The netherlands, like other countreis, is currently experiencing a period of economic recession. For transport policy making purposes it is of importance to know whether or not travellers will choose to adapt their travel behaviour in circumstances where household budgets are under increasing strain. In order to gain more rapid insight it was decided to see what could be learnt by looking at analogous developments in a european country which had experienced the impact of a severe economic recession some years earlier. The choice fell on denmark and therefore a study was undertaken in order to define the relationship between economic recession and changes in travel behaviour in denmark during the period 1970 to 1982. It has been found that the economic recession intensified around 1975. Unemployment increased sharply and the central government's budget deficits and liabilities grew to unprecedented levels. Also the most significant changes in travel behaviour took place after 1975. Several data have been found on household income and expenditure from nation wide surveys in 1976 and 1981 and on travel behaviour from nation wide surveys in 1975 and 1981. The study, therefore, concentrates on the period 1975-1981. For certain aspects it has been possible to add data from 1982 and 1983.
Abstract