Commuting is an important goal in traffic and transport policy. Its concentration in time and space creates problems in traffic management. These problems have grown by increasing car use and by longer commuting trips. The travel mode choice and the choice of the residential location are the main explanations for the nature of the problems. From the available research there appear to be no important changes in the actual choices. In policy the introduction of telematics is often considered as a potential contribution to the solution of commuting problems. The available research shows to date few substitution effects. It is not easy to make long-term predictions. It is clear that some conditions for the introduction of telework will improve. These include the increasing number of professions with a high potential for teleworking. The lack of available knowledge requests more research. A research approach like "mixed scanning", by which several planning levels that is to say nation, regions and cities, are examined, seems most appropriate. (A)
Abstract