Travel Behavior and Perceived Barriers to Walking More Frequently: An Analysis of the Relationship Between Mode Choice and Attitudes in California

Proponents of active transportation increasingly recognize that attitudes and perceptions can help or hinder efforts to promote walking and biking. Accordingly, a growing body of research examines the effects of attitudes on behavior. Much of this research has treated attitudes as exogenous. However, attitudes, perception, and behavior exist in a reciprocal relationship. This article examines the feedback loop between behavior and perceptions by modeling the perceptions of California residents about barriers to walking more frequently as a function of travel behavior. Specifically, the authors examined variation in barriers across work commute modes and transit use through simple proportions and logit models. The results indicate a significant association between travel behavior and perceptions. In particular, transit usage is associated with higher levels of concern about the safety of walking. The effect is stronger among transit-dependent respondents than among transit riders who have access to an automobile. Because of the overwhelming prevalence of walking as an access and egress mode for transit, these results suggest that walking for transportation may also be associated with an increased likelihood of perceiving safety factors as a barrier to walking.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Kash, Gwen
  • McDonald, Noreen
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2012-1-22 to 2012-1-26
• Date: 2012

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 15p
• Monograph Title: TRB 91st Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attitudes; Commuters; Mode choice; Public transit; Travel behavior; Walking
• Geographic Terms: California
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01366198
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 12-0287
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 29 2012 7:13AM