Is it cycling culture? Explaining regional bicycle use in Denmark and Germany using a joint trip-level mode choice model

Promoting active mobility can enhance health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create more liveable cities. The choice to use active mobility for a trip, namely whether to walk or cycle instead of other modes, is known to be influenced by socioeconomic and material factors such as age, trip purpose, gradient, infrastructure, and many others. Individual attitudes and regional mobility cultures also impact this decision, but are under-researched due to data limitations. To address this, we analyse national and regional differences in active mobility in Denmark and Germany using a joint trip-level mode choice model based on large-scale survey data. Our findings show that Danes have a higher base utility for cycling compared to Germans, even after accounting for differences in socioeconomics, bicycle ownership, infrastructure, and other material factors. Only Copenhagen City, Copenhagen surroundings, and Hamburg significantly deviate from model predictions regarding active mode use, suggesting that distinct regional mobility cultures not captured by material or socioeconomic factors are at play there. These results highlight the importance of cultural factors in shaping active mode choices, supporting the need for policies addressing both cultural and infrastructural aspects to promote active mobility, while at the same time demonstrating that few regions exhibit active mobility cultures that cannot be captured using socioeconomic and material factors. • Danes have a higher base utility for cycling than Germans. • Trip purpose and bicycle infrastructure preferences vary between countries. • Only few regions exhibit significant regional active mobility cultures.