Gender and age differences in the travel behavior - a Novi Sad case study

This work presents the results obtained by analyzing behavior patterns of transport users in Novi Sad (Republic of Serbia) with respect to their gender and age. Novi Sad is the second largest city in the Republic of Serbia, and is recognized as a regional administrative, commercial, tourist and cultural center. In addition to its favorable geographical, topographical and climatic conditions, its street and public transport network has considerably developed in recent decades, while its innermost districts have a well developed network of bicycle paths. Presently, the city is characterized by extremely high participation of non-motorized trips (about 48%) and approximately equal contribution of public transport and private vehicles to the motorized travel volume. The aforementioned analysis utilized the information sourced from the NOSTRAM database and the Novi Sad Transport Model. In order to form such a comprehensive database of daily activities, a series of traffic surveys was carried out (household surveys, surveys on the outer cordon, public transport passenger counting, parking space utilization monitoring, etc.). Statistical analysis of the household survey data enabled a comparison of the male and female core travel characteristics. The same methodology was subsequently employed in comparing travel characteristics pertinent to different age groups (children, teenagers, students, working-age population represented by several categories, and pensioners). Data analysis revealed gender differences in the utilization of various transport modes, as well as with respect to travel purpose and daily distribution of key activities. It can be said that, due to the traditional societal values and poor economic conditions, women tend to use passenger car less frequently than men do. The results related to different age groups prompted a discussion on transport accessibility to various population strata and employment level as the potential causes of the observed patterns and low mobility among children. The contribution of this paper is multifaceted, as it provides valuable information for further social and traffic studies, as well as for the creation of sustainable mobility plans for Novi Sad. The patterns revealed here can be applied in the development of mobility schemes of other regional cities characterized by similar economic development and cultural-historical heritage. The value of this work is reflected in the creation of a solid basis for the definition of mathematical models of transport demand and identification of transport policy measures directed toward sustainable mobility. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.