Key Elements of Mobility Apps for Improving Urban Travel Patterns: A Literature Review

In recent decades cities have applied a number of policy measures aimed at reducing car use and increasing public transportation (PT) patronage. Persuasive strategies to change mobility behavior present notable limitations in economic and logistical terms and have only minor impacts. The smartphone has emerged as a promising tool to overcome these challenges, as it can host persuasion strategies through mobility apps. Simultaneously, Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) schemes could open up new possibilities for addressing both sustainability goals and the needs of urban travelers. This paper carries out a literature review to identify the key elements of mobility apps that foster more sustainable travelers’ choices. The findings show that some persuasive strategies such as eco-feedback, rewards or social challenges are effective because they are well received by users. From the users’ point of view, the perceived barriers (e.g., usability, privacy) relate negatively to app adoption, and it is considered useful to include functional needs such as real-time information (e.g., to avoid congestion), cost savings (e.g., customized multimodal packages), comfort (e.g., crowding on public transport) or health (e.g., calories burned). We have found that a proper design of multimodal travel packages based on (i) financial incentives and (ii) environmental awareness, could help increase public transport patronage and reduce private car use.

(S)cars: Exploring America's Automotive Self

The article opens with an autoethnographic account of its author's encounter with the American sense of space in the context of the clash of his own and American cultural norms related to car ownership and car use. The initial anecdotes, in which the negative experiences of the authors lack of knowledge of the essentials of the car culture in the US prove to be instrumental in the process of learning and adaptation, lead to a more profound, historiosophic reflection upon the cars as vehicles of ethics across American cultural history.

Structural, Psychological and Contextual Predictors of Car Use

Besides its undeniable advantages, personal car use generates a wide array of problems, among which its contribution to global warming is probably the most severe. To implement sound policies that are effective in reducing private car use, it is essential to first understand its important antecedents. Structural, psychological and contextual predictors were extensively studied independently, yet integrative approaches that investigate all these factors in a single theoretical model are lacking. The present study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of car use behavior by proposing a model that includes structural, psychological and contextual determinants and tests this model on an international sample of drivers (N = 414). Responses were analyzed using a structural equation modeling approach. Results show that car use habits, perceived behavioral control, policy measures, fuel cost, infrastructure, temperature and level of precipitations significantly influence car use behavior. Such results support the inclusion of both structural (i.e., hard) and psychological (i.e., soft) factors in the design of policy interventions, while also considering contextual situations. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Promoting Sustainable Mobility in Tourist Destinations: Mobility Center 2.0

Over the past decades, leisure-related mobility in European regions has increased continuously, especially in tourist destinations. New mobility patterns put enormous strain on sustainability issues in tourist regions, which are particularly vulnerable in this regard since the amount of individual mobility often is higher than in non-tourist regions leading to road congestion, seasonal changes of transport demand causing capacity problems, and high level of private car use increasing the need for parking spaces, etc. The rising importance of ecological tourism demands new perspectives of the tourist destinations in establishing new sustainable mobility structures and strategies for supporting regional economic development. Mobility Centers 2.0 are an efficient tool to reduce individual car use and the negative impact of visitor’s travel in tourist regions, as well as to upgrade the quality of the leisure offer and the external image of the region. They can help to strengthen tourist regions as growth poles and improve the economic vitality of the targeted destination.

Parking Policy Acceptability in Wellington CBD

<p>The car has become the dominant mode of transportation in many cities, giving drivers the sense of freedom and convenience to travel at any time between specific locations. However, this increase in car use has created numerous negative outcomes for society including pollution and congestion. Changing individual travel behaviour away from car use is a challenge that many cities now face in an effort to combat car induced issues. Transport pricing policies are often viewed as an effective method in decreasing levels of car use. However, these policies are often not implemented due to a lack of public support. This research uses a quantitative approach to explore potential factors that may be influencing parking policy acceptability among levels of residents in the Greater Wellington Region. Using an online survey, findings indicate that parking policy acceptability levels to the public are influenced by policy differences in fee level and revenue allocation, as well as individuals' level of personal environmental understanding and concern. The Greed-Efficiency-Fairness (GEF) hypothesis is presented as a theory to explain the changes seen in acceptability levels between different policies and personal characteristics of individuals. It is concluded that, for the study sample, parking policy acceptability levels would most increase when revenue was allocated to improving the quality of active transportation and public transportation. Acceptability levels would further be enhanced by highlighting the beneficial outcomes that the policy would have at both an individual and societal level.</p>

Parking Policy Acceptability in Wellington CBD

<p>The car has become the dominant mode of transportation in many cities, giving drivers the sense of freedom and convenience to travel at any time between specific locations. However, this increase in car use has created numerous negative outcomes for society including pollution and congestion. Changing individual travel behaviour away from car use is a challenge that many cities now face in an effort to combat car induced issues. Transport pricing policies are often viewed as an effective method in decreasing levels of car use. However, these policies are often not implemented due to a lack of public support. This research uses a quantitative approach to explore potential factors that may be influencing parking policy acceptability among levels of residents in the Greater Wellington Region. Using an online survey, findings indicate that parking policy acceptability levels to the public are influenced by policy differences in fee level and revenue allocation, as well as individuals' level of personal environmental understanding and concern. The Greed-Efficiency-Fairness (GEF) hypothesis is presented as a theory to explain the changes seen in acceptability levels between different policies and personal characteristics of individuals. It is concluded that, for the study sample, parking policy acceptability levels would most increase when revenue was allocated to improving the quality of active transportation and public transportation. Acceptability levels would further be enhanced by highlighting the beneficial outcomes that the policy would have at both an individual and societal level.</p>