Skip to main content

Factors Affecting Choice of Travel Mode in Tallinn

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Environmental Challenges in the Baltic Region

Abstract

This chapter assesses the key factors related to travel mode choice by the citizens of Tallinn, specifically comparing the growing use of cars and diminishing use of public transport, based on household travel survey data collected in 2015. Although the number of trips made and daily time spent on travelling in Estonia is still lower than in highly developed countries, these figures are rapidly increasing. Besides income, another important factor promoting car use is the car compensation offered by employers and enabled by the Estonian tax system. While looking at why people choose cars or public transport, the authors underline the need for a public transport or cycling network to satisfy citizens’ needs. The role of urban planning is crucial to developing the quality and accessibility of public transport.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anspal, S., & Poltimäe, H. (2009). Model of social costs of transport: Methodology and results (Report for Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications).

    Google Scholar 

  • Buehler, R. (2011). Determinants of transport mode choice: A comparison of Germany and USA. Journal of Transport Geography, 19(4), 644–657.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carse, A., Goodman, A., Mackett, R. L., Panter, J., & Ogilvie, D. (2013). The factors influencing car use in a cycle-friendly city: The case of Cambridge. Journal of Transport Geography, 28, 67–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cats, O., Reimal, T., & Susilo, Y. (2014). Public transport pricing policy—Empirical evidence from a fare-free scheme in Tallinn, Estonia. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2415, 89–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cats, O., Susilo, Y., & Reimal, T. (2016). The prospects of fare-free public transport: Evidence from Tallinn. Transportation, 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dargay, J., & Gately, D. (1999). Income’s effect on car and vehicle ownership, worldwide: 1960-2015. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 33(2), 101–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • de Palma, A., & Rochat, D. (2000). Mode choices for trips to work in Geneva: An empirical analysis. Journal of Transport Geography, 8(1), 43–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eesti Uuringukeskus. (2012). Tallinn travel survey, commissioned by Tallinn City Government.

    Google Scholar 

  • Environment Agency. (2016). Data about car population and mileage in Estonia. Provided by email, March 30, 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson, L., Friman, M., & Gärling, T. (2008). Stated reasons for reducing work-commute by car. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic, Psychology and Behaviour, 11(6), 427–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eurostat. (2016). Statistical database. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat. Accessed August 22, 2016.

  • Gardner, B., & Abraham, C. (2007). What drives car use? A grounded theory analysis of commuters’ reasons for driving. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 10(3), 187–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giuliano, G., & Dargay, J. (2006). Car ownership, travel and land use: A comparison of the US and Great Britain. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 40(2), 106–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iftekhar, S., & Tapsuwan, S. (2010). Review of transportation choice research in Australia: Implications for sustainable urban transport design. Natural Resources Forum, 34(4), 255–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jüssi, M., Poltimäe, H., Sarv, K., & Orru, H. (2010). Sustainable transport report commissioned by Sustainable Development Committee and the Estonian Government Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kingham, S., Dickinson, J., & Copsey, S. (2001). Travelling to work: Will people move out of their cars. Transport Policy, 8(2), 151–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhnimhof, T., Buehler, R., Wirtz, M., & Kalinowska, D. (2012). Travel trends among young adults in Germany: Increasing multimodality and declining car use for men. Journal of Transport Geography, 24, 443–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Metz, D. (2010). Saturation of demand for daily travel. Transport Reviews, 30(5), 659–674.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mokhtarian, P. L., Salomon, I., & Singer, M. E. (2015). What moves us? An interdisciplinary exploration of reasons for traveling. Transport Reviews, 35(3), 250–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monzon, A., Vega, L. A., & Lopez-Lambas, M. E. (2011). Potential to attract drivers out of their cars in dense urban areas. European Transport Research Review, 3(3), 129–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poltimäe, H. (2014). The distributional and behavioural effects of Estonian environmental taxes. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Tartu Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwanen, T., Dijst, M., & Dieleman, F. M. (2002). A microlevel analysis of residential context and travel time. Environment and Planning, 34, 1487–1507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Estonia. (2016). Statistical database. http://www.stat.ee. Accessed August 8, 2016.

  • Steg, L. (2005). Car use: Lust and must. Instrumental, symbolic and affective motives for car use. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 39(2–3), 147–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • TNS EMOR. (2015). Tallinn travel survey, commissioned by Kredex.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Tallinn City Government, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and Kredex for making available Tallinn travel survey data for 2012–2015. The authors are also grateful to Patrik Dinnétz for his useful comments while acting as a discussant for the draft version of this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Helen Poltimäe .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Poltimäe, H., Jüssi, M. (2017). Factors Affecting Choice of Travel Mode in Tallinn. In: Bali Swain, R. (eds) Environmental Challenges in the Baltic Region. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56007-6_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56007-6_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56006-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56007-6

  • eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics