Mobility increase in big towns and the problems related to traffic that deriving from this increase have brought into being numerous investigations in the field of transport and environment. Local and regional governments have generously funded these researches thus making exhaustive data collections, drawing up complex methodologies and, consequently, proposals for mobility improvement. Nevertheless, less attention has been given to small size towns (less than 50,000 inhabitants) and medium size towns (between 50,000 and 250,000 inhabitants). The problems of mobility in these towns are not less serious than those found in big towns. The perception that their inhabitants have regarding these problems is equally important. It is all about problems of a different nature and scale which are also necessary to identify. Ciudad Real is a medium size Spanish town of 70,000 people located 190 kilometers South of Madrid and enjoys collective public transportation and a high-speed rail link with Madrid. This paper presents and analyses the results of the first study on mobility and public transportation?s acceptability carried out in this town. Consequently, the methodology proposed is based on a household survey campaign (more than 995 valid questionnaires), main streets counting, a survey campaign at the main entrances and exits of town (1050 surveyed cars at the rush hour) as well as a sampling of travel time and occupancy of bus lines. Along with an analysis of city mobility, a detailed study is presented in which the relationship between the city?s interurban mobility with Madrid by high-speed train line is depicted.
Abstract