Before the pandemic, cars accounted for more than half of all commutes of less than 2 km

This article was originally published in our newsletter "Mobility" Analysis, April 20, 2021. To receive future articles by email as soon as they are published, Subscribe now.

Earlier this year, INSEE published a report on the importance of cars for commuting [1]. It draws on the 2017 annual censuses in order toanalyze pre-pandemic practices for employed individuals who commute less than 150 kilometers to work, or 24.6 million people. INSEE is examining the correlations that may exist between mode of transportation and distance traveled, the type of municipality of residence, and socioeconomic status.

Key finding: Cars remain the most common mode of transportation for all trips, regardless of the distance traveled. So, overall, 74% of commutes are made by car, whereas only 16% use public transportation and 8.5% use non-motorized modes (walking and biking).

To gain a more detailed understanding of car use, it is interesting to examine how modal shares change based on distance from the workplace. It is worth noting that two-thirds of the workforce travel more than 5 km to get to work. And, unsurprisingly, The farther away workers live from their workplace, the more they prefer to drive, for example, 80% of trips longer than 5 km are made by car.

If cars are the dominant mode of transportation for long trips, what about shorter distances? It may come as a surprise that cars remain the dominant mode of transportation for short distances: 60% of trips under 5 km are made by car, compared with 23% for non-motorized modes and 15% for public transportation, with the remainder of trips made by two-wheeled vehicles. Even for distances of less than 2 km, the car remains the primary mode of transportation, accounting for 53% of trips. While the modal share of public transportation remains relatively stable for trips longer than 5 km (16%), it is, of course, non-motorized modes that see their modal share drop, accounting for only 1.5% of these types of trips.

It is interesting to note that the change over time is (unfortunately) relatively small, illustrating the inertia in our transportation system: between the 2015 and 2020 studies, walking declined by 0.2%, and car use by 0.9%, while cycling and public transportation saw an increase. The good news is: Cycling gained nearly 0.9% in modal share overall during the period, with the increase being more pronounced in large cities, where it rose by 2%. This can be explained by the expansion of cycling infrastructure, particularly in large cities. This rate of increase in the modal share of cycling is in line with government objectives, as recently highlighted in a publication by Carbone 4 [2].

The analysis conducted by INSEE also Highlighting the variability within the socio-occupational categories of the workforce. With regard to the distances traveled: managers, intermediate-level professionals, and workers travel long distances, unlike artisans and farmers who live near their places of work. However, the latter rely more heavily on cars, particularly for short distances, with three-quarters of trips under 5 km made by car. There are several reasons for this: on the one hand, these occupational groups are required to travel varying distances, which can extend well beyond their workplace; on the other hand, farmers work in rural areas and most likely have less access to public transportation. Conversely, executives, who often live in urban, well-connected areas, rely much more frequently on public transportation as well as sustainable modes of travel.

This INSEE report offers some interesting insights into why people rely so heavily on cars for short-distance travel. 22% of working-age adults with a job with flexible location, the decision to use a car is often driven by the varying distance from home. These workers may include, for example, farmers, artisans, shopkeepers, personal service providers, or healthcare professionals. For other workers, car use is often driven by the need for sequential movements (for example, to drop off their children at school), for health reasons or, more simply, by choice or out of habit.

This study highlights the challenges of transitioning our transportation systems to a low-carbon model: Reducing emissions requires a significant shift in transportation modes from cars to non-motorized modes and public transit, and this study clearly shows that the challenge remains immense. Beyond the modal shift, we must not forget that it is equally necessary to continue improving vehicle energy efficiency as well as their occupancy rates, through carpooling, for example. Finally, since this study predates the pandemic, let’s hope that the rise of remote work—which was largely enforced during the pandemic—will have significant and lasting effects on mobility behaviors after the pandemic, by reducing the volume of trips through conscious choice.

  Article written by Gabriel Manhes (Consultant) gabriel.manhes@carbone4.com

Sources: [1] "Cars are still the most common mode of transportation for commuting to work, even for short distances.", INSEE report from January 2021 [2] "Is the French government providing the resources needed to achieve its climate goals?", Carbone 4 publication, February 2021