Variations in Cycling Distances by Trip Purpose and Socio-Demographic Attributes: Implications for Spatial Scales to Assess Environmental Correlates of Cycling

Firas Mohamed (), Manoj Chandrabose, Abdur Rahim Mohammad Forkan, Neville Owen and Takemi Sugiyama
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Firas Mohamed: Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne 3122, Australia
Manoj Chandrabose: Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne 3122, Australia
Abdur Rahim Mohammad Forkan: School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne 3122, Australia
Neville Owen: Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne 3122, Australia
Takemi Sugiyama: Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne 3122, Australia

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 12, 1-11

Abstract: To better understand environmental attributes associated with cycling, it is necessary to identify an area within which such attributes are measured. Various sizes of a “buffer” drawn from home have been used for this purpose. The distances adults cycle to/from their homes may inform the determination of empirically supported buffer sizes. We examined the distribution of cycling distances using Australian travel survey data collected between 2012 and 2020. We used a Random Forest model to identify the relative importance of factors influencing participant’s cycling distance and then reported variations in cycling distances by the most important factors. Of the 73,142 survey participants who were aged between 20 and 74 and reported at least one trip on the survey day, 1676 (67% men) reported 3446 home-based cycling trips, with a median distance of 3.5 km. The most important factor was trip purpose, followed by gender. The median distances were 1.8 km for utilitarian, 5.3 km for commuting and 3.7 km for recreational cycling trips. Men cycled longer distances than women, particularly for commuting and recreational cycling. The significant variation in cycling distance by trip purpose implies the need for having purpose-specific spatial scales in identifying environmental attributes associated with cycling more accurately.

Keywords: travel survey; physical activity; bicycle use; buffer size (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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