Factors Effecting Active

Mode Choice in
Transportation
Shaunna Kay Burbidge
University of California, Santa Barbara
Department of Geography
Transportation Trends
The Average American spends over
433 hours per year, the equivalent of
55 eight hour work days, in their car
(Mackett 2003)
The car population is now increasing
five times faster that the human
population (USDOT 1997)
Between 1977 & 1995 the number of
trips the average American took on
foot dropped by 21% (Active Living
Network 2003)
Of trips one mile or less,
approximately 70% are made by
automobile (Killingsworth 2001)
Public Health Trends
In 2004 the World Health Organization
(WHO) recognized excess weight as
one of the top five health problems in
developed nations (NIEHS 2004)
Over 130 million Americans are
overweight (64%) 60 million are
Obese (30%) (USDOH 2004)
These conditions are known to cause heart disease, diabetes,
cardio vascular disease, stroke, asthma, cancer, and depression
(Blair and Powell 1994)
In the near future obesity will pass smoking as the number one
preventable killer of Americans (WHO 2004)
In 2000 the medical costs attributed to inactivity and obesity totaled
over $117 billion dollars (The Funders Network 2003)
The Connection
Over 200,000 deaths per year (25% of all
chronic disease deaths) are attributed to lack
of physical activity (Blair and Powell 2004)
Moderate daily physical activity reduces the
risk of heart disease, keeps weight under
control, and improves blood cholesterol (AHA
2003)
As little as 30 minutes of physical activity per
day can lead to drastic improvements in
health. (Surgeon Generals recommendation)
Over $76 billion dollars per year in direct
medical costs could be saved if all physically
inactive people met current standards for
regular moderate physical activity (Frank and
Engelke 2001)
Active Transportation
Walking
Almost everyone is capable of walking.
It doesnt cost a thing except calories and time
Men who walked at a moderate intensity for at
least 30 minutes per day reduced their risk of
coronary heart disease (Morris & Hardman
1997)
Biking
More than 42 million Americans own
bicycles and yet currently less than 1% of
trips are made by bike (NIEHS 2004)
People who bike at least 40 km per week
cut their risk of heart disease in half (Dora
1999)
Deterrents to Active Travel
Personal External- Factors effecting mode choice in a personal
way that are hard to modify (ex. Disabilities or handicaps)
Personal Internal- Factors effecting mode choice that are
controllable by policy or persuasion (ex. Attitudes, opinions, or
values held by individuals)
Environmental External- Environmental factors that are not easily
controlled by policy or persuasion (ex. Topography, climate, and
distance)
Environmental Internal- Environmental factors that can be
controlled by policy and persuasion (ex. Community design,
densities, mixed uses, etc.)
Personal Internal
Travel Time
People tend to rule out active modes due
to time constraints
Personal Safety
If people dont feel safe walking/biking
they wont
Quality Facilities and Destinations
Destinations and adequate infrastructure
are key- If there is nowhere to go, and no
paths to use, active travel will not happen
Environmental External
Topography
Varied Topography = More Work
Climate
90% of individuals consider poor weather a
deterrent to walking or biking
Distance
The most frequently sited reason for not
traveling actively
Thresholds for Active Modes
Walking = 1.5 miles Biking = 6 miles
Average Distances for Active Modes
Walking = 0.5 miles Biking = 2 miles
Environmental Internal
Zoning
Separates land uses and is
often blamed for sprawl
Infrastructure Design
Residential Density
Higher Densities promote
active travel
Mixed Uses
Living closer to various
activities encourages active
travel
Preliminary Questions
Are people really as inactive as other studies claim?
What types of trips are people most likely to take using active means?
What factors play a role in influencing the decision to travel actively?
What kinds of people are most likely to travel actively?
Data Source
Sample of 1505 individuals either living or working in Centre County, PA
CentreSim 2 day fully annotated activity diaries
Patten and Goulias, (2004) provide complete details on the data collection
Research Questions
Activity Levels of this Sample
Level 1- Extremely active individuals that schedule daily exercise
and walk or bike frequently (1.2%)
Level 2- Active individuals that schedule exercise intermittently
and walk or bike regularly (3%)
Level 3- Moderately active individuals that dont schedule exercise
but walk or bike occasionally (6.4%)
Level 4- Inactive individuals who are generally sedentary and rarely walk
or bike (89.4%)
Level 5- Captive Sedentary individuals who cannot be active due to
personal or physical limitations (not defined in this research)
Only 6.65% of the individuals studied made any trips using an active mode
5 Taxonomies of Physical Activity
Trip Purpose for Mode Choice
44.40% 11.00% 1.90% 0.00% 0.00% 21.30% 1.80% To Other Mode
0.00% 2.20% 1.90% 0.00% 0.00% 0.40% 4.10% Visiting
33.30% 24.60% 17.30% 33.33% 7.10% 4.10% 12.60% Recreation
0.00% 1.80% 1.90% 0.00% 0.00% 0.20% 3.50% Errands
0.00% 0.20% 1.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.20% Delivery
0.00% 1.00% 1.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.40% 7.30% Escort
0.00% 0.80% 1.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.60% 1.10% Appointment
2.80% 0.20% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.20% 0.90% Medical
0.00% 0.80% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.60% 0.30% Refreshment
0.00% 5.90% 3.80% 33.33% 14.30% 0.40% 5.00% Dining
0.00% 3.30% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 1.40% 13.00% Shopping
2.80% 10.90% 17.30% 33.33% 28.60% 5.80% 27.80% Return Home
0.00% 4.90% 8.70% 0.00% 0.00% 19.50% 1.30% From School
0.00% 3.70% 9.60% 0.00% 21.40% 4.10% 6.50% From Work
0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.20% 0.00% 0.00% Other School
11.10% 2.50% 1.00% 0.00% 0.00% 2.90% 2.10% Other Work
2.80% 10.90% 19.20% 0.00% 0.00% 33.10% 1.7.0% To School
2.80% 15.20% 14.40% 0.00% 28.6% 4.60% 10.80% To Work
Other Walk/
Jog
Bicycle Motor-cycle Taxi Bus Auto.
Mode Choice for Trip Purpose
4.00% 42.40% 0.40% 0.00% 0.00% 19.40% 34.80% To Other Mode
0.00% 9.30% 0.40% 0.00% 0.00% 0.40% 89.80% Visiting
0.60% 26.90% 1.00% 0.10% 0.10% 1.10% 70.30% Recreation
0.00% 8.90% 0.50% 0.00% 0.00% 0.20% 90.30% Errands
0.00% 12.90% 3.20% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 83.90% Delivery
0.00% 2.70% 0.10% 0.00% 0.00% 0.30% 96.90% Escort
0.00% 11.90% 0.70% 0.00% 0.00% 2.20% 85.20% Appointment
1.00% 5.20% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 1.00% 92.80% Medical
0.00% 30.80% 0.00% 0.20% 0.00% 5.80% 63.50% Refreshment
0.00% 18.70% 0.60% 0.00% 0.30% 0.30% 79.90% Dining
0.00% 4.70% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.50% 94.80% Shopping
0.00% 7.00% 0.60% 0.00% 0.10% 0.90% 91.30% Return Home
0.00% 29.30% 2.60% 0.00% 0.00% 27.60% 40.50% From School
0.00% 9.60% 1.30% 0.00% 0.40% 2.60% 86.20% From Work
0.00% 33.30% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 33.30% 33.30% Other School
1.40% 17.70% 0.30% 0.0% 0.00% 4.90% 75.70% Other Work
0.20% 38.70% 3.50% 0.00% 0.00% 27.60% 30.10% To School
0.10% 21.00% 1.00% 0.00% 0.30% 1.50% 76.20% To Work
Other Walk/Jog Bicycle Motorcycle Taxi Bus Automobile
Factors Effecting Mode Choice
Age
Mean age for active travelers is three
years younger than the general
population-mode age is 29 years
younger
For all cases age proved to be a
significant factor for mode choice (at
the .01 level)
22 38.5 38.63
All Active
22 39 38.93
Walk
22 29 34.9
Bike
Mode Median Mean
25.00 0.01 0.10 0.30 0.66
All
Active
10 0.01 0.10 0.30 0.59
Walk
25.00 0.10 0.50 0.75 2.01
Bike
Max Min Mode Median Mean
Distance
Threshold distance:
Walk = 1.43 Miles (1.5)
Bike = 5.78 Miles (6.0)
Average Distance:
Walk = 0.59 (0.5)
Bike = 2.01 (2.0)
Distance was significant in determining
mode choice (R
2
= 0.96)
Latent Cluster Analysis
Generally Younger (Between 20 & 40)
College Educated
24.9% BD, 17.0% MD, 12.2% Ph.D.
Not Divorced, Separated or Widowed
Small Households
70.5% < 3 people in the home
Higher Income
57% > $50,000 & 12.3% > $100,000
Multiple Vehicles
65.28% had two or more automobiles
Driving Ability
86.5% have a valid drivers license
What Does an Active Traveler
Look Like?
Transportation allows individuals the opportunity to increase
physical activity and promote an active lifestyle
There are numerous deterrents to active transportation and
some can be controlled through planning and design
Active mode choice is impacted by trip purpose with active
modes most likely being utilized for recreation and travel to
work and school
Age and distance both have a significant effect on active mode
choice
Active travelers generally share multiple demographic
characteristics
Conclusions
Questions & Comments