Impact of information intervention on travel mode choice of urban residents with different goal frames: A controlled trial in Xuzhou, China

Authors

Jichao Geng
Ruyin Long
Hong Chen

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2016

Subject Area

place - asia, place - urban, ridership - attitudes, ridership - behaviour, ridership - mode choice, mode - bus, mode - car, mode - bike, mode - pedestrian, planning - signage/information, policy - environment, policy - sustainable

Keywords

Information, Goal frame, Travel mode choice, Cluster analysis

Abstract

In order to assess the degree to which specific groups will adapt their travel behaviors after certain intervention, this study utilized a cluster analysis to discuss three segments’ distinct goal frames, social-demographic properties, travel modes, and habitat, and then carried out an information intervention controlled trial to discover three segments’ modal split shifts. The results indicate that the information have consistent and distinct impacts on travel mode choice by clusters. This consistency is embodied in the simultaneous and significant increase in travel times by green modes (walking, non-powered bicycle, or bus) and in the small but non-significant effects on reducing car use in the three clusters. The distinctness of the impacts is that information have a more effective influence on subjects with gain goal frames because their travel times by all three green modes greatly improved. Subjects with the hedonic goal frame are the least sensitive to information, with the only significant increase in travel times being by non-powered bicycle. This research also addressed the “attitude-behavior gap”, weather impacts, and goal-oriented prompts. The findings suggest that policy interventions should be designed to improve public transit features, especially the bicycle system, rather than only to constrain car use, and that tailored policies should be targeted to specific groups with different goal frames.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

Comments

Transportation Research Part A Home Page:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09658564

Recommended Citation

Geng, J., Long, R., & Chen, H. (2016). Impact of information intervention on travel mode choice of urban residents with different goal frames: A controlled trial in Xuzhou, China. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Vol. 91, pp. 134–147.