Mobility patterns of motorcycle and moped riders in Greece

Abstract

This paper investigates the mobility patterns of powered two-wheeler riders in comparison with those of passenger car drivers in Greece, a country in which an increased rate of two-wheeler ownership and related traffic is observed. A nationwide travel survey targeted at active two-wheeler and passenger car drivers was carried out for that purpose. The results of the survey were exploited in two ways. First, the use of the vehicle types examined in Greece was investigated in relation to driver characteristics by calculation of the respective sample distributions. The results demonstrated a clear difference between vehicle ownership rates and vehicle use rates by vehicle type. Moreover, the mobility patterns of each vehicle type were compared on the basis of the average yearly mileage traveled in relation to driver (age, gender, experience), vehicle (engine size), type of trip (weekday or weekend), and road environment (area type, lighting conditions, road type). The findings indicated that driver gender, age, and experience appeared to be a stronger determinant of mobility patterns than vehicle type. But different mobility patterns among vehicle types in different road environments were identified; this suggests that mopeds and motorcycles are preferred for particular types of trips (e.g., traveling in residential areas and weekdays during the daytime), whereas passenger cars may be used in all cases.