Does telecommuting promote sustainable travel and physical activity?
Abstract
Researchers have explored the efficacy of telecommuting as a travel demand management
strategy in the U.S. Conditions under which telecommuting can reduce VMT (vehicle miles traveled)
and ease peak-period traffic congestion have been extensively investigated; empirical
findings are well documented in the literature. Analysis of the impact of telecommuting on nonmotorized
travel, public transit use, and physical activity, however, has received relatively less
attention in the past.
In this paper, I use the 2009 U.S. National Household Travel Survey to explore how telecommuting
is associated with usual travel behavior, i.e. walking/bicycling, transit use and
driving, as well as with average time spent in daily physical activity. I also compare telecommuters’
travel behavior and physical activity on a typical workday in telecommuting vs. nontelecommuting
scenarios.
I find that frequent telecommuting (4+ times/month) is associated with 15% more walk trips
per week, 56% higher odds of 1+ transit trip per month, 44% higher odds of 30+ minutes of
physical activity per day, and 27% higher odds of driving 20,000+ miles per year compared to
no-telecommuting scenario. On a typical workday, telecommuting is associated with 41% higher
odds of walking/bicycling > 1 mile, 71% higher odds of 30+ minutes of physical activity, 71%
lower odds of riding transit, and 3.58 times greater odds of driving < 10 miles. Findings suggest
that telecommuting can increase non-motorized travel and physical activity in the presence of
latent demand for active living. Increase in transit ridership and reduction in VMT are not automatic.
Planning and policy implications are discussed.
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