The changing allocation of activities in space and time by the use of ICT—“Fragmentation” as a new concept and empirical results

Theoretical and empirical research about the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on transport relies on the hypothesis that ICT use leads to a reorganization of activities in time and space thus having as a consequence impacts on travel behavior. The breaking up of activities into discrete pieces by the use of ICT is the starting point of the fragmentation concept that underlies the present article. The concept argues that transport demand increases by the fragmentation of activities and explores the relevant mechanisms for this process. In all, however, the concept is still rather vague. Therefore, the authors discuss some elements of the concept on a theoretical level, in particular the question why individuals “fragment” their activities. In the empirical section they use a data set about activities, ICT use and travel behavior in Germany to find out how far an activity like work, which is particularly apt for fragmentation, shows signs of temporal and spatial disintegration. With the help of a cluster analysis they identify groups with different “fragmentation behavior” and investigate if a statistically significant relation exists between fragmentation behavior and ICT use. Accordingly, the focus of the article lies on the impact of ICT use on the performance of activities by different behavioral groups. The link to travel behavior is made by examining mode choices for different purposes and travel related attitudes.     

Review: State of teleactivities

The investigation of teleactivities and their impacts on travel behavior received much attention in the transportation literature. Toward further teleactivity research, this paper reviews previous research and analyzes the findings regarding the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in personal activity and travel patterns. This review of about 100 studies of teleactivities impacts maps reviewed studies according to whether the type of personal activity is mandatory, maintenance, or leisure, the nature of the research is conceptual or empirical and, if empirical, tabulates the ICT impact and the modeling approaches. Telecommuting, enabling mandatory personal activities, has been the most investigated teleactivity (by more than 50% of reviewed articles). Teleshopping and several other teleservices (e.g., telebanking), enabling maintenance personal activities, have received less attention in the literature. Teleleisure, enabling discretionary personal activities, has been the least studied. Of the four major direct impacts of ICT on travel, i.e., substitution, complementarity, modification, and neutrality, substitution has been the most prevalent impact for telecommuting, with complementarity most prevalent impact for teleshopping and teleleisure. More recent empirical have applied more advanced modeling approaches.     

Activity fragmentation,ICT and travel: An exploratory Path Analysis of spatiotemporal interrelationships

This paper focuses on the interrelationships between ICT, activity fragmentation and travel behaviour. The concept of fragmentation relates to how activities are spatiotemporally reorganized, by subdividing activities into smaller components that are then performed at different times and/or locations, in connection with ICT use. The association between ICT, activity fragmentation and travel relationships remains uncharted. Based on a two-day Dutch communication-activity-travel diary different associations between ICT use, paid work spatiotemporal fragmentation indicators and frequency of travel are specified and tested with Path Analysis Modelling accounting for sociodemographic and land use factors. The results demonstrate that the interrelationships between fragmentation, ICT and travel are quite complex. ICT and fragmentation apparently have a reciprocal relationship with mobile ICT use influencing the degree of spatial fragmentation whereas the usages of sedentary ICT are influenced by the degree of temporal fragmentation. Person-ICT attributes and ICT use mediate the participation in non-work activities, and can replace work and non-work travel. Fragmentation reduces work trips but at the same time restricts non-work personal travel possibilities and can reallocate time for leisure activity and travel.     

How do passengers use travel time? A case study of Shanghai–Nanjing high speed rail

Traditional travel behavior theory regards travel time as a waste. Recent studies suggest that it carries a positive utility, among other reasons for the benefit of the activities conducted while traveling. However, most studies of travel time use have focused on conventional trains in developed countries. Few have systematically examined the permeation of information and communication technology (ICT) into travel time use and the correlates of activity participation in developing countries, particularly on high speed rail (HSR). Using a survey conducted on the Shanghai–Nanjing corridor (N = 901), this study examines how HSR passengers use their travel time and explores the correlates of the different types of activities of business and non-business travelers, respectively, through multivariate probit models. We found that 96% of the respondents use ICT during their HSR journey and that most passengers spend some of their travel time on work-related activities. Moreover, items carried and advance planning as well as work-related travel attributes contribute significantly to activity participation. However, the factors affecting time use of business and non-business travelers differ. HSR service design should facilitate passenger engagement in various activities and improvement of their travel experience. A stable internet connection, adequate power sockets, and a noise-free environment will promote both work and leisure activities on the HSR.     

Making time count: Traveler activity engagement on urban transit

In practice, travel time is assigned a cost and treated as a disutility to be minimized. There is a growing body of research supporting the hypothesis that travel time has some value of its own, and the proliferation of information and communication technology (ICT) may be contributing to that value. Travelers’ attitudes are confounded with their mode choice, and as telecommunications mediate travel behavior, analysts must recognize the interaction between time use and customer satisfaction for appropriate travel demand management. To that end, this paper presents results from jointly estimated models of travelers’ latent satisfaction and on-board activity engagement using Chicago transit rider data gathered in April 2010. The simple questionnaire and small sample corroborate the findings of past research indicating travel attitudes and activity engagement have potential to influence travelers’ value of time, and many transit riders consider transit a better use of time and/or money than driving. The findings affirm the need for a more holistic understanding of value of time for travel demand management and infrastructure valuation. As time use has an influence on users’ valuation of the transit mode, offering opportunities to conduct certain leisure activities could improve the perceived value of travel time.     

Towards a microeconomic framework for modelling the joint choice of activity–travel behaviour and ICT use

The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT) has been argued to affect time use patterns in a variety of ways, with consequent impacts on travel behaviour. While there exists a significant body of empirical studies documenting these effects, theoretical developments have lagged this empirical work and in particular, microeconomic time allocation models have not to date been fully extended to accommodate the implications of an increasingly digitised society. To address this gap, we present a modelling framework, grounded in time allocation theories and the goods–leisure framework, for joint modelling of the choice of mode of activity (physical versus tele-activity), travel mode and route, and ICT bundle. By providing the expression for a conditional indirect utility function, we use hypothetical scenarios to demonstrate how our framework can conceptualise various activity–travel decision situations. In our scenarios we assume a variety of situations such as the implications of severe weather, the introduction of autonomous vehicles, and the interaction between multiple decision makers. Moreover, our approach lays the microeconomic foundations for deriving subjective values of ICT qualities such as broadband speed or connection reliability. Finally, we also demonstrate the means by which our framework could be linked to various data collection protocols (stated preference exercises, diaries of social interactions, laboratory experiments) and modelling approaches (discrete choice modelling, hazard-based duration models).     

The Impacts of Ict on leisure Activities and Travel: A Conceptual Exploration

This paper offers a conceptual exploration of the potential impacts of ICTs on leisure activities and the associated travel. We start by discussing what leisure is and is not. We point out that the boundaries between leisure, mandatory, and maintenance activities are permeable, for three reasons: the multi-attribute nature of a single activity, the sequential interleaving of activity fragments, and the simultaneous conduct of multiple activities (multitasking). We then discuss four kinds of ways by which ICT can affect leisure activities and travel: the replacement of a traditional activity with an ICT counterpart, the generation of new ICT activities (that may displace other activities), the ICT-enabled reallocation of time to other activities, and ICT as a facilitator of leisure activities. We suggest 13 dimensions of leisure activities that are especially relevant to the issue of ICT impacts: location (in)dependence, mobility-based versus stationary, time (in)dependence, planning horizon, temporal structure and fragmentation, possible multitasking, solitary versus social activity, active versus passive participation, physical versus mental, equipment/media (in)dependence, informal versus formal arrangements required, motivation, and cost. The primary impact of ICT on leisure is to expand an individual’s choice set; however whether or not the new options will be chosen depends on the attributes of the activity (such as the 13 identified dimensions), as well as those of the individual. The potential transportation impacts when the new options are chosen are ambiguous.     

Capturing the conditions that introduce systematic variation in bike-sharing travel behavior using data mining techniques

The potential of smart-card transactions within bike-sharing systems (BSS) is still to be explored. This research proposes an original offline data mining procedure that takes advantage of the quality of these data to analyze the bike usage casuistry within a sharing scheme. A difference is made between usage and travel behavior: the usage is described by the actual trip-chaining gathered with every smart-card transaction and is directly influenced by the limitations of the BSS as a public renting service, while the travel behavior relates to the spatio-temporal distribution, the travel time and trip purpose. The proposed approach is based on the hypothesis that there are systematic usage types which can be described through a set of conditions that permit to classify the rentals and reduce the heterogeneity in travel patterns. Hence, the proposed algorithm is a powerful tool to characterize the actual demand for bike-sharing systems. Furthermore, the results show that its potential goes well beyond that since service deficiencies rapidly arise and their impacts can be measured in terms of demand. Consequently, this research contributes to the state of knowledge on cycling behavior within public systems and it is also a key instrument beneficial to both decision makers and operators assisting the demand analysis, the service redesign and its optimization.     

The impacts of time of day pricing on car user behavior: findings from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey��s initiative

This paper discusses the key findings from a research project that assessed the impacts of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey??s Time of Day Pricing Initiative on the behavior of passenger car users. The survey data, comprised of 505 observations, show that 7.4% of passenger trips changed behavior because of the time of day pricing initiative, and that demand is inelastic to tolls with elasticities in the range of ?0.11 to ?0.24. Passenger car users who changed behavior responded to time of day pricing by implementing multidimensional strategies (3.23 different behavioral changes per user on average), involving behavioral responses such as changes in facility usage, changes in time of travel, changes in the payment type, and changes in mode/occupancy. The most frequently cited behavioral response was to shift mode, either to transit or carpool, and maintain the original time of travel (done in 2.55% of trips), instead of changing time of travel and maintaining the use of the passenger car (0.69% of trips). This reluctance to change travel schedules is undoubtedly a reflection of the limited time of travel flexibility that, on average, was estimated to be 20.4 and 12.3 min for early and late arrival for work-related trips. This, in turn, suggests the need for comprehensive policies, possibly involving incentives or regulations to foster employers?? participation in staggered/flexible work hour programs. Such approaches, combined with time of day pricing, are likely to be more effective in balancing car traffic during the day. Other behavioral responses of significance were reduce the number of trips made during the weekday peak-hours (1.65%), and switching to EZ-Pass to take advantage of the toll discounts (0.81%).     

Apps,activities and travel: an conceptual exploration based on activity theory

With the continuous advancement of (mobile) ICT devices and applications, their impact on travel, activities and time use becomes more diverse. This holds in particular for apps developed for mobile devices (smartphones). In this paper, we argue that the effect of ICT on travel and activities should be analysed at the level of a single specific device or application, rather than for broad classes of ICT devices. We propose activity theory as a framework to analyse the impact of smartphone apps on travel and activities. Activity theory describes how subjects apply tools (such as apps) to work on an object and achieve an outcome that is in line with the subject’s motive. The application of the tool is embedded in an activity system which includes a community, formal and informal rules and in which a division of labour exists. We apply activity theory to analyse the effects of Whatsapp and travel feedback apps, based on existing literature about these apps. The analyses suggest that the activity systems of each app differ greatly in terms of object, motive, outcomes, community and rules, with implications for their use and impact. Both apps have an impact on travel, but differ with respect to whether this effect is intentional. For both apps contradictions in the activity system can be identified, which may give rise to further development of the activity system. These seem, however, to be largest for travel feedback apps. Based on our exploration, we argue that quantitative research on the impact of apps should be complemented by qualitative research based on activity theory. In particular, activity theory may help to gain a better understanding of underlying mechanism by which apps influence travel, to strengthen the theoretical underpinning and interpretation of the results of quantitative research and to explore changes in the development and use of apps and their impact on travel behaviour.     

Travel-based multitasking: review of the role of digital activities and connectivity

ABSTRACT

Travel-based multitasking, also referred to as travel time use, is now a well-established concept, whose existence is supported by the technological trajectories, with mobile information and communication technologies (ICT) and vehicle automation working together to allow travel time to be more productive and enjoyable. Despite existence of reviews of travel-time multitasking studies, the systematic overview of the role digital activities, i.e. those that necessarily require modern ICT equipment to participate, has been limited, often wrapped under the umbrella term “use of ICT”, potentially obscuring their complexity and sophistication. Similarly, the role of connectivity and its attributes, e.g. speed (bandwidth), reliability, price, ease of use, data allowance or security, deserves a more systematic overview given its key role in enabling digital online activities and hence the travel-based multitasking options. This paper provides a review of 77 empirical travel-based multitasking-studies that explored the role of digital activities or connectivity. In particular, the review discusses the existing typologies of digital activities, dividing them into hardware-centric, function-centric or a combination of both (mixed). Subsequently, key contributions are discussed with respect to the treatment of digital activities and connectivity and its attributes. Based on the review, it is possible to observe that the existing studies have looked only at a handful of rather restricted online activities that do not sufficiently capture the sophistication with which individuals interact with the virtual world nowadays. Furthermore, the role of connectivity, although deeply embedded in the “C” of the “ICT” concept, has not been looked at or modelled in any detail in studies related to travel time use or its quality. This existing shortcoming might have resulted in an insufficient understanding of the mechanisms driving travel time use, the associated experience indicators of customer satisfaction, productivity or the consequences for relative attractiveness of transport modes. All of these considerations remain, however, crucial for designing, appraising and operating transport infrastructure and services that are able to take the advantage of lifestyle digitisation to meet the increasing customer needs while also delivering broader economic, social benefits and possibly also environmental benefits.     

The impacts of built environment on home-based work and non-work trips: An empirical study from Iran

This paper aims to explore the impact of built environment attributes in the scale of one quarter-mile buffers on individuals’ travel behaviors in the metropolitan of Shiraz, Iran. In order to develop this topic, the present research is developed through the analysis of a dataset collected from residents of 22 neighborhoods with variety of land use features. Using household survey on daily activities, this study investigates home-based work and non-work (HBW and HBN) trips. Structural equation models are utilized to examine the relationships between land use attributes and travel behavior while taking into account socio-economic characteristics as the residential self-selection. Results from models indicate that individuals residing in areas with high residential and job density, and shorter distance to sub-centers are more interested in using transit and non-motorized modes. Moreover, residents of neighborhoods with mixed land uses tend to travel less by car and more by transit and non-motorized modes to non-work destinations. Nevertheless, the influences of design measurements such as street density and internal connectivity are mixed in our models. Although higher internal connectivity leads to more transit and non-motorized trips in HBW model, the impacts of design measurements on individuals travel behavior in HBN model are significantly in contrast with research hypothesis. Our study also shows the importance of individuals’ self-selection impacts on travel behaviors; individuals with special socio-demographic attributes live in the neighborhoods with regard to their transportation patterns. The findings of this paper reveal that the effects of built environment attributes on travel behavior in origins of trips do not exactly correspond with the expected predictions, when it comes in practice in a various study context. This study displays the necessity of regarding local conditions of urban areas and the inherent differences between travel destinations in integrating land use and transportation planning.     

Travel,transport and energy implications of university-related student travel: A case study approach

This study highlighted significant cultural differences and complexity in travel behaviour associated with travel to university across the UK and Ireland. This paper examines university travel behaviours and the implications for emissions, across the 2012–2013 academic year, based on responses from 1049 students across 17 universities in Ireland and the UK. Surveys were analysed to examine the trips of students both during term time and when accessing the universities each year. The data analysis in this paper examines three aspects of the transport implications of travel to and from university. Firstly the journey between university and term time address (or permanent address if the respondent does not have a separate term time address), secondly the journey between the university area and a separate permanent address where relevant; and thirdly implications for emissions resulting from university-related travel.The study found that student car users were more likely to be female, older students, or studying part time; male students were more likely to use active modes. The study indicated interesting differences between students living in different parts of the UK and Ireland. For example, it was found that there was a higher level of car dependence amongst Northern Irish students compared to other areas; and a greater variability in travel distances in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In England, car use was more pronounced when students travelled from their permanent address to term time address, and, as in Ireland, there was evidence of more car sharing on such trips. Public transport usage was more pronounced amongst Scottish students. The effect of these transport choices on emissions is significant and demonstrates the importance of education related trips to the development of a transport policy response. The analysis shows that annual emissions are highest for regular travel to and from university when a student has a permanent address rather than a separate term time and permanent address.     

Discussing the “positive utilities” of autonomous vehicles: will travellers really use their time productively?

ABSTRACT

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are expected to reshape travel behaviour and demand in part by enabling productive uses of travel time—a primary component of the “positive utility of travel” concept—thus reducing subjective values of travel time savings (VOT). Many studies from industry and academia have assumed significant increases in travel time use and reductions in VOT for AVs. In this position paper, I argue that AVs’ VOT impacts may be more modest than anticipated and derive from a different source. Vehicle designs and operations may limit activity engagement during travel, with AV users feeling more like car passengers than train riders. Furthermore, shared AVs may attenuate travel time use benefits, and productivity gains could be limited to long-distance trips. Although AV riders will likely have greater activity participation during travel, many in-vehicle activities today may be more about coping with commuting burdens than productively using travel time. Instead, VOT reductions may be more likely to arise from a different “positive utility”—subjective well-being improvements through reduced stresses of driving or the ability to relax and mentally transition. Given high uncertainty, further empirical research on the experiential, time use, and VOT impacts of AVs is needed.     

Vehicle kilometers traveled reduction impacts of Transit-Oriented Development: Evidence from Shanghai City

The role of residential self-selection has become a major subject in the debate over the relationships between the built environment and travel behavior. Numerous previous empirical studies on this subject have provided valuable insights into the associations between the built environment and travel behavior. However, the vast majority of the studies were conducted in North American and European cities; yet this research is still in its infancy in most developing countries, including China, where residential and transport choices are likely to be more constrained and travel-related attitudes quite different from those in the developed world. Using the data collected from 2038 residents currently living in TOD neighborhoods and non-TOD neighborhoods in Shanghai City, this paper aims to partly fill the gaps by investigating the causal relationship between the built environment and travel behavior in the Chinese context. More specifically, this paper employs Heckman’s sample selection model to examine the reduction impacts of TOD on personal vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT), controlling for self-selection. The results show that whilst the effects of residential self-selection are apparent; the built environment exhibits the most significant impacts on travel behavior, playing the dominant role. These findings produce a sound basis for local policymakers to better understand the nature and magnitude toward the impacts of the built environment on travel behavior. Providing the government department with reassurance that effective interventions and policies on land use aimed toward altering the built environment would actually lead to meaningful changes in travel behavior.     

Epilogue: the new frontiers of behavioral research on the interrelationships between ICT,activities, time use and mobility

This special issue is a product of the international symposium on “ICT, Activities, Time Use and Travel” that was hosted by Nanjing University from 16 to 18 July 2016. The symposium brought together leading scholars from all over the world to congregate with Chinese scholars and students and to share and discuss the research frontiers at this nexus. It was motivated by a recognition of the changing goals and scope of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) research in conjunction with the development of new ICTs and the emergence of new ICT-enabled behaviors. Consequently, the symposium and later this special issue have drawn together significant scholarly contributions that provide new behavioral insights as well as new theoretical and methodological advances. The symposium culminated in three roundtable panel discussions addressing the following cross-cutting themes: (1) time use while travelling (led by Glenn Lyons); (2) ICT and travel behavior (led by Pat Mokhtarian); and (3) Big Data, activities and urban space (led by Eran Ben-Elia). In this epilogue to the special issue we offer a distillation of these discussions.     

Substantial Changes and Their Impact on Mobility: A Typology and an Overview of the Literature

During the past 40 years, mobility patterns have enduringly changed several times as a result of the occurrence of a number “substantial changes”. Examples of such substantial changes are the rapid emergence of affordable air travel, the oil crises, and profound ICT developments. To most researchers and policy-makers in transportation, it seems more than likely that the next 40 years will also witness a number of substantial changes, some of which might even have larger impacts on mobility than the ones described above. However, literature on substantial changes and their impact on mobility are difficult to access as it is spread across different research fields and suffers from ambiguous use of terminology. As a result, overview of the literature on substantial changes and their findings is missing and discussions on the impacts on future mobility of potential substantial changes are hampered. To overcome these problems, this paper (1) proposes a typology of substantial changes and (2) ties together and reviews the scholarly literature that has focused on identifying the impacts of past substantial changes on mobility patterns. In this paper, we show how the proposed typology on substantial changes can be applied to contemplate on substantial changes and on their impacts.