Exploratory mapping of commuter flows in England and Wales

The paper uses the origin–destination commute data published from the 1991 and 2001 Census to explore the developments in commuting and interaction patterns within England and Wales. Focus is on the geographical variations and a map of commuter flows is presented. Commuting is stretched out along a national corridor from London to Manchester. An important change between 1991 and 2001 is a widening of the corridor that can be explained as the result of the deconcentration of population and jobs in combination with increasing commute distances allowing rural areas to be connected with the jobs and services of the centres in the corridor.