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Telecommuting and other trips: an English case study

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  • Budnitz, Hannah
  • Tranos, Emmanouil
  • Chapman, Lee

Abstract

This paper investigates the importance of non-work travel to the growing population of telecommuters and the implications of this for sustainable travel patterns. Previous research has identified a link between increased online access to work and reduced proximity between residential and workplace locations. These studies raise concerns that as more people split their work activities between home and external workplace, whilst living in more dispersed locations, more unsustainable transport impacts will be generated, including higher vehicle mileage, car dependency, and less physical activity. This paper counters that the implications of telecommuting and other flexible working practices for sustainable travel behaviours may be more dependent upon the number and type of non-work journeys and the accessibility of amenities for these purposes rather than on the distance to the workplace for less frequent commuting journeys. Using the National Travel Survey for England, the travel behaviours of those who identify themselves not as home workers but as working from home at least once a week are compared to other working adults by measuring and modelling the number and purpose of trips within a week's travel diary, independent of distance or mode. Telecommuters record fewer commute trips, more trips for other purposes, and the marginal utility of additional non-work trips to telecommuters is greater than for many other socio-economic characteristics. Thus, addressing the accessibility of non-work destinations proactively through local planning has the potential to optimise the sustainability benefits of telecommuting.

Suggested Citation

  • Budnitz, Hannah & Tranos, Emmanouil & Chapman, Lee, 2020. "Telecommuting and other trips: an English case study," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:85:y:2020:i:c:s0966692319305472
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102713
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Zhentao Li & Tianzi Li, 2022. "How Does City Size Affect the Cost of Household Travel? Evidence from an Urban Household Survey in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-20, June.
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    5. Nadezda Krasilnikova & Meike Levin-Keitel, 2022. "Telework as a Game-Changer for Sustainability? Transitions in Work, Workplace and Socio-Spatial Arrangements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-13, June.
    6. Francesco Filippi, 2022. "A Paradigm Shift for a Transition to Sustainable Urban Transport," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-27, March.
    7. Kunbo Shi & Long Cheng & Jonas De Vos & Yongchun Yang & Wanpeng Cao & Frank Witlox, 2021. "How does purchasing intangible services online influence the travel to consume these services? A focus on a Chinese context," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 2605-2625, October.
    8. Wang, Kaili & Hossain, Sanjana & Nurul Habib, Khandker, 2022. "What happens when post-secondary programmes go virtual for COVID-19? Effects of forced telecommuting on travel demand of post-secondary students during the pandemic," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 62-85.
    9. Giménez-Nadal, José Ignacio & Molina, José Alberto & Velilla, Jorge, 2020. "Commuting and self-employment in Western Europe," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    10. Caldarola, Bernardo & Sorrell, Steve, 2022. "Do teleworkers travel less? Evidence from the English National Travel Survey," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 282-303.

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