Active Transportation Modes: Data Requirements and Historical Analysis of Impedance Functions

Abstract

Active travel, encompassing walking and cycling, has emerged as a vital component in pursuing sustainable, healthy, and efficient urban transportation systems. This thesis comprises two interrelated studies that collectively contribute to a comprehensive understanding of active travel behavior and its analysis within the Canadian context. At the first step, we focused on the data prerequisites and sources required for active accessibility analysis, systematically evaluates geographic accessibility measures and data specificity essential to assessing walking and cycling in the Canadian urban landscape. As accessibility increasingly takes center stage in urban transportation policies, it becomes imperative to understand the unique data requirements and methodological considerations for these non-motorized modes. In the subsequent phase of our research, we extensively analyzed active travel behavior trends in Canada, spanning three decades from 1986 to 2015. This study uses data from Canada’s General Social Survey to examine individual preferences and behaviors related to walking and cycling. The focus is mainly on understanding how these behaviors vary according to different trip purposes and geographical contexts. Our approach involved the calibration of empirical impedance functions to gain insights into the willingness of individuals to travel to various destinations using active modes of transportation. This aspect of the study is crucial in quantifying the time individuals are willing to allocate to walk and cycle to reach their destinations. The investigation notably provides a historical perspective on the evolution of active mobility over the past 35 years. This historical analysis is pivotal in unraveling the changes in active travel behavior, influenced by factors such as urban development trends, societal attitudes towards health and environmental sustainability, and modifications in transportation infrastructure and policy frameworks. Our findings reveal significant and consistent disparities in trip durations between walking and cycling modes, accompanied by intriguing temporal variations over the years.