Does telecommuting promote sustainable travel and physical activity?

I find that frequent telecommuting (4+ times/month) is associated with 15% more walk trips per week, 56% higher odds of 1+ transit trip per month, 44% higher odds of 30+ minutes of physical activity per day, and 27% higher odds of driving 20,000+ miles per year compared to no-telecommuting scenario. On a typical workday, telecommuting is associated with 41% higher odds of walking/bicycling > 1 mile, 71% higher odds of 30+ minutes of physical activity, 71% lower odds of riding transit, and 3.58 times greater odds of driving < 10 miles. Findings suggest that telecommuting can increase non-motorized travel and physical activity in the presence of latent demand for active living. Increase in transit ridership and reduction in VMT are not automatic. Planning and policy implications are discussed.