Analysis of the transport users’ behaviours and preferences commuting to traffic generators in Radom

Transport needs result from the essence of human needs (from the need for movement or from natural mobility) and from the scientific, cultural, economic or administrative activities carried out. They have a diverse character resulting from both objective and subjective reasons, and their consequence is the emergence of journeys. The specificity of these mobility can be analyzed in reference to various spaces related to the implementation of journeys. The purpose of the paper is to present the results of research carried out as part of the project Strategy for urban development of the Radom Functional Area (ROF). These studies concerned the recognition of transport users’ behaviours and preferences of commuting in Radom. The research was carried out in traffic generators performing the most important urban functions and defining the specificity of socio-economic processes in Radom.


Introduction
Human transport needs are determined by age and professional status and result from the implementation of specific goals, intentions, sentences and other activities related to human existence. They are inextricably linked to the productive and social activity of people. They are also connected with the functioning of the national economy and the organization of social life in a given space.
The transport need is transformed into the need for organized and deliberate movement of cargo, people and messages through transport means and devices designed for this purpose. Transport needs are developing in a more and more diverse form and result from the following aspects of social and economic life [Rydzkowski, Wojewódzka-Król, 2000]: • increased social and transport mobility of the population; • development of the global economy, international division of labour, globalization and integration processes of the economy and society; • universal demand for various forms of leisure time management.
Transport needs arise from the essence of human needs, e.g. from the need for movement or from natural mobility and business activity, and are perceived as moving people, cargo and messages in a given period to a specific distance. The most important and primary source of transport needs is the spatial inconsistency between the elements necessary for any human activity and ensuring its existence [Rydzkowski, Wojewódzka-Król, 2000].
The spread of cities, which is common in most agglomerations, causes changes in the requirements for satisfying transportation needs of passengers [Barfod, Leleur, 2014;Eboli, Mazzulla, 2009]. This causes an increase in the demand for fast, safe and efficient shipment [Friman, Fellesson, 2009;Givoni, Banister, 2010]. Meeting this trend is extremely difficult and requires proper planning and organization of urban transport [Guirao, García-Pastor, López-Lambas, 2016;Borndörfer, Grötschel, Pfetsch, 2007], the first stage of which is examining transport users' behaviours and preferences while commuting.
The needs of moving of the population in cities related to everyday life, fulfilling obligations resulting from everyday duties and the necessity to meet social and living needs prevail. An important aspect of the implementation of these needs is to determine their time and place of occurrence, spatial extent, frequency and quality expectations regarding the mobility implemented [Dębowska-Mróz, Rogowski, 2016].
The purpose of the paper is to present the results of the research carried out to recognize the transport users' behaviours and preferences while commuting in Radom. The research was carried out in traffic generators performing the most important urban functions and defining the specificity of socio-economic processes in Radom.

The essence of the functioning of the transport system in cities
A city is a very complex system consisting of interconnected subsystems with different functions. An especially important element of this system is the transport system. It plays a significant role in shaping the living standards of the city residents, people who come to the city and the economy. For many years, one has been able to notice the occurrence in urban areas of many problems related to the implementation of efficient, safe, economic and a satisfactory level of journeys. The size and nature of the movements carried out in the city and the structure of the location of the destination depends on [Rudnicki, 1991]: • the size of the city, the city's population, the city's area and its shape; • the spatial and functional structure of the city, including the functions performed by the city, its level of development, the distribution of various institutions, economic, commercial, service, scientific and cultural entities related to tourism and recreation, health care and their mutual placement, as well as spatial divergence between places of residence and places of work; • the level of activity of the population; • the demographic and social structure of the population; • the level of income of the population; • the scope and size of free time of the population.
Mobility in cities is carried out on foot, by bicycle, by public transport or by car. Journeys carried out by passenger cars have a very large share in the modal split of mobility. The excessive number of individual vehicles moving in the city leads to the occurrence of congestion, especially during the rush hour. This is a problem that also can be observed in other hours of the day in many cities. The first type of congestion includes the main routes of cities that become impassable for both individual vehicles and collective transport vehicles. It can be observed that in the absence of a solution to the problems that have arisen, the disruptions concerning journeys are beginning to spread also to other elements of the transport infrastructure adjacent to the main routes. The result of such problems is lengthening driving time, creating additional time losses, increasing costs of journeys and lowering the broadly understood quality of life in cities [Dębowska-Mróz, Rogowski, 2013]. Therefore, it is worth asking the question how to solve the problem of increasing congestion? There may be many answers, although it seems that the tasks undertaken should be related to the improvement of the efficiency of the transport system operation preceded by a thorough analysis of the existing transport system in cities. This requires obtaining information on the methods of carrying out movements (time of the occurrence of needs, frequency and spatial extent), recognizing significant preferences regarding these movements and assessing their impact on the transport choices made [Dębowska-Mróz, Rogowski, Szychta, 2014].

Transportation behaviours in the aspect of journeys in cities
Effective transport systems in cities should ensure an efficient transportation service of the city, while mitigating the nuisance caused by its functioning. Creating a coherent transport system requires the use of various methods and means that will ensure proper human functioning in the urban transport space and ensure the proper implementation of economic processes (Table 1). A particularly important problem is the recognition of specific features related to movements in the city because proper planning of transport services in cities requires recognition and determination of time, place, scale and directions of movements made [Starowicz, 2004]. integration of economic and environmental goals while conducting transport investments ensuring the availability of transport to people in urban and suburban areas building a safe and reliable financing system for the urban transport system planning the development of the transport system, taking into account the needs of environmental protection ensuring public participation in making decisions regarding the development of the transport system Source: own materials.
Determination of the method of carrying out the movements and preferences of the choice of means of transport and quality expectations reported by persons performing journeys is one of the stages of the process of shaping transport behaviours in relation to the selected spatial scope of the city [Starowicz, 2007]. The basis for shaping transport behaviours in cities should be systematic observations and research carried out in these areas, thanks to which it is possible to determine changes in transport behaviours of the residents and people arriving at the city.

Genesis and range of the research
One of the most important tasks regarding the analysis of transport behaviours in a given area is the recognition of the place of formation of transport needs, spatial relations, time and frequency of their occurrence. Such analyses are usually carried out in places of high intensity of mobility, such as: bus stops, bus and railway stations or households. It seems that traffic generators, which are all points that are the start or end of a journey, can also be a source of important information on the manner of movements in cities.
Surveys were conducted in traffic generators in Radom in order to learn about current preferences regarding the way of traveling of the residents of Radom and people arriving at the city and the possibilities of their potential changes.
The first stage of the research task was to identify significant points generating traffic during working days, taking into account the functions performed by administrative and economic entities operating in the city and other needs of the residents and people arriving at the city. This analysis includes workplaces, public and private education buildings, private and public institutions, health care facilities and facilities for the development of culture, sport and recreation.
On the basis of the analysis, traffic generators were selected that were important from the point of view of the city and its residents, as well as the residents of the Radom Function Area, who want to satisfy their needs in Radom with various activities and living goals. These traffic generators are related to work, rest and recreation, supplies, education, health and other important reasons for the inhabitants to generate their transport needs. The survey research was carried out on June 9-20, 2014. They were performed by a specially trained group of people. The field research was preceded by an information campaign in the press and local media. At least 15 questionnaires were carried out in each selected generator. The research was conducted on the basis of a form developed specifically for this task (Figure 1).

Analysis of the results
The research covered 526 respondents, 262 women and 264 men. The average age of the respondents was 42. Figure 2 shows the professional status of the respondents.    1  17  33  49  65  81  97  113  129  145  161  177  193  209  225  241  257  273  289  305  321  337  353  369  385  401  417  433  449  465  481  497  513 Source: own materials. The research shows that the respondents move on weekdays in over 49% of cases. Everyday journeys are also important, accounting for almost 26% of all the journeys made. In the case of the respondents working in a continuous system of work (sometimes also on Saturday and Sunday) or in the case of the people who work and take part in various types of educational processes, often conducted at weekends (courses, training, postgraduate and higher schools), this answer was given most often. Very often, when conducting the surveys, the respondents provided the interviewers with additional observations regarding the movements carried out to work and study places on Saturdays and Sundays. They drew attention to too large intervals between public transport routes or a lack of them due to shortening the route of some bus lines or the total lack of bus routes at that time.

Figure 5. Methods of journeys declared by the respondents
Journeys were most often carried out by car -over 38% and 23.5% by public transport to the analyzed traffic generators. 12.3% of the respondents meet their needs on foot to selected generators in Radom, while 7.1% of the respondents travel by bicycle to the tested traffic generators. The respondents making their journeys by bicycle also paid attention to the inconvenience of traveling with this means of transport related to the shortage of infrastructure continuity. On the occasion of a conversation with the person performing the research, some respondents claimed that if the continuity of the bicycle infrastructure were maintained, in favorable conditions (good weather, spring and summer months) journeys could be made by bicycle. It should be noted that the results of the surveys in traffic generators coincide with the results of the surveys in households in the case of travel by public transport -27.7% However, due to the number of attempts, and above all, the fact that the surveys were conducted mainly in young people's environment, the results obtained should be approached with reserve. In the case of the survey in households, the respondents were residents of Radom (the demographic structure of the residents and respondents was known), in the case of the surveys in the traffic generators there was no known place of residence and the beginning of the journey.
The aim of the research was also to determine the relevant factors affecting the shaping of selected elements of transport infrastructure, which may be the reason for the change in transport behaviour of the inhabitants of Radom and guests arriving at the city.
Over half of the respondents expressed their desire to change their way of moving (286 people -55%). Almost 52% of these respondents are women. These respondents usually travel by car on weekdays (Figures 6 and 7).     The research identified expectations regarding changes in the equipment and shaping of the transport infrastructure that could be an impulse to change the implementation of transport behaviours. The respondents could indicate more than one factor relevant to the journeys or possible expectations regarding these journeys. Table 2 presents the results obtained for persons who declared their desire to change the method of journeys and Table 3 presents the results for the persons who did not express a desire to change the method of journeys but expect changes in the existing infrastructure through which journeys will be carried out in better conditions. People who did not express the desire to change their mode of transport (114 women and 125 men) are currently performing the declared journeys by car and public transport on weekdays (Figures 9 and 10). Figure 11 shows the professional status of these respondents.    People who participated in the survey had their thoughts on the functioning of the different transport subsystems. They pointed out the most important problems related to their journeys. Table 3 shows these results. The respondents most often paid attention to accessibility problems (vehicle transport and public transport). Travel costs should be lowered (price of fuel and ticket price) and solutions should be introduced to ensure safety in the case of journeys carried out on foot and by bicycle, in their opinion. It is difficult to determine what the respondents would mean by reducing costs in the case of cycling. Please note that since the research, the infrastructure for bicycle traffic has significantly increased and many facilities have been introduced to facilitate the journeys by bicycle (e.g. new tracks, contrails, belts for running against the current, sluices, etc.). and the city bike system has been launched, as already mentioned.

Summary
Planning a consistent transport system in cities is a serious assignment that must take into account the implementation of various transport needs of diverse participants of urban space. An important aspect of this is searching for effective solutions to prevent traffic congestion in cities.
Measures undertaken in this area should be based on the recognition of the specificity of the population functioning in an area of transport needs. Conducted measurements and tests should be a source of information about the place, time, frequency and extent of the journeys carried out.
The results of the research presented in the article show that currently the public prefers individual car transport, which to a greater extent meets the needs of residents, but entails drastic global effects related to congestion or excessive exploitation of non-renewable energy sources and environmental degradation. Therefore, one should strive to create convenient conditions for traveling by public transport in order to make it more competitive in relation to individual transport. Public transport does not meet the temporary expectations of residents, because it is available only in specific areas, places at a specific time and only on specific routes. Transport companies, in order to adapt the offer to the constantly increasing transport needs of residents, should continuously conduct customer satisfaction surveys.
The research method presented in the article makes it possible to identify this specificity of the transport behaviours in selected spaces related to the economic, scientific, cultural, sport-recreational and social activities of a human being. The research carried out in the traffic generators allows quickly and easily eliciting information about journeys and important preferences characterizing mobility.