TY - JOUR

T1 - Household decision-making for everyday travel

T2 - a case study of walking and cycling in Lancaster

AU - Pooley, Colin

AU - Horton, David

AU - Scheldeman, Griet

AU - Tight, Miles

AU - Helen, Harwatt

AU - Jopson, Ann

AU - Jones, Tim

AU - Chisholm, Alison

PY - 2011/11

Y1 - 2011/11

N2 - Increased walking and cycling for short journeys in urban areas has many obvious advantages yet so far gains from the promotion of more sustainable travel of this type are mostly small. This paper reports on a large research project which uses a mixed method approach to explore attitudes to and perceptions of walking and cycling, and which examines the process of household decision-making for everyday travel and the constraints that this imposes. Using survey, interview and ethnographic data it is argued that many people hold ambiguous and sometimes contradictory views of walking and cycling as effective means of everyday travel, that what they do rarely matches precisely what they believe, and that the complexity and contingency associated with everyday travel for many households is a major barrier to the use of more sustainable travel modes. It is suggested that better understanding of these processes could help to inform both future transport policy and the promotion of walking and cycling for short trips in urban areas.

AB - Increased walking and cycling for short journeys in urban areas has many obvious advantages yet so far gains from the promotion of more sustainable travel of this type are mostly small. This paper reports on a large research project which uses a mixed method approach to explore attitudes to and perceptions of walking and cycling, and which examines the process of household decision-making for everyday travel and the constraints that this imposes. Using survey, interview and ethnographic data it is argued that many people hold ambiguous and sometimes contradictory views of walking and cycling as effective means of everyday travel, that what they do rarely matches precisely what they believe, and that the complexity and contingency associated with everyday travel for many households is a major barrier to the use of more sustainable travel modes. It is suggested that better understanding of these processes could help to inform both future transport policy and the promotion of walking and cycling for short trips in urban areas.

KW - Walking

KW - Cycling

KW - Sustainable travel

KW - Household

KW - Constraints

U2 - 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2011.03.010

DO - 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2011.03.010

M3 - Journal article

VL - 19

SP - 1601

EP - 1607

JO - Journal of Transport Geography

JF - Journal of Transport Geography

SN - 0966-6923

IS - 6

ER -