8 Knowledge workers use different commute transport modes
8.4 The relation between workplace location change and commute mode shift
Since the previous models show that the location of the workplace is highly correlated with the choice of commute mode, the study now examines whether the change of workplace location influences the possibility of change of commute mode. The analysis focuses on individuals who have only changed their jobs during the last three years to examine specifically the influence of workplace location on the choice of commute mode. Similarly, socio-demographic factors should also be included in the model to control for their effects. As the dependent variable in the model is the change of the commute mode, only car commute and car-free commute are differentiated to reduce the complexity of the interpretation. Four possible alternative outcomes are:
keep using cars to commute, abandon car commute (previously used the car but currently use car-free modes to commute), start car commute (previously used the car-free modes but currently use cars to commute), and keep using car-free modes to commute. Start car commute is selected as the reference category of the dependent variable in the multinomial model. The interpretation focuses on comparing ‘abandon car commute’ to ‘start car commute’. The analysis firstly uses workplace centrality in terms of within or outside of central areas as the proxy for workplace location, and afterwards uses the specific indicators such as the number of services near the workplace, the distance to the residence, as well as the distance to the closest public transport station.
8.4.1 Change of centrality of workplace location and commute mode shift
Firstly, the binary differentiation of central areas and non-central areas as the overall measurement of the workplace location is used in the model.
The independent variable, namely the change of workplace centrality has four possibilities or categories: both previous and current workplaces within central areas; both previous and current workplaces outside of central areas; previous workplace within central areas, but current workplace outside of central areas; and previous workplace outside of central areas, but current workplace within central areas (the reference scenario). The dependent variable is either abandon car use after job change or start car use after job change (the reference category).
Changing the workplace location from outside of central areas to within central areas is set as the reference scenario. Results in Table 14 show that when workplace location is changed from within central areas to outside of central areas, the possibility of abandoning car commute is statistically significantly lower than starting to use a car.
165 Table 14. The association between change of workplace centrality and commute mode
shift (Author’s own calculation; n=3636).
Variables B Sig. Exp(B)
Change of workplace: workplace move into central areas (ref)
Income level: high income level (ref)
Low income level -0.94 0.14 0.39
Medium income level 0.23 0.53 1.26
Type of household: Family household (ref)
Single person household 0.68 0.33 1.98
Single parent 1.08 0.32 2.93
Two person household -0.44 0.44 0.64
Education level: with university degree (ref)
Without university level 0.01 0.99 1.01
Access to car: no access (ref)
Private car -2.29 0.03 0.10
Company car -3.06 0.02 0.05
According to arrangement or car sharing -1.72 0.15 0.18
Ownership of public transport pass: with public transport pass (ref)
Without public transport pass -2.35 0.00 0.10
Nagelkerke R Square 0.589
8.4.2 Change of accessibility at the workplace location and commute mode shift
After adding direct measurement indicators such as change of the number of services near the workplace, change of commute distance, and change of the distance to the closest public transport station from the workplace, the correlation between the workplace centrality and the shift of commute mode becomes insignificant (Table 15). This is easily understood since it is actually these specific spatial attributes at the workplace shaping individuals’ considerations and influencing their
choice between car commute and car-free commute, rather than the centrality of the workplace.
Figure 120. Change of number of services at workplace and start or abandon the car commute.
A regression analysis has been applied to integrate the service supply information. The overall number of services is the regression outcome of these four types of services: daily shopping and services, long-term shopping and services, cultural & gastronomic facilities, and leisure facilities. Figure 120 shows that more individuals are willing to abandon the car commute when the number of services near the new workplace increases, whereas this is opposite when the number of services reduces after the job change. This is also statistically significant in the results of modelling (Table 15). In addition, individuals with an increase of commute distance after a job change are less likely to abandon car commute compared to starting to use a car to commute. Lastly, similar to the effect of the commute distance change, if the distance to the closest public transport station increases after the change of the workplace location, individuals are less likely to abandon car commute compared to start car commute.
0%
4%
8%
12%
16%
20%
Number of services near workplace decrease
Number of services near workplace increase
n=118 n=131 Start to use a car Abandon car use
167 Table 15. The association between the change of location characteristics of the
workplace and the commute mode shift. (Author’s own calculation; n=3636).
Variables B Sig. Exp(B)
Intercept 3.26 0.00
Change of commute distane -0.30 0.03 0.74
Change of number of services 1.08 0.00 2.96
Change of distance to closest public transport station -0.34 0.01 0.71 Subgroups: Other workers (ref)
Income level: high income level (ref)
Low income level -1.72 0.02 0.18
Medium income level -0.05 0.90 0.95
Type of household: Family household (ref)
Single-person household 1.22 0.13 3.39
Single-parent 1.42 0.22 4.14
Two-person household -0.01 0.99 0.99
Education level: with university degree (ref)
Without university degree 0.19 0.67 1.21
Car access: according to arrangement or no car (ref)
Private or company car -1.67 0.00 0.19
Ownership of public transport pass: with public transport pass (ref)
Without public transport pass -2.78 0.00 0.06
Nagelkerke R Square 0.664
Symbolic APS-workers show a statistically greater tendency to change the commute mode from car to car-free modes, even when the change of characteristics of the workplace location is considered in the model (but at a significance level of 0.10). Compared to the previous cross-sectional model, this provides stronger evidence that symbolic APS-workers’ knowledge production mode shapes a larger preference for car-independent modes.