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Résumé (français)

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Résumé (anglais)

This paper provides an analysis of trip generation of three vulnerable groups: single-parent families, low income households, and the elderly. It compares mobility of these groups to that of the general population in three Canadian urban areas of Hamilton, Montreal and Toronto, based on data from large-sample metropolitan transport surveys. Ordered probit models with spatially expanded coefficients are used for the analysis. The ordered probit model addresses several short-comings of multivariate regression, and the spatial expansion of coefficients allows for comparisons of mobility rates among vulnerable populations over space. Trip generation rates of the elderly and single parents are found to have a stronger positive correlation with auto ownership and employment than the rest of the population. Trip generation rates of the low income individuals are more positively correlated with transit access. Spatial expansion shows that there are spatial mobility trends within each city for elderly populations even after socio-economic attributes are accounted for. In Hamilton and Montreal, mobility decreases in suburban areas. In Toronto, the lowest mobility for the elderly is found in the northwest. Such spatial differences are not found for single parent families. For low income households in Montreal, lowest levels of mobility occur north and south of the Montreal CBD. This spatial analysis provides clues as to where vulnerable populations may experience greater degrees of social exclusion. Further investigation in these areas could help prioritize transportation infrastructure projects or other social programs to account for the needs of vulnerable populations with the lowest levels of mobility.