How Travel Purpose Interacts with Predictors of Individual Driving Behavior in Greater Montreal

DeWeese, James; El-Geneidy, Ahmed · 2020 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1177/0361198120926505

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Summary

This study investigates how travel purpose moderates the relationship between urban form and individual driving behavior, specifically focusing on the impact of accessibility on mode choice and vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT). Motivated by the need to reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions, the authors examine whether local accessibility (neighborhood walkability) and regional accessibility (transit-accessible jobs) influence driving differently depending on whether trips are for work, school, healthcare, or discretionary purposes. The research aims to provide nuanced evidence for municipal policymakers seeking to leverage land-use and transport planning to reduce driving. Using disaggregate data from the 2013 Montreal Origin-Destination survey, the authors analyzed 63,538 potential drivers—defined as licensed individuals from households with at least one car. The study employed a two-step “hurdle” modeling approach using multilevel mixed-effects models in R. First, a logistic regression determined the probability of driving for specific trip purposes. Second, a linear regression modeled the distance driven among those who chose to drive. Local accessibility was measured using Walk Scores, while regional accessibility was calculated as the number of jobs reachable via public transit within 45 minutes. The models controlled for individual characteristics (age, gender, employment), household demographics (income, number of cars, children), and nested effects of households and census tracts. The results indicate that both local and regional accessibility significantly reduce the likelihood of driving and total VKT, but their relative importance varies by trip purpose. For the decision to drive, regional accessibility had a stronger negative impact than local accessibility across all purposes. However, regarding total distance driven, regional accessibility was most effective in reducing VKT for work and school trips. Conversely, local accessibility was more strongly correlated with reduced driving distance for healthcare and discretionary travel. Car ownership emerged as the strongest predictor of driving behavior; each additional car in a household increased the odds of driving by 2.58 times and increased total VKT by approximately 5%. Additionally, lower-income households drove less total distance than higher-income households, potentially due to financial constraints or proximity to dispersed lower-income jobs. The findings suggest that urban form interventions must be tailored to specific travel purposes to effectively reduce emissions. While improving regional transit access to jobs is critical for reducing work-related driving, enhancing local walkability is more effective for reducing discretionary and healthcare-related driving. The strong influence of car ownership highlights the need for complementary policies beyond urban form adjustments. By distinguishing between local and regional accessibility impacts across different trip types, the study offers a refined framework for transportation planning that moves beyond aggregate measures of driving behavior.

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• urban rural setting
• exposure measurement