What does Average Trip Length look like and why does it matter? #MobilityIndicators

🚋 Average trip length is one of the most seductive indicators in transport planning — it feels precise, it’s easy to compare, and it fits neatly into a headline. But a single mean conceals everything that matters: who is making the long trips, why, by what mode, and whether they had a choice.

Shorter isn’t always better. Longer isn’t always car-dependent. The same number can mean a 15-minute cycle to work or a 45-minute bus to a job two suburbs away. Without knowing the mode, the purpose, and the income bracket of the person making the trip, the average is not an insight. It is a placeholder.

Distance is destiny in transport. The further apart a city puts its activities, the longer, more expensive, and more carbon-intensive travel becomes — and the harder it falls on those with the least time, money, and access.

Trip length is where urban planning and transport policy either collaborate or cancel each other out. Always ask: who is making the long trips, and why?