Comparing travel behavior and opportunities to increase transportation sustainability in small cities, towns, and rural communities

The vast majority of travel behavior and sustainable transportation research has focused on urban areas. A rural perspective is lacking. In this study, we aim to dive deeper into understanding how people travel and their perceptions and opinions about various components of travel in a majority rural state. By speaking directly with Vermonters through in-person interviews, we obtain uniquely personal points of view and analyze them for commonalities and differences between urban, suburban, and rural Vermonters. We ask questions on day-to-day challenges of traveling, suggestions for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, responses to fuel prices, and opinions on electric vehicles. Some of our key findings include that rural areas struggle most with traveling long distances to reach services, urban areas are more concerned with traffic, and opinions on electric vehicle (EV) ownership are consistent across the state, with people being likely to consider owning an EV if costs were to decre..., Research subjects were approached by members of the research team in public places in Vermont including public parks, recreation facilities, village stores and grocery stores and asked to participate in a short interview. Each respondent was asked the same series of questions and the audio of their responses were recorded and later transcribed. The transcribed data was then coded and evaluated. Please see the journal article for more details.,

绝大多数出行行为与可持续交通研究均聚焦于城市区域，而乡村视角的研究相对匮乏。本研究旨在深入探究以乡村为主的州内居民的出行方式，以及他们对出行各组成部分的认知与看法。通过与佛蒙特州居民进行面对面访谈，我们获取了极具个人化的独特视角，并分析了佛蒙特州城市、郊区及乡村居民之间的共性与差异。我们围绕日常出行挑战、温室气体（greenhouse gas，GHG）排放减排建议、对燃油价格的反应以及对电动汽车（EV）拥有权的看法等问题展开询问。部分核心发现包括：乡村地区在长途跋涉获取服务方面面临的困难最大；城市地区更关注交通问题；全州居民对电动汽车（EV）拥有权的看法趋于一致，若成本降低，人们更有可能考虑购买电动汽车……研究团队成员在佛蒙特州的公共场所（包括公园、休闲设施、乡村商店及杂货店）接触研究对象，并邀请他们参与简短访谈。每位受访者均被问及相同系列的问题，其回答的音频被录制并随后转录。转录的数据随后被编码并评估。更多细节请参见期刊文章。