Bicycle transportation for downtown work trips: a case study in Davis, California

Abstract

Although there has been increasing interest in using the bicycle as a transportation mode, little is known about travel decisions that involve the bicycle, especially in U.S. cities. This paper discusses the development of modal-choice models that include the bicycle. The data used consist of a sample of 802 downtown workers in Davis, California. Age, sex, occupation, student status, and distance between workplace and residence were examined in relation to modal selection. Age and trip distance appeared to be negatively related to bicycle usage. The rate of bicycle use as a mode of transportation was lower for managers and those employed in areas such as transportation, utilities, communications, finance, real estate, and insurance than for workers employed in other areas. To analyze the contribution of these factors, we used a methodology that had been developed in disaggregate-behavioral, travel-demand studies to develop our alternative modal-choice models. Sequential binary and multinomial logit choice models were tested. The resulting models were satisfactory for exploratory purposes since many of the independent variables were useful in explaining modal choice. The results indicate that future work is needed to extend the models to other areas and to include those independent varialbes that are policy-sensitive. As a result, these models can be used in transportation planning to assist in making decisions relevant to bicycle use. /Author/

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