Abstract:This study focuses on work commuters who currently rideshare, are potential rideshare commuters, or indicated a willingness to use rideshare services. Discrete choice models were developed with survey data of residents in the northeastern United States. Builtenvironment variables based on home and workplace locations were examined. While the socio-demographic characteristics of rideshare commuters and potential rideshare commuters were similar, characteristics of those indicating a willingness to use rideshare services were dissimilar, specifically women and younger individuals were uninterested in these programs. Those who live in denser areas were more likely to rideshare now, but less likely to indicate rideshare as their alternative to driving alone. Having a rural workplace corresponded to more ridesharing and being willing to use rideshare services, but less likely to indicate rideshare in place of driving alone. Many attitudinal variables were examined in the models; but interestingly most were not useful in explaining potential ridesharers or potential rideshare program participants. This analysis indicates that potential rideshare commuters may be demographically similar to existing rideshare commuters but live and work in more rural areas. Those who would participate in rideshare programs are a different set and should be further defined and targeted separately.

Positive attitudes about urban attributes, living in a supportive neighborhood, and low automobile availability significantly predicted more walking for transportation. A framework for further research is proposed in which a factor representing the role of the automobile is examined explicitly in addition to personal values and urban form.

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Transportation plans in some communities have focused on providing rail service to the local airport, whereas other communities have emphasized bus and van service. The opportunity for rail, bus, and van service at U.S. airports and the use of these services by airline passengers at the large airports in the United States and overseas are reviewed. On the basis of the airline passenger mode share data presented, there appears to be a “ceiling” on the market for public transportation (rail, bus, and shared-ride vans) at airports in the United States. The ceiling on public transportation use by airline passengers in most cities appears to be about 10 to 15 percent, even at airports with rail service. The primary potential market for rail service is passengers who have trip ends in downtown areas (or other areas well served by rail), who are traveling alone and who have little or no baggage, and who are familiar with the rail service and are able to walk from the rail station to their final destination. In many cities the objectives of transportation planners and airport operators (i.e., encouraging the use of efficient access modes) might best be served by transportation plans that focus on bus or van services.

Since obesity has emerged as a public health crisis in the United States, the factors that influence physical activity are of interest to both epidemiologists and transportation researchers. This article describes different approaches taken by the two disciplines to this issue. "Utilitarian" walking to accomplish a task, as opposed to structured exercise, could be a highly sustainable way for people to achieve recommended levels of physical activity. Transportation planners have begun to investigate factors of urban form and transportation services that influence the choice to walk. Epidemiologists have become more aware of the importance of factors in the built and social environment that could influence health behaviors like walking. Few transportation studies focus on the generation of the utilitarian walk trip as the key variable; rather, they include it in more general discussions of urban form. Likewise, most epidemiologic studies have not focused on utilitarian walking, but have folded it into an overall measure of physical activity that emphasizes structured exercise. Further transportation research should examine the effects of improved mobility services in addition to alterations of the built environment. Integration of epidemiologic and transportation behavioral research could enhance our understanding of the role of urban and transportation factors on physical activity.