Relationship between motorized travel and time spent online for non-work purposes: an examination of location impact

The effects of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) on mobility have been investigated for several decades; however, few studies have focused on the amount of time spent using ICT and its implications on travel behaviour, and how such relationships may vary with the characteristics of residential location. This study focuses on the Internet use for non-work purposes and two research questions are examined: Does the amount of time spent on the Internet affect motorized trip generation and motorized travel distance? How do these effects vary according to residential location such as urban, town and rural areas where the levels of accessibility are different? We find there is a non-linear relationship between the amount of time spent on the Internet for personal purposes and motorized mobility (i.e., auto and public transit trips), with both very low-end as well as very high-end Internet users having lower levels of motorized mobility, while moderate-intensity users having higher levels of motorized mobility. However, these effects vary according to residential location; for example, people living in urban areas have different levels of motorized mobility according to the amount of time spent online, while no significant impact is identified for people living in rural area