Workplace Location, Modal Split and Energy Use for Commuting Trips

A study of six companies in Greater Oslo indicates that both the modal split and the energy use for journeys to work are to a high extent influenced by the geographical location of the workplace. Employees of workplaces in peripheral, low-density parts of the urban area are far more frequent car drivers and use considerably more energy for journeys to work than employees of workplaces located in central, high-density areas. A study of long-term consequences of workplace relocations within the urban area shows that the immediate increase in average commuting distance of a workplace moving to the urban fringe, has not been reversed by subsequent turnover and residential changes among the employees.