Peter van der Waerden

Previous research has shown that personal, neighborhood, and mobility characteristics could influence life satisfaction and loneliness of people and that exposure to public spaces, such as green spaces, may also affect the extent to which people feel lonely or satisfied with life. However, previous studies mainly focused on one of these effects, resulting in a lack of knowledge about the simultaneous effects of these characteristics on loneliness and life satisfaction. This study therefore aims to gain insights into how public-space use mediates the relations between personal, neighborhood, and mobility characteristics on the one hand and loneliness and life satisfaction on the other hand. Relationships were analyzed using a path analysis approach, based on a sample of 200 residents of three neighborhoods of the Dutch city ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The results showed that the influence of frequency of public-space use on life satisfaction and loneliness is limited. The effects of personal, neighborhood, and mobility characteristics on frequency of use of public space and on loneliness and life satisfaction were found to be significant. Age and activities of daily living (ADL) are significantly related to each other, and ADL was found to influence recreational and passive space use and loneliness and life satisfaction. Policymakers should, therefore, mainly focus on creating neighborhoods that are highly walkable and accessible, where green spaces and public-transport facilities are present, to promote physical activity among all residents.

This paper presents the findings of a study that investigated travelers’ transport mode-choice behavior in the context of medium- and long-distance trips, with special attention given to attributes of train access modes. The goal of the paper is to provide greater insight into the contribution of both access and main travel-mode attributes to the travelers’ decision to use the car or the train for medium- and long-distance trips. Based on data collected through a stated choice experiment, a mixed logit model is estimated to identify the contributions of all included attributes. In total, 32 attributes were included in the experiment describing the main transport modes, train and car, and the access modes: bicycle, bus, and drop-off/car. Based on a fractional factorial design, the attributes and corresponding levels were combined into 81 different mode-choice situations. The stated choice experiment was included in an online questionnaire that was distributed among members of a marketing panel. Panel members were invited to choose the preferred travel-mode for a medium- and long-distance trip given a detailed description of both main and access modes. Each member evaluated nine choice situations. In total, 415 panel members completed the questionnaire. Combined, panel members evaluated 3,735 choice situations. The mixed logit model analysis shows that time and cost-related attributes significantly contribute to the attractiveness of transport modes. However, these effects differ considerably between the investigated modes. Conversely, safety-related attributes, chance of delay, and transfer time from access mode to train platform play a minor role.

Car drivers’ characteristics and the maximum walking distance between parking facility and final destination