Incentivizing pedestrian mobility: Lessons from Athens, Greece

Introduction Walking is a fundamental aspect of travel, offering numerous health, social, and environmental advantages. However, various obstacles such as personal health, inadequate infrastructure, safety concerns, and time constraints often deter individuals from choosing walking as a mode of transport. To address this, economic incentives can play a crucial role in making people incorporate walking into their daily trips. This study examines the effectiveness of incentives by conducting an image-based stated-preference experiment conducted in Athens, Greece, with a focus on determining the monetary value required to motivate travelers to adopt walking as part of their journeys. Method Through binary logit models, factors influencing walking behavior are analyzed, highlighting the significance of perceived personal safety and pedestrian infrastructure in promoting walking. Results The study findings reveal an average willingness-to-walk value of 0.38 € per kilometer, indicating the expected reward participants anticipate for opting to walk. Conclusions These insights, coupled with developed models, can inform the design of incentives within smartphone applications aimed at supporting travel decision-making. • Incentives can play a crucial role in encouraging people to walk. • Image-based stated-preference experiment sheds light on walking behavior factors. • It reveals an average willingness-to-walk value of 0.38 € per kilometer. • Insights inform smartphone app designs to support travel choices with incentives.