Exploring the Factors Associated with Car Use for Short Trips: Evidence from Kunming, China

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors associated with car use for short trips. Using the data collected from a travel survey conducted with car users in Kunming, the structural equation model is employed to explore the structural relationships between car use for short trips, attitudes toward cars and alternative travel modes, sociodemographics, and the built environment. The results show that instrumental and symbolic attitudes toward cars are positively related to the affective attitude, and these three attitudes have a significant effect on car use for short trips. The symbolic attitude of drivers is negatively associated with their walking and cycling attitudes. Drivers with a better cycling attitude use a car less frequently for short trips. Concurrently, the effects of sociodemographics and the built environment on the attitudes and car use for short trips are also identified. The findings may contribute to understanding the car use behavior and help policy makers to identify methods for reducing car use more clearly.