed their behavior within two years and all did due to life changes, primarily job change or finishing school. It appears that once travelers change to transit, riders continue to use transit as long as it is a reasonable option. Increasing fares to normal levels did not create a significant incentive to stop using transit.
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    Smartphone-Based Travel Experience Sampling and Behavior Intervention among Young Adults
    (Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2012-05) Fan, Yingling; Chen, Qian; Liao, Chen-Fu; Douma, Frank
    This research project aims to develop a data collection application that enables real-time tracking and reporting of the health-related impacts of travel behavior. Using computing, communication, and sensing capabilities of smartphones, an Android phone application—named UbiActive—was developed to collect real-time travel-related physical activity and psychological well-being data from phone users. The application was tested on multiple Android phones, among which Nexus S and HTC Magic were found to produce comparable physical activity outputs with the commercially available accelerometer. The application was further tested in a three-week field study for its viability for real-time data collection and behavior intervention against unhealthy travel behavior. Twenty-three young adults were recruited and randomized into intervention and control groups. Both groups were asked to install UbiActive on their phone and wear their phone on their right hip during all waking hours for three consecutive weeks. The intervention group was provided information on impacts of their travel behavior on physical activity and psychological well-being. No information was provided to the control group. After the field study, all participants were asked to complete a web-based exit survey that was comprised of questions about their general participation experience and specific concerns about the study design, application, compliance requirements, and privacy issues. Findings from the field study show that UbiActive has high potential in collecting travel-related physical activity and psychological experience data, but limited effectiveness in behavior intervention. Findings from the exit survey provide useful insights into potential improvement areas of the study and the UbiActive application.