Daily Trips Characteristics in Novi Sad – Gender Differences

Modern transportation planning, building and city management tendencies are based on smart and green sustainability. Sustainable mobility and traffic safety can be improved by raising awareness of gender diversity in travel behaviour. The city of Novi Sad (Serbia) has had a tradition of traffic surveys for about 50 years. All measures for improvement of traffic in the city are based on this research. Travel characteristics in the city regarding gender differences are the source of different data, which can be based on sustainable urban mobility plans, transport demand management and gender equality levels. This paper analyses mobility, modal split and distribution by travel reason as a function of gender. Results were gathered using travel diaries (collected by household surveys) in the Smart plan of Novi Sad. The discussion is based on a descriptive analysis of the basic travel characteristics as a function of gender and a comparison with a previous traffic study – Nostram. The findings of the research indicated that there is a greater prevalence of male employment and higher usage of passenger vehicles among men than among women. Women use alternative modes of transport (walking, public transport and bicycle). Women do not have precise peak hours, while trips are scattered even outside peak hours. Their trips are more related to daily duties than entertainment.