Active transport data collection and travel demand study

This project will design and develop a web-based Smart Travel Diary to collect detailed travel behaviour data. The proposed solution overcomes several limitations of conventional survey tools such as Qualtrics by enabling the capture of richer and more accurate travel data. The solution will engage users through an intuitive interface that generates route suggestions based on their input and allows them to select their actual travel mode.

In addition, this project will develop data collection tools including a survey questionnaire and recruitment materials to capture active travel patterns. The project will collect socio-demographic information from participants through a baseline survey.

The survey of active transport users will support the development of travel demand models and investment planning for active transport in South-East Queensland. Survey participants will be recruited via posts and emails to bicycle and micromobility user groups and peak bodies, and directly at key points on the active transport network in South-East Queensland.

The survey will be calibrated to collect information about active transport users’ preferences toward active transport, level of confidence, and other socio-demographic characteristics.

The intent of the project is to better understand what determines people’s choices to use active travel, for what trip purposes, and what determines their route choices.

Participants

• Department of Transport and Main Roads (Queensland)
• Queensland University of Technology

Project background

As cities grow and become denser, transport demand tends to become more complex and multi-modal. While existing methods of data collection that focus on total movements of people within a single mode (e.g. traffic counters and public transit ticketing data) provide useful information, measuring people’s complete travel patterns over the course of a day/week provides more detailed information about how people make choices with respect to travel, such as whether and when to travel and for what purpose, by what mode(s), and what route.

Understanding these movements can provide better information for transport authorities in determining appropriate policies, plans and investments to support broader transport objectives (e.g. congestion, emissions and pollution reduction, mode shift targets).

Household Travel Surveys have historically been used for this purpose, however the level of detail included in these surveys is typically insufficient to answer certain questions, for example they tend to not collect data on route choice, which is highly relevant for active transport, nor differentiate between different active transport modes (e.g. e-bikes, e-scooters and bikes).

This project aims to collect more detailed travel information to support transport planning, compared to that available through traditional Household Travel Surveys. The data is intended to support a range of demand studies, including active transport and other multi-modal and behavioural studies. The initial application would be within an active transport demand study in Brisbane.

Through more than 15 years of close collaboration with transport authorities, including TMR, and other industry partners, involving in-depth discussion on the most strategic needs to address current and anticipated barriers, an extremely solid foundation for the proposed project has been established. This includes state-of-the-art software for analysis and estimation of consumer behaviour, including but not limited to travel mode choice.

The effectiveness and advantages of these developments have been demonstrated using open-source datasets and publications. For example, technology enables simultaneous consideration of multiple analysis objectives and data characteristics with a fraction of the resources required using conventional methods.

The results translate into accurate estimates and more meaningful insights, such as realistic mode shares, consumer groups, and willingness to pay.

Project objectives

1. Develop a web-based Smart Travel Diary and a survey questionnaire and recruitment materials for the collection of socio-demographic and travel data.
2. Initial data collection through a survey in Brisbane of active and non-active transport users.
3. Analyse the data to provide new insights into active travel behaviour and to support the development of active travel demand models and investment planning.

Project wrap-up and final report

This project has been completed, and a final report for it is available. Find a wrap-up of the project, and a downloadable copy of the final report, at: Active transport and travel demand in Brisbane.