Observing everyday travel behaviour in practice: Edinburgh-East Lothian corridor

Travel Behaviour Edinburgh and East Lothian

This process note reflects on a facilitated discussion designed to examine how everyday travel decisions are made in practice, with a specific focus on women commuters within the Edinburgh and East Lothian transport corridor.

The session was structured to understand how policy objectives around accessibility and modal shift translate into lived experience. Rather than focusing on stated preferences, the discussion centred on complete journeys, including how participants navigate between different transport modes and environments.

Participants described how decisions are shaped across entire journeys, not only by infrastructure availability but by how different parts of the system connect. Particular attention was given to transition points, waiting environments and moments where users are required to interpret or rely on the system without direct support.

A consistent pattern across the discussion was that travel decisions were influenced by a combination of safety concerns, predictability, environmental conditions and the level of confidence required to complete a journey. Where routes were clear, well structured and required minimal interpretation, participants described greater willingness to use public or active transport even at a higher cost to prioritise safety and manage time more effectively.

In contrast, where journeys involved uncertainty, poorly defined transitions or reliance on waiting in less controlled environments, participants described adjusting their behaviour. This included altering routes, choosing different modes, or prioritising options that offered a greater sense of control over the journey.

These patterns suggest that the effectiveness of transport policy in supporting modal shift is closely linked to how systems are experienced in practice across different contexts and user groups.

See the Current Work Log here for more information: Facilitated discussion to examine everyday travel behaviour in practice: Edinburgh-East Lothian corridor

Travel Behaviour Edinburgh and East Lothian