Cycling in multimodal transport behaviours: Exploring modality styles in the Danish population

Anton Stahl Olafsson, Thomas Sick Nielsen and Trine Agervig Carstensen

Journal of Transport Geography, 2016, vol. 52, issue C, 123-130

Abstract: Multimodality is important for achieving less car dependent lifestyles and more sustainable transport behaviours. It is widely recognised that cycling plays a prominent role in sustainable transport. However, research has largely focused on cycling substituting motorised transport. This study explores how cycling forms part of multimodal transport behaviour based on survey data on transport modes and travel purposes and the weekly frequency of out-of-home activities and travel mode use in a representative sample of adult Danes (n=1957). The following five distinct multimodal travel segments or ‘modality styles’ are identified: ‘education transport’; ‘public-based transport’; ‘limited transport’; ‘bicycle-based transport’; and ‘car-based transport’. Travel behaviour is predominantly multimodal with few unimodal car-drivers being identified. Substantial cycling takes place in all modality styles, and is embedded in a multimodal behaviour as the modality style combined cycling with several other modes. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that cycling serves many purposes that transgress the division of utility cycling and recreational cycling, and that cycling takes place in both dense urban settings and small towns. Thus, the way in which travel modes relate to the urban environment and variations in modality styles must serve as the starting point for policies aiming to fulfil the potential of multimodal transport behaviour and promote cycling.

Keywords: Modal split; Multimodality; Bicycle travel purposes; Urban form; Socio-demographics; Cycling typologies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (30)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692316301338

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:52:y:2016:i:c:p:123-130

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2016.03.010

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Transport Geography is currently edited by Frank Witlox

More articles in Journal of Transport Geography from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().