Monitoring rural travel behaviour: a longitudinal study in Northern Ireland 1979-2001

Understanding of social/spatial change in any area and the development of appropriate policies relating to transport require data on travel behaviour that are reasonably consistent over time. In reality, suitable 'time-series' data that permit 'longitudinal' studies of change in the same area(s) are very rare. This paper reports on a series of questionnaire surveys in two rural study areas in Northern Ireland, undertaken at three points in time between 1979 and 2001. The analysis covers changes in public transport and local services, accessibility, car ownership, travel distances to a range of destination facilities, transport modes used, travel frequencies and trip rates. Social groups expected to be mobility-deprived are identified for special attention. While the 1980s decade was marked by a dramatic switch from 'traditional' to 'modern' travel behaviour patterns, the 1990s were marked by a very rapid increase in car ownership and complex changes in travel patterns that are not easy to characterise.