RESEARCH ARTICLE


A Sustainable Transport System and Travel Choice Adaptation of the Disadvantaged in Hong Kong



Joseph Cho Yam Lau*
26E, Block 7, South Horizons, Apleichau, Hong Kong.


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Creative Commons License
© 2008 Joseph Cho Yam Lau;

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the 26E, Block 7, South Horizons, Apleichau, Hong Kong; E-mail: laucya@graduate.hku.hk


Abstract

This paper investigates the interactions between the coping travel behaviour of the disadvantaged and policies for a sustainable transport system in Hong Kong. The concepts of quality of life, a sustainable transport system and coping behaviour are reviewed. The construction of an effective sustainable transport system depends on transport policy makers understanding individual travel behaviour and providing a wide range of adaptation choices to help individuals to overcome mobility constraints. In-depth interviews were conducted in 1996 to ascertain the travel behaviour of the disadvantaged, the results of which indicate that to cope with socio-economic and land-use constraints, the respondents choose opportunities that are in close proximity to living neighbourhoods, taking cheaper slower transport modes and using nonmortorised modes to non-work activities, working women chose employment opportunities that close home to care for children. Some respondents remained in long-term unemployment rather than seeking distant employment to save travel costs. The results should help the government to formulate sustainable transport policies for Hong Kong.

Keywords: The disadvantaged, sustainable transport system,, adaptation travel behaviour, adaptation choice and transport pol-icy formulation.