Abstract

Understanding the impacts of exposure to local and regional accessibility on travel behavior is essential to develop long-term effective land-use and transport policies. Previous research concentrating on accessibility impacts were mostly of cross-sectional nature and were conducted using pre-pandemic data. This study examines the longitudinal relationships between exposure to different levels of local and regional accessibility and mode use, focusing on how home relocation affects the frequency of use of the three major transport modes: active transport, driving, and public transit. The study uses five waves (2019-2024) of the Montr & eacute;al Mobility Survey, to analyze 4550 panel respondents, split into worker (N = 3067) and non-worker (N = 1483) subsamples. Using a set of multilevel linear regressions and a cumulative exposure measure, this work analyzes the gradual impacts of home relocation and changes in exposure levels to regional and local accessibility on weekly mode use frequency over time while controlling for car ownership and household structure. The study provides robust longitudinal evidence on how residential relocation, built-environment exposure, and concurrent life decisions collectively reshape urban travel behavior in the post-pandemic era across different transport modes. The multilevel modeling approach reveals three key insights: (1) regional and local accessibility changes (through relocation) exert gradual and mode-specific effects, with active transport showing the strongest response; (2) while workers and non-workers show varying baseline travel patterns, both groups respond similarly to local and regional accessibility improvements and changes in car ownership; and (3) car ownership decisions can significantly moderate the effects of home relocation. These findings advance the methodological integration of longitudinal exposure measures to levels of accessibility in mobility research