This study explores how living in urban residential areas may frame various preferences for mode of transport, and prioritizing different aspects of their mobility. Urban mobility may in the future face critical sustainable problems (use of private cars and fossil energy) and critical health problems (risk of accidents, sedentary life style and obesity epidemic). The concern here is about mobile individuals judgement of importance of environment, safety issues, and health / exercise related to their movements.

Based on self-reported mobility and weighting of mobility aspects in a national survey, (N=1917) in 2008, sorting respondents into 5 settlement groups by population size. Here focus is on the urban population > 20 000 pop. (N=1001). Surprisingly, no differences emerged in reporting between big cities (> 100 000 pop.) and medium-sized cities (20 000 – 99 999 pop.).

Females tend to report a higher use of bicycles and walking and give a higher priority to environmental considerations, safety issues and exercise aspects. The difference is most marked for the 40-49 and 50-59 year groups. Females report more concern about environment, safety and health, as do respondents aged 40+. Education is a non-influential factor. Individuals who give strong preferences to safety, environment and exercise do generally use private cars less often. It seems as a paradox that younger, educated urban respondents in general are not more concerned about environment, safety and exercise aspects of mobility. It is interesting to note that respondents concerned about these issues also stand out as non-rule violators in traffic and attentive drivers. Substantial unexplained variance occurs in regression analyses, which could be related to actual transport choice possibilities (purposes, short / long trips), awareness and attitudes about safety, health and environment not registered here.