It has emerged from recent research that Dutch people's average travelling times have increased. However, the degree to which this is claimed to be the case depends very much on the data source used. This paper deals with the possible causes of increases in average travelling times. As people have become more prosperous, so both the costs and benefits of moving about will have increased. One possible explanation for why there has been a rise in travelling times might be that the benefits of travelling about have increased faster than the costs. The costs of travelling might well have decreased because of, for instance, the greater comfort levels of cars and the opportunities offered to make double use of one's time (e.g. by working in trains). (Author/publisher)
Abstract