Analysing retail travel behaviour using an Australian data set

Large cities in Australia, like many cities around the world, are grappling with traffic congestion and air pollution caused by the use of the car as the dominant means of transport. Considerable transport planning research has been done on the impacts of substituting car trips with more sustainable alternatives such as walking, cycling and public transport, particularly focusing on travel to and from work and school. Despite the fact that a large volume of personal travel directly or indirectly originates from retail activities, this type of trips have been largely ignored by researchers. Retail is considered as a major trip destination, for the non-peak hours. Australian cities are challenging with the expansion and changing form/structure of the retail sector which has a considerable potential to impact upon travel behaviour, air pollution and the amount of consumed fuel to access these destinations. This paper explores the way people travel to retail destinations by using South East Queensland Household Travel Survey (SEQ-HTS) data. These data were analysed to explain retail travel behaviour in Brisbane. Statistical analysis was performed to examine trip frequency, trip complexity, destination choice, and mode of transport. While beyond the scope of this paper, future research directions are described, particularly the role that retail form/structure and urban form play in determining retail travel behaviour.