Assessing the Socio-Cultural Effects on Mobility Behaviours in Cross-Border Areas

Nowadays, daily mobility behaviours are emerging as a big challenge for the sustainability of our lifestyles. The awareness of the increasing impact of cars on the environment has led to the concept of sustainable mobility that supposes a modal shift from cars to public transportation and soft mobilities. In this context, the ACROSS project aims at assessing the sociocultural effects on mobility behaviours in cross-border areas. By further analysing the psychosocial and environmental determinants of attitudes leading to such behaviours, this project helps to identify efficient incentives to promote the use of public transportation and soft modes. The ACROSS project focuses on three cross-border areas (Luxembourg, Strasbourg and the particular case of Brussels). The overall methodological framework relies on the use of attitude theory and cognitive mapping to assess the role of cultural differentiation on mobility behaviours, including mode choice as well as location choices. In the first stage, a single questionnaire was designed, including attitudinal scales, dealing with transport modes, as well as self-reported mental maps and activity schedules, in order to study the action spaces. We dealt with attitudes by using a similitude analysis (graph-based method). Spatial analysis and geostatistical tools helped us to analyse the activity schedules. In a final step, results coming from these different methods were brought together in statistical models (i.e. polynomial regression and/or logit/probit models) in order to assess the respective weight of each variable tested. The results from the ACROSS project consist in identifying the differentiation between the sociocultural groups in each area and between areas for the same group. We provided a ranking of the determinants considering their respective weight for every group of individuals identified in the analysis. It helps the stakeholders to develop targeted actions for each group in order to find the incentives that could promote a modal shift more efficiently.