Urban Travel Behavior Determinants in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The manuscript investigate the travel behavior in three saudi cities: Riyadh, Dammam and Buraydah. The whole transport system, accessibility and different mobility are related to urban strategies, urban patterns and to urban plans that, at different level, manage the country defining aims and strategies for the development and management of the territory. Travel behavior inside these three important and different cities is influenced by the whole urban structure, by economy reason and by urban and political strategies. Not less important are social factors that has to be studied and has to inspire every urban action. Make more diversified, dynamic and modern economy seems to be the priority of national agenda of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As happened in the past, exogenous factors are addressing a rapid transformation of the public policy, in which urban mobility is one main paradigm. In this framework, a part of paper focused on the main determinants of urban travel behavior and the blueprint agenda of government to make more transit oriented the cities. Although the urban travel behavior is complex phenomena in Saudi Arabia, of which the main effect is related to massive car dependency of people for mobility, some clarifications would suggest the approach to analyse current factors are impacting on national choices and introduce ideas to make urban policy part of a bigger project.

Keywords

• Mobility
• Car dependency
• Travel behavior
• Governance
• Urban Policy