ABSTRACT
In the Netherlands, one of the main goals of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is to increase accessibility and, at the same time, to reduce the negative externalities created by transport, such as congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. Within the Ministry, there was a clear need for a national and integrated monitoring instrument to measure the impact of policy measures on travel behaviour. To satisfy this need, we carried out a national traveller survey in 2019, 2020 and 2021. This paper describes some of the results of these surveys. Annual analyses include the trends in car ownership and mode choice for different purposes, with particular attention to commuting behaviour. It appears that travel time, convenience and flexibility play an important role in mode choice. Travel costs are less important and COVID-19 did not play a decisive role. It appears that free parking or availability of parking space has the most considerable impact on car use for commuting. In October 2019, employees travelled on average 3.8 days per week to work. In October 2020, mainly because of COVID-19, this number decreased to 2.9 travelling days and in October 2021, the number of travelled increased to 3.1. We examined the relationship between changes in car use for commuting between 2019, 2020 and 2021, and external developments in living and working, changes in the level of service of different transport modes and policy measures, both by the government and by employers. In addition, we investigated the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on car use for commuting and this appeared to be an important factor, although external factors also play an important role. Finally, we estimated the effect of these changes in car use for commuting on congestion and CO2 emissions.
ABSTRACT
This study examines the changes in teleworking during the lockdown in April 2020 and the intention to change commuting behaviour after COVID-19 in the Netherlands. Survey data of 1,515 Dutch employees and large-scale smartphone-based GPS-data of the same participants before and during COVID-19 is used. The probability of increasing teleworking during COVID-19 is estimated using an ordinal logistic regression model, considering sociodemographic characteristics, the initial travel behaviour and the initial work situation as determining factors. Two binary logistic regression models are developed to analyse whether employees expect to continue teleworking after the COVID-19 pandemic and whether they will decrease car use for commuting. Both models consider teleworking and car use intentions in the context of behavioural changes during COVID-19. The main factors that influenced teleworking during the lockdown are job characteristics. Office workers and teaching staff were more likely to increase the amount of time spent working from home and showed a higher chance of changes in daily commuting routines. After COVID-19, office workers expect to increase teleworking. The results suggest that employees with a relatively large change in teleworking during the early lockdown expect to work from home more frequently after COVID-19. This effect is strengthened further by positive experiences with teleworking (i.e. more pleasure and higher productivity) and supporting policy measures by the employer, such as sufficient ICT facilities. The main conclusion related to intended changes in mode choice is that car use for commuting is expected to decrease after COVID-19, mostly because of an increase in teleworking.