This report draws on findings of various British social research studies, supplemented by data from the 1975/76 national travel survey, to examine the extent to which travel patterns are a result of influences external to the transport system. It shows that there are distinct activity profiles for different sections of the population. These activities give rise to travel, but are relatively fixed and are not easily altered when transport provision changes. Changes in travel behaviour are more likely to result from shifts associated with the conduct of activities themselves or changes in social role. Travel behaviour is also constrained, both by social position and by the level of resources that can be devoted to travel. The report also notes that both the growing complexity of social organisation and the trend towards larger facilities influence the volume and distribution of travel demand. The various findings brought together in the report suggest that a full understanding of travel patterns and how they might change requires a broader perspective to complement the use of existing demand models. (Author/publisher)
Abstract