EFFECTS OF LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE ON DISTANCE TO WORK IN INDIVIDUAL CAR RIDERS
Abstract
Studying travel behavior has become a means of addressing car dependency, greenhouse gas emission, and environmental protection. Many studies have examined the effects of socioeconomic and built environmental factors on Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) but there is a limited literature examining the role of these factors on home-to-work distance.
If one of the concepts of developing new freeways and toll roads is providing faster and more reliable commutes, then it is assumed that new high-speed road infrastructure will lead to a higher commuting distance.
This study used the 2017 National Household Travel Survey, U.S. Census, GIS, and Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) data to develop two models to analyze the effects of total mileage of limited access roads (tollway and highway) in urban areas on home-to-work distance. In addition, other socioeconomic, built environment, demographic, and behavioral factors were considered in these models as control variables.
The findings indicated that an individual’s longer home-to-work distance is associated with more available mileage of limited access roads in the urban area of their home location. Meanwhile, more density, land use diversity, home value, and job/housing balance in the block group of the individual’s home location has an inverse effect on the individual’s home-to-work distance. In addition, individuals who have a higher household income, are older, or are male have a longer home-to-work distance.