Year: 2006
Type: conference-paper
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: As submitted to thematic Session 4c: Human Behaviour Change: Instruments, methods, surroundings. Travel behaviour considerations during the process of residential relocation Karen Stanbridge Abstract: This presentation will share the findings of a three-year study looking at travel behaviour change in the context of residential relocation. Transport and travel behaviour is widely recognised as a substantial producer of CO2, and therefore one of the most significant contributors to climate change. The habitual nature of much of travel behaviour presents a significant challenge to encouraging behaviour change. Therefore any moves towards understanding opportunities for more effectively promoting sustainable travel behaviour are particularly valuable. Such opportunities can be associated with a context change such as moving home, and it is this which the research to be presented addresses. The research focuses on consideration of travel issues during the moving process as an indicator of absence of strong travel habits, and possibility of promoting sustainable travel. The importance and relevance of this concept was obtained from examining the experiences of recent movers, obtained though qualitative interviews (n=13). These interviews additionally highlighted that this consideration of travel issues could occur at a number of different points during the moving process. According, a conceptual timeline of different stages during a moving process at which travel could be considered has been developed. This Residential Relocation Timeline (RRT) will be briefly outlined in the presentation. The stages range from the initial prompt for the move, to some time post move. The RRT allows identification of the stage(s) at which travel is most considered, and therefore identification of the potentially most suitable times to target any behaviour change interventions. The presentation will focus how- ever on discussing a typology of moving households as identified using the Residential Relocation Timeline. Five types of moving households have been identified using cluster analysis of data collected through means of a postal survey (n=229), again to recent movers. Each of these TC-types (travel-consideration types) varies according to the timing at which household members considered travel issues during the moving process. These include Post-Move-Considerers who only considered travel after they had moved into their new home; Prompted-early-planners who were prompted to search for a new home by travel issues, but only consider travel during the search; and Maximal-considers who consider travel issues throughout the process of the move. These TC-types will be examined in relation to the post-move travel situation of the households, ie whether travel behaviour changed or not, and whether this change was planned or unexpected. These TC-types will be further examined compared with a range of variables that have been shown in past research to influence housing choice or travel behaviour. Variables include household size (presence of second adult, presence of children), house price, distance of move and car ownership. This analysis will improve understanding of what determines the importance given to travel issues during the moving process, of how moving house influences travel behaviour, and how travel behaviour might in turn be influenced by interventions associated with moving house. The presentation will discuss the likely impacts of targeting travel behaviour change interventions to the various RRT stages and TC-types. The practicalities of targeting households in the various stages of a move will also be discussed. Finally the presentation will discuss the possibilities of extension of the RRT and associated typologies to apply to other context change events.
Authors: Karen Lesley Stanbridge, Glenn Lyons
Institution: University of the West of England
Language: English
Subfield: Transportation
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2159564229