UC Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center

Travel behavior is undergoing a period of significant change in the United States, and this change is beginning to reveal itself in long-standing measures of transportation. While the United States is still heavily dependent on the personal automobile for mobility, changes in technology, demographics, economics, and attitudes are transforming how mobility is attained.  At the same time, advances in information technology are opening new ways for transportation activity to be measured more comprehensively. These transformative trends are reshaping how we think about transportation policy, operations, and planning. This report presents a research scan of the state of knowledge in transportation to enhance understanding of travel behavior and various influencing factors on future travel. It provides an overview of the current state of travel behavior as measured today, as well as background on the current understanding from literature in travel behavior research. It also explores what is known about the socio-demographic portrait of Americans and how demographics influence travel behavior. The report discusses emerging information technology and its impact on new mobility options. It also presents emerging methodologies and new forms of data that show significant potential to improve the resolution and comprehensiveness of travel behavior information.  Finally, it identifies gaps in understanding that could be addressed in the future with appropriate applications of emerging data and technological resources.