Travel behaviour and life course: Examining changes in car use after residential relocation in Beijing

The determinants of car use and car ownership are heatedly discussed in transportation planning research. However, little is known about the effects of life-course events, for instance, residential relocation and changes in household structure, on driving behaviour. In particular, in China's cities, massive urban renewal and residential relocation provide new contexts for transport. This paper aims to contribute to new evidences for the links between changes in car use and residential relocation by taking Beijing as a case. Structural Equation Modelling is applied to explore the effects of built environment, self-selection, and household status on car ownership and car use, and to highlight the mediating effect of changes in commuting distance on travel mode variation following residential relocation. The results show that residents make their travel choices based on their life stages, that is, the birth of kids, marriage, and a larger household size encourage car purchase and facilitate car use. The built environment variables play moderate roles in reshaping driving behaviour after residential relocation when controlling for other factors. Besides, commuting distance has marginal effects on car use and travel mode choice. More specifically, increasing commuting distance encourages the use of the metro and private cars. The present study has important implications for future research and policies aiming to discourage car dependence in growing metropolises.