# Presentation: 943757

## Why Care about Walking?

- A Celebration of the NHTS
- by
- Matthew A. Coogan
- Consultant in Transportation
- January 12, 2003

## A Caution

- This PowerPoint presentation was developed by the author based on preliminary data being reviewed for acceptance by the FHWA and the BTS.  The information has not been peer-reviewed nor published and should be considered a work in progress. It is a *draft*, and *not for circulation*.

## Growth in “Overweight” 

- (40% overall growth)

- Growth trend for percent of Americans ‘overweight’

## Growth in VMTGrowth in “Overweight” 

- (50% overall growth)

- (40% overall growth)

- Growth trend for annual household vehicle miles of travel

- Growth trend for percent of Americans ‘overweight’

## The Role of Walking Why Should We Care? 

- As transportation patterns change, we can see major shifts in VMT
- As patterns change, VMT and vehicle dependence increases, and the role of walking decreases
- There are massive public health implications of this

## A Short Agenda 

- Part One: Looking for Couch Potatoes and for Active Walkers
- Part Two: Looking for variables that DO explain change in walking patterns
- Establishing the theory
- Looking for exceptions
- Suggesting implications

## Variables that Influence Taking a Walk

- Most variable did not influence the propensity
-  To be an “Active Walker”
- Or to be a “Couch Potato”
- Variables examined included
- Gender
- Female strong in utilitarian walking
- Male strong in exercise walking
- Income
- Race

## We are all supposed to walk once a day 

- These are the couch potatoes

- These are the active walkers

## Some variables were explanatory:Housing Type and ‘Active Walkers’ 

## Transit Ridership and Percent ‘Active Walkers’ 

## Transit Ridership andPercent ‘Couch Potatoes’  

## Car Ownership and Percent ‘Active Walkers’ 

## Car Ownership and Percent ‘Couch Potatoes’  

## Education Level and Percent ‘Couch Potatoes’ 

## Part Two:Variables Which Affect Utilitarian Walking 

- The previous section was based on a question which encouraged answering concerning
- “Just taking a walk”
- Walking for exercise
- And allowed for other walk trips to be reported
- Now, we look at walk trips taken for a purpose, and recorded as a ‘mode share’ of total trip making

## The Basic Relationships

## Utilitarian Walking By MSA 

## Effect of Income Level on Walking 

## Effect of Auto Ownership on Walking

## Effect of Auto Ownership on Walking, by Income Level 

## Effect of Car Ownership on WalkingHolding Household Size Constant at Two Adults 

## Mode Share to Walk by Trip Purpose 

- Legend: Mode share to walk/bike by households with auto

## Effect of Auto Ownership on Mode Share to Walk

- Legend: Mode share to walk/bike by households with and without auto

## Auto Ownership, VMT and Walking 

## Increase in Walking is Associated with Decrease in VMT

***VMT production is inversely related to mode share to walk/bike***

- Mode Share to Walk/Bike

- VMT Per Driver

## References/Sources

- All data from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey, except as follows:
- Slide 3. The concept of a curve showing percent of Americans overweight with a sharp jump in the very 1980s was presented by Crister, in *Fat Land*, 2003. It was adapted from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The data points between 1993 and 2001 were taken from the CDC website.  The scale should be described as the percent of Americans with a body-mass index of over 25.
- Slide 4.  The curve showing the percent increase in household VMT was calculated by the author based on a trend of data between 1969 and 1990 as reported by Hu and Young, in *Summary of Travel Trends, 1995 National Personal Transportation Survey*, page 13. VMT per household reported in 1995 and 2001 were adjusted down by the author to be consistent with the reporting system utilized between 1969 and 1990, which is the primary time focus of the chart.  The reader is cautioned not to use the scale of the chart literally for the VMT levels of 1995 and 2001.  The chart as it would look based on the present reporting system is presented on the following slide.
- Slide 25. The VMT calculations were drawn from the 1995 NTPS Survey, examining an urbanized population. They are being reviewed and updated with 2001 data at this time.

## VMT Trends Scaled to 1995/ 2001 Reporting System 

- This table shows the trend in Vehicle Miles of Travel per household, expressed in a scale based on the reporting system used in years 1995 and 2001.
- In 2001, the survey revealed that VMT  risen to 2189 per household

## Special Thanks to 

- The NHTS Team...
- The TCPR Project, *“A New Vision of Mobility: Guidance to Foster Collaborative Multimodal Decision-making”*