Heat stress and active travel, an eight-year national analysis in The Netherlands

Summary

This nationwide Dutch study investigates how heat stress affects walking and cycling behaviour using travel survey data from 178,247 respondents across eight summers (2016–2023). It examines how thermal conditions influence both the decision to travel and the duration of active travel, distinguishing between commuting and recreational journeys. The findings reveal that walking and cycling generally increase with warmer conditions but decline once heat stress becomes severe, particularly for recreational trips. Work-related active travel is less responsive to heat, suggesting that commuters may have fewer opportunities to adapt their travel behaviour. The study also explores whether urban tree canopy cover mitigates the negative effects of heat, finding limited and inconsistent evidence. The results highlight the importance of heat-resilient urban design and policies that support safe, accessible walking and cycling during increasingly frequent hot weather.