Travel by University Students in Virginia

Abstract

To improve regional travel demand models, transportation engineers and planners want to represent subpopulations appropriately. A key segment of the population is university students, and their behavior is neither well understood nor well represented in travel demand models. Furthermore, universities provide a unique context for behavioral research because they are livable, are friendly to alternative travel modes, have a higher density than other contexts, and offer mixed travel modes. This study collected and analyzed data on the travel behavior of university students. With the use of an Internet-based survey instrument, the study collected data on travel behavior, sociodemographics, and context variables at four major universities in Virginia. This paper provides information about the design and implementation of the survey, the instrument structure, and a descriptive analysis of students’ personal and travel characteristics. The results indicated that the sociodemographics and travel behavior of university students were different from those of the general population. Moreover, differences in travel behavior were found between students living on campus and students living off campus and between students attending urban campuses and those attending suburban campuses. The insights gained from this study serve as a basis for further such surveys and help provide an understanding of travel behavior in and around university campuses.