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OPTIMISM Information sources

Ahern, A., Wyman, G., Redelbach, M., Schulz, A., Akkermans, L., & Vannacci L. (2012). OPTIMISM Deliverable 2.1: Analysis of national travel statistics in Europe.

Akkermans. L., Maerivoet, S., Redelbach, M., Schulz, A., Cannacci, L., & Ahern, A. (2012). OPTIMISM Deliverable 2.2: Developing a methodology to harmonise travel statistics.

Kompil., M., Vannacci, L., Redelbach, M., Schulz, A., Ahern, A., Akkermans, L. (tbp) OPTIMISM Deliverable 2.3: Defining recommendations to collect and report data on socio-eoonomic drivers of travel behaviour.

The harmonisation of national travel surveys in Europe

The establishment of a single comprehensive European-wide travel survey will face several challenges such as dealing with national distinctions during the process of data collection or developing consistent coding schemes equally applicable to all countries, and managing a tremendous amount of complex data. Much more critical, a joint survey approach will require huge budgets as well as several years of coordinated activity of large consortiums. Given these challenges, priority should be given to the harmonisation of independent NTS rather than attempting to conduct a comprehensive European-wide survey. Nevertheless, specific international surveys may be particularly designed with respect to certain policy- or planning purposes in order to eliminate current data gaps. Inparallel, the use of ICT will play an increasingly important role for data collection and can enhance the availability and accuracy of travel data.

Considering emerging data needs for evidence-based policy analysis and monitoring, a European-wide travel survey focusing on the following three transport domains would be desirable: (1) transport demand (to identify changes in lifestyle affecting mobility behaviour), (2) transport quality (to identify obstacles and areas for improvement of infrastructure or services), and (3) transport technology (to identify potential technology-driven impacts on mobility behaviour).

Green: data available parameters or format matchBlue: data unavailable or format mismatch

Source: OPTIMISM Inventory of National Travel Surveys 2012 (N=15 NTS)Measurement unit: percentage of responses

National Travel Surveys: Member States data collection matches proposed data format, per information domain.

National Travel Surveys: Member States data availability, per information domain.

The availability of data in National Travel Surveys in Europe

No two countries share all of the relevant characteristics regarded as essential for comparative analyses such as methods of sampling and data collection, the frequency of data collection, underlying concepts and definitions etc. Thus, it is generally difficult to compare data of different countries. Furthermore, surveys differ considerably with respect to the availability of particular variables related to ICT and co-modality.In order to allow for respective analyses, a total of 48 parameters associated with 6 domains is suggested to be collected throughout Europe. These parameters are considered of particular importance to monitor advances in relation to the different action points mentioned in the EC White Paper on Transport.NTS of some countries such as Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK already collect most of these parameters and therefore proved to be good examples with regard to a future harmonised database. However, there are still considerable differences in terms of available data formats.

Source: OPTIMISM Inventory of National Travel Surveys 2012 (N=15 NTS)

National Travel Surveys: main data usageNational Travel Surveys: data collection purpose

National Travel Surveys in EU Member States and their uses

National Travel Surveys (NTS) are important data sources for analysis, modelling, planning, and policy making. While at national level, the focus is on travel patterns, the use of the transportation system, and developments over time, at international level, the main objective is the generation of key figures for comparative purposes. In the OPTIMISM context, passenger mobility surveys were considered as NTS, if they (1) were executed at national level, (2) were conducted no more than 10 years ago, (3) followed a multi-modal approach including all modes as well as public and private transport, and (4) included all types of travel without any limitation in terms of purpose and trip lenght. Only 15 out of 27 countries complied to these criteria, thereof9 countries responded to the questionnaire and are included in the following analysis.Cross-country analyses are severely hindered as (1) data and documentation are available in the respective national language only and (2) access to micro data is often restricted for third parties regardless their affiliation.It is strongly recommended to develop an international core data set for comparative purposes.