Weather, travel behavior, and the influence and potential of ICT to improve resilience

Weather has always influenced travel behavior and choices of mode, route, and timing, including cancelation, but climate change and the increasing occurrence of severe weather events which result in frequent and extensive transport disruption add urgency to the task of better understanding the existing and potential resilience of travel behaviors. Meanwhile, new and complex travel behavior trends are emerging, in part due to the development and spread of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) but also in response to other external influences and to technological change within the transport sector. These trends may better be understood through a more holistic view of accessibility: online and via transport modes, in time and in space. This chapter reviews the literature exploring the influence of both daily weather parameters and severe weather events on travel behavior and activity participation. It then considers the parallels and interdependencies between the ICT and transport sectors, and finally reframes existing research into the impact of ICT on productivity, lifestyles, and travel behavior in order to demonstrate the potential for ICT to reduce the level of risk from severe weather impacts for different groups and individuals, increase their ability and propensity to choose more resilient options, and improve adaptation.