Knowledge of the Concept Light Rail Transit: Determinants of the Cognitive Mismatch between Actual and Perceived Knowledge

Abstract

Increasing the modal share of public transit is often regarded as a condition sine qua non for achieving a more environmentally friendly and sustainable travel behavior. In this context, the Flemish public transport company ―De Lijn‖ is planning an investment program to develop a Light Rail network tailored at medium range distance (10-40km) trips (De Lijn, 2002; Varinia, 2008). At this moment, the concept of Light Rail is still (relatively) unknown in Flanders (the Dutch speaking, northern part of Belgium), as nowhere in the region, Light Rail was implemented as to date. Notwithstanding, the level of success of the new Light Rail system depends on people‘s knowledge of the system. This is confirmed by Dziekan et al (2004) who indicated that a lack of knowledge can be considered as an important barrier of public transport use. Moreover, Dziekan (2008) stated that travelers can only choose from travel options of which they are sufficiently aware. Bonsall et al (2004) discussed that sub-optimal decisions might arise when travel decisions are founded on a distorted view. Therefore, it is important to explore the level of knowledge of the concept Light Rail Transit (LRT) in the Flemish context and to identify potential misperceptions.