Active Transportation by Transit-Dependent and Choice Riders and Potential Displacement of Leisure Physical Activity

Public transit users are expected to have higher levels of active transportation (AT, walking and bicycling) because they often need to walk to and from transit. Surveys in Baltimore and Seattle ( n = 1,622) revealed that transit users performed more AT than nonusers, especially when dependent on transit. Health benefits and impacts of their limited travel options are discussed. Choice transit riders, who use transit and have a car, and dependent transit riders, who are limited to transit use, are compared for differences in AT and leisure physical activity time (LPA). Less LPA is explored as a consequence of the additional AT.