The proportion of trips made by car remains close to 50%, even for short journeys (under three kilometres) and is on the increase compared to the previous study year. Unsurprisingly, the report shows that “up to 200 meters, we do almost everything on foot”. However, the proportion of walkers falls to 30% for journeys between 500 metres and one kilometre, while regular public transport users make up less than 5% of all travellers.
The report also summarises important findings about the psychology of travellers, such as "the 10-minute rule", a psychological barrier that makes any transfer or waiting time over 10 minute seem too long. (That's a figure to keep in mind for urban transport planners.)
What's more, drivers are sticking to the theory of the so-called Brever law, which defines the most time anyone wants to drive per day at about 90 minutes. The mean travel time per person has stayed constant throughout driving history, but the distances increase with faster trains and better roads.
This snapshot of Flemish transport patterns should help the government improve its policies and infrastructure for a more fluid, less polluted region. The Flemish researchers who collect and analyse data are based at the University of Hasselt’s Institute for Mobility (IMOB), headed by Professor Davy Janssens. Founded in 2003 and now home to about 50 staff, IMOB uses computer-based modelling to understand how people travel and make predictions to advise policy makers.
Researchers at IMOB observe the behaviour of travellers in great detail with a micro-simulation approach. “We predict the travel behaviour of every person,” explains Janssens. “Not only do we simulate travel, we also look at activities to model one typical day in a Fleming’s life. For instance, at 8.00, a person drives to work but then might take a bike they keep at work to buy lunch.”
The principle is complex to implement in practice: IMOB is the only institute that uses this approach in Flanders and just one out of a handful of research teams worldwide.
The Hasselt team has also developed a user interface to visualise the data and combine them with actual, detailed information about Flanders’ population and air pollution. The research culminates in the publication of the Flemish Mobility Plan, a “bible” predicting travel behaviour in 10, 20 or 30 years.
IMOB’s second strength is traffic safety research. The Hasselt team coordinates the Flemish Policy Research Centre for Mobility, Public Works and Traffic Safety, a group that includes researchers from the Provincial College of Limburg, the Free University of Brussels (VUB), the Flemish Institute for Technological Research and Ghent University. The research centre explores a large range of topics, including road safety for older people, noise annoyance, driving behaviour, the impact of seat belt campaigns and the safety of roundabouts.
In particular, IMOB and the research centre identified specific places where it can be unsafe to drive. “Five years ago, we came up with a ranking of 800 ‘black spots’ from most to least dangerous,” Janssens recalls. The government took these conclusions on board to improve the worst-rated spots, which led to a decrease in the number of injuries and casualties.
The institute also leads more fundamental research projects. Janssens is excited by IMOB’s sophisticated traffic simulator – a room in the lab that allows a thorough simulation of the driving experience in a three-dimensional virtual environment. “For instance, we can track the eye movements of drivers to know where would be the ideal spot to place temporary signs for a road deviation,” he says. Researchers seek to answer questions: Where is the most visible place? What if it’s misty or rainy?
In addition, IMOB looks into innovative methods for data collection. The group refines methods using mobile phones to track drivers in real time; this could help model and predict traffic jams.
IMOB has funding from the Agency for Innovation through Science and Technology. “The Netherlands is often cited as a leading example since they have a lot of transport research funding,” Janssens notes. “Thanks to these grants, Flanders is really catching up.
So you want to become a transport scientist
IMOB is training the next generation of specialists through its two-year Master’s programme in transportation sciences. The course, taught in English, includes training in economics and management, environment, technology and sociology. In October, the group launches its third international training programme about road safety in Asia and Latin America.
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