The Influence of Activities and Socio-Economic/Demographic Factors on the Acceptable Distance in an Indian Scenario

Type of activity is an important aspect that influences the travel behavior of the trip makers. The present study uses the concept of an acceptable trip distance to compare the walking characteristics across subgroups of various socio-demographic factors and the type of activity. It further formulates a multiple linear regression model to investigate the relative influence of various socio-demographic factors and the type of activity on the walking distance; and develops a standalone formula, which reduces the effort of acceptable distance determination, for helping decision-makers to determine the acceptable distance easily. The regression model in the study found that the type of activity had a statistically significant effect on the walking distance. The acceptable distance for the work trips was found to be 996 m and for the ‘personal/household business’ trips was found to be 263 m. The results of this study were used to devise various policy guidelines including a zonal priority criterion for the development of pedestrian infrastructures and a stratified urban space where individuals would have an option of walking. Further, in the study, the standalone formula for calculating the acceptable distance was determined by equating the third derivative of the theoretical distribution (log-normal) to zero.