Abstract
This paper presents the methodology to examine whether there is a general preference for travel longer, rather than shorter, distances once changes in the relatives location of homes and workplaces have been accounted for. The methodology exploits Stouffer's hypothesis and relates zonal preference functions to their upper and lower bounds, as determined mathematically by optimisation techniques. Its specific application in this paper has been to study changes in journey-to-work preference functions in Sapporo using person trip data for 1972 and 1983. The influence of transport infrastructure on travel behaviour is examined by contrasting the findings for the Nanboku Subway Line and the Tozai Subway Line.
