JOURNEY TO WORK

Those last years, several studies were conducted on daily commuting to work. Two inquiries were made at national level (1974 and 1978) and 5 analyses were applied to particular cities. A first conclusion is on the social differentiation in transportation behaviour. The average commuting time is longer for the higher income brackets among workers. The range variation appears to be quite large for blue collar workers. This can be related to the spatial texture of work locations and to economic and cultural differentiation. It can be also observed in use of different transports : public transport, cars, walking, bicycles. A second set of conclusions is about the complexity of the organisation of the commuting period. Journey to work is indirectly organised, specially for women and there is wasted time before the beginning of work. In large cities, family life is more split into individual activities in different parts of cities. (TRRL)