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The Trade-Off Between Trips and Distance Traveled in Analyzing the Emissions Impacts of Center-Based Telecommuting

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  • Mokhtarian, Patricia
  • Varma, Krishna

Abstract

Several travel indicators were compared between telecommuting (TC) days and non-telecommuting days for a sample of 72 center-based telecommuters in California. Distance traveled decreased significantly on TC days, with average reductions of 51 person-miles (58%) and 35 vehicle-miles (53%). When weighted by telecommuting frequency, average reductions of 11.9% in PMT and 11.5% in VMT were found over a five-day work week. Person-trips and vehicle-trips increased slightly (but not significantly) on TC days. This was due to statistically significant increases in commute trips by telecommuters (who more often went home for lunch on their TC days), partly counteracted by decreases in non-commute travel. The drive-alone mode share increased on TC days, both for all trips, and for commute trips in particular. Walking and biking shares also increased modestly on TC days, whereas shares of transit and ridesharing declined. Despite the increase in trip rates, TC-day reductions were found for all pollutants analyzed: 15% for total organic gas emissions, 21% for carbon monoxide, 35% for oxides of nitrogen, and 51% for particulate matter. The reduction in VMT more than compensated for the marginal increase in number of trips (and consequently, cold starts) on telecommuting days.

Suggested Citation

  • Mokhtarian, Patricia & Varma, Krishna, 1998. "The Trade-Off Between Trips and Distance Traveled in Analyzing the Emissions Impacts of Center-Based Telecommuting," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt43b756qg, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt43b756qg
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    Cited by:

    1. Walls, Margaret & Safirova, Elena, 2004. "A Review of the Literature on Telecommuting and Its Implications for Vehicle Travel and Emissions," Discussion Papers 10492, Resources for the Future.
    2. Gheyath Chalabi & Hussein Dia, 2024. "The Impacts of Remote Work and Attitudinal Shifts on Commuting Reductions in Post-COVID Melbourne, Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-30, August.
    3. Prager, Fynnwin & Rhoads, Mohja & Martínez, Jose N., 2022. "The COVID-19 economic shutdown and the future of flexible workplace practices in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 241-255.
    4. Bhat, Chandra R. & Sivakumar, Aruna & Axhausen, Kay W., 2003. "An analysis of the impact of information and communication technologies on non-maintenance shopping activities," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 857-881, December.
    5. repec:cdl:uctcwp:qt4p78h623 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. repec:cdl:uctcwp:qt9t40s1mc is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Kim, Seung-Nam & Choo, Sangho & Mokhtarian, Patricia L., 2015. "Home-based telecommuting and intra-household interactions in work and non-work travel: A seemingly unrelated censored regression approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 197-214.
    8. Galit Cohen-Blankshtain & Peter Nijkamp & Kees van Montfort, 2004. "Modelling ICT Perceptions and Views of Urban Front-liners," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 41(13), pages 2647-2667, December.
    9. Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Bagley, Michael N., 2000. "Modeling employees' perceptions and proportional preferences of work locations: the regular workplace and telecommuting alternatives," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 223-242, May.
    10. Nayak, Suchismita & Pandit, Debapratim, 2021. "Potential of telecommuting for different employees in the Indian context beyond COVID-19 lockdown," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 98-110.
    11. Böhnen, Carina & Kuhnimhof, Tobias, 2024. "Working from home and commuter travel in germany – panel data analysis of long-term effects," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    12. Nicholas S. Caros & Jinhua Zhao, 2022. "Preparing urban mobility for the future of work," Papers 2201.01321, arXiv.org.
    13. Gheyath Chalabi & Hussein Dia, 2024. "Telecommuting and Travel Behaviour: A Survey of White-Collar Employees in Adelaide, Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-28, March.
    14. Choo, Sangho & Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Salomon, Ilan, 2002. "Impacts of Home-Based Telecommuting on Vehicle-Miles Traveled: A Nationwide Time Series Analysis," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt2gj976x6, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    15. Ugo Lachapelle & Georges A Tanguay & Léa Neumark-Gaudet, 2018. "Telecommuting and sustainable travel: Reduction of overall travel time, increases in non-motorised travel and congestion relief?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 55(10), pages 2226-2244, August.
    16. Varma, Krishna & Ho, Chaang-Iuan & Stanek, David & Mokhtarian, Patricia, 1998. "Duration and Frequency of Telecenter Use: Once a Telecommuter, Always a Telecommuter?," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt61t9j2vb, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    17. repec:cdl:uctcwp:qt4cf351bc is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Jain, Taru & Currie, Graham & Aston, Laura, 2022. "COVID and working from home: Long-term impacts and psycho-social determinants," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 52-68.
    19. Rhodes, Joshua D. & Cole, Wesley J. & Upshaw, Charles R. & Edgar, Thomas F. & Webber, Michael E., 2014. "Clustering analysis of residential electricity demand profiles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 461-471.
    20. 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.
    21. Muhammad, Saim & de Jong, Tom & Ottens, Henk F.L., 2008. "Job accessibility under the influence of information and communication technologies, in the Netherlands," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 203-216.
    22. Pirdavani, Ali & Bellemans, Tom & Brijs, Tom & Kochan, Bruno & Wets, Geert, 2014. "Assessing the road safety impacts of a teleworking policy by means of geographically weighted regression method," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 96-110.
    23. Alexander, Bayarma & Ettema, Dick & Dijst, Martin, 2010. "Fragmentation of work activity as a multi-dimensional construct and its association with ICT, employment and sociodemographic characteristics," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 55-64.
    24. Graham-Rowe, Ella & Skippon, Stephen & Gardner, Benjamin & Abraham, Charles, 2011. "Can we reduce car use and, if so, how? A review of available evidence," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 45(5), pages 401-418, June.
    25. Andrew Hook & Victor Court & Benjamin K Sovacool & Steven Sorrell, 2020. "A Systematic Review of the Energy and Climate Impacts of Teleworking," Working Papers hal-03192905, HAL.

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