The transport sector in Brazil takes second place in greenhouse gas emissions. The problem is that, despite recent efforts to promote policies of sustainable urban accessibility, the use of private modes of transport in Brazilian megacities is still high when compared to other developing nations. Alexandre Gori Maia, Cristiane Carvalho (CEQUA, Chile), Leonardo Venancio (UNICAMP), and Eduardo Dini (UNICAMP) analyzed the main motives behind adopting the modes of transport among students at the UNICAMP. The paper has been recently published at Revista Ambiente & Sociedade (access here).

The study investigated how personal and travel characteristics (e.g., gender, income, health status, and travel time), perceptions, and attitudes (associated with cost, time, comfort, health, environment, safety, and lifestyle) are related to the choices for the mode of transport (private vehicle, public transportation, bicycle, walking, and others). The authors interviewed 1,179 students and applied multivariate statistical analysis to identify common choice groups among the students. Firstly, the authors used Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) to identify the main dimensions related to the patterns of association between the characteristics of analysis. Secondly, the authors applied Cluster Analysis to group the attributes with similar values for the MCA dimensions, defining common patterns of association with the mode of transport.

The results highlight that active transport (walking and cycling) prevailed among upper-middle classes living near the university. The main reasons for these modes' choices are the perceived benefits on health and positive attitudes toward the environment. High-income users tended to prefer private vehicles, mainly because they are safer and more comfortable. Traffic-related accidents and crime rates are high in Campinas, making people feel unsafe when walking in some areas or cycling on busy roads. Despite huge traffic congestion in the rush hours, private transport will still be preferred if its comfort is greater than other choices. Public transport prevailed among low-income users, and the main motive of their choice is the lack of alternatives, above all, due to budget constraints. However, these users would probably prefer a private vehicle if they could afford one. The low satisfaction with the quality of public transport arises mainly from the lack of comfort, the buses' inadequate frequency, and the high total time spent on the trips.

In sum, the authors suggested a broad spectrum of actions to stimulate sustainable transport. For example, the lack of safety recommends investments in the construction of appropriate infrastructures, such as exclusive lanes for buses and bicycles, modernization and better planning of the bus fleet, and public safety improvements. Nonetheless, investments in infrastructure to stimulate active transport may not necessarily meet the expected results if bicycling and walking habits do not become more positive. Currently, the use of the bicycle remains restricted to a small minority of people with positive attitudes and perceptions of the environment and health.