Leisure Traffic in Urban Areas

Leisure traffic is the most important segment of traffic, showing the highest share of road transport. Especially in urban areas it contributes to high emissions and it is related to high energy consumption. Within research, leisure traffic is perceived as the most difficult segment to be influenced at all. A very detailed understanding of its complex structures is crucial in order to suggest approaches to a sustainable urban traffic system.

Influencing leisure travel

The main goals of the projects were not only to quantify the key figures in leisure travel and in people’s behaviour during their leisure time in order to estimate the significance of leisure travel within urban areas. Mainly it was task to work out potentials of regulation and possible impacts of leisure travel towards sustainability using mobility style groups in leisure time and to discover the potentials and limitations of shifting traffic towards public transport (PT) and walking or cycling.

As leisure is influenced strongly by subjective needs and motives, as well as lifestyle specific attitudes a adequate method had to be chosen to investigate these influencing factors. With the approach of mobility styles developed by ISOE preferences for leisure activities, attitudes and the by this influenced travel behaviour can be investigated. By multivariate and cluster analyses four leisure mobility styles in Swiss agglomerations have been identified. Basis was a representative survey with about 900 residents.

Leisure Mobility Styles

The four leisure mobility styles ‘the culture vulture’ (car and multimodal-leaning, 33 %), ‘the active sportsman/women’ (bike-leaning, 28 %), ‘the sociable stay-at-home’ (car and public transport-leaning, 22 %) and ‘the entertainment and- distraction oriented’ (car-leaning, 16 %) differ in their travel behaviour and preferred activities in their spare time. For instance the ‘active sportsman/women’ like to use the bike but also chose the car frequently for their active and dynamic life style. For ‘the entertainment oriented’ the car is a symbolic item – to socialize and to have fun while cruising is characteristic. The ‘sociable stay-at-home’ is a traditional type where men are more car-leaning and women are more public transport leaning. The ‘culture vulture’ is an urban mobility style; they are car critical and use all means of transport in a very multioptional way. For the first time this highlights a type who is better of, professionally fully integrated and covers the main transport demand mainly by walking, cycling and public transport. This type corresponds with the Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LoHaS) who is currently highly discussed in German speaking countries and the USA.

Integrative measures

For each of these four mobility styles, targeted strategies and measurements were developed. The focus of these intentions was on the avoidance of trips, a shift towards public transport, an improvement of the mobility management, and an ideal choice of the means of transport. The catalogue of measures includes a stronger integration of the bicycle into transport chains also specific tariff offers in public transport, safety campaigns for (car) risk groups and the improvement of public space for pedestrians in the cities.

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