In this article, Professor Smart and Nicholas Klein (Bloustein PhD, 2014) find that having a car helps Americans find jobs, keep those jobs over time, and move up the economic ladder.
Michael J. Smart
Remembrance of Cars and Buses Past
This research suggests a long-term benefit for encouraging transit at younger ages to foster a “transit habit.”
A Longitudinal Analysis of Cars, Transit, and Employment Outcomes
This report improves on existing data by analyzing groups that have variable access to automobiles – poor families, immigrants, and people of color.
The Social Context of Travel
The authors examine how the social context of a neighborhood can influence activity and travel patterns of those living in “neighborhoods of affinity,” where members of a group with strong social ties live and work.
Gay Men Travel Shorter Distances than the Average Person
Gay men living in gay neighborhoods travel much shorter distances on average than their straight next-door neighbors do.
Recent Publications
Working from Home and Walking during and after COVID
We investigate the relationship between people who worked from home during the pandemic and how often they walked before, during, and after COVID. We find that people who worked from home during the pandemic had the largest increases in walking frequency compared to...
Gender split and safety behavior of cyclists and e-scooter users in Asbury Park, NJ
Abstract Micromobility usage has increased significantly in the last several years as exemplified by shared e-scooters and privately owned bicycles. In this study, we use traffic camera footage to observe the behavior of over 700 shared e-scooters and privately owned...
What do People Want to do Instead of Commuting to Work?
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a sudden shift to working at home. People stopped commuting to their jobs. We fielded two surveys in New Jersey during the pandemic and included questions on what respondents did with time saved from not commuting as well as which...
The End of Speed Traps and Ticket Quotas: Re-framing and Reforming Traffic Cameras to Increase Support
Abstract The U.S. public is skeptical of speed cameras because they are seen as revenue generators. Many cities do indeed raise funds via traffic tickets, although they are primarily issued by police officers, not cameras. Ironically, cameras are poor long-term...