The challenge of measuring walk trips in travel surveys: problems of undercounting and incomparability among countries and over time
Source: Buehler, R. and Pucher, J. (2024). Transport Reviews 44
Discusses several specific issues that affect the comparability of walk trips as reported in travel surveys, including survey methodologies themselves.
This paper examines the challenges in accurately measuring walking levels, citing variations in survey methodologies and definitions of walking trips. The paper analyzes the historical trends of walking in the USA based on national travel surveys, highlighting fluctuations in walking levels and changes in survey methods. Particularly, it reports on the sharp decline in reported walk trips and methodological shifts observed in the 2022 NextGen National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), emphasizing the implications of reduced sample size and methodological changes on the reliability of data and the understanding of walking trends. It underscores the importance of preserving comprehensive and reliable data collection methodologies to support sustainable transport planning and policy-making.
