16: Qualitative Methods in Travel Behaviour Research

The study of travel behaviour, as it has evolved over the past half-century, has yielded critical insights into the choices that individuals and households make about their daily travel. These insights have contributed to the development of increasingly sophisticated models to forecast travel behaviour and predict changes in behaviour in response to changes in the transport system. Yet the more we understand about travel behaviour, the more we recognise how much there is that we do not understand. As one question is answered, new questions emerge, and our appreciation of the complexity of travel behaviour grows. Qualitative methods, used in conjunction with quantitative approaches or on their own as an alternative to quantitative approaches, offer a powerful tool for helping us understand those complexities.