The Shape of Travel Behaviour: The Effects of Street Network on Travel Behaviour among residents along Masaya Highway, Managua city

Cities have design features in its urban form that distinguish and define them. Among the urban form aspects that provide structure to cities are street networks, which are fixed in space, providing them with geometry. Several studies explain that the street network was found to have an association with changes in commuting among residents. These changes can be associated with social and economic demographics, as well as culture and the built environment. In a suburban area of Managua, along the Masaya Highway, housing projects have been following similar designs, and there has not been an upgrade in the existing street network of the area. The lack of adequate infrastructure and accessibility to public transport has led residents to experience difficulties in commuting, which affects their travel behaviour in aspects of modal choices, departure time choices and trip chaining. For example, some residents assure that they have to change their routes because of the street's physical conditions. The following research aimed to explain the current influence of street networks aspects such as connectivity and physical characteristics of streets, in travel behaviour; like modal choice, trip chaining and departure time choice, among residents of the neighbourhoods along the Masaya Highway. The methodology consisted in the implementation of a survey strategy that collected qualitative and quantitative data. Through questionnaires, information on people’s travel behaviour influenced by the street networks was gathered. Also, semi-structured interviews with urban experts, architects and engineers were conducted to collect information about the urban development of the delimited study area. During the data analysis, several inferential statistical analyses were carried to describe the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Also, descriptive statistical analysis and spatial analysis supported the results obtained from the inferential analyses, to be able to triangulate the information. Besides, four areas were selected for the sampling, so results among them could be compared. The connectivity and the street’s physical characteristics of the four areas present the features of a suburban region, even though that is not the situation anymore. On the other hand, the results of the inferential analysis showed a significant relationship between connectivity and street’s physical characteristics, with the modal choices residents made. The influence of the street network variables in trip chaining and departure time choice did not show a significant relation. But, when comparing the four areas of study, the location of residency marked a difference in people’s travel behaviour. It is crucial to say that the provision of urban public transport is a determinant factor for modal choices, trip chaining and departure time choice. Managua’s municipality should prepared and conduct strategies to improve urban development.