The implications of travel profiles for transportation investment: The Bronx Center Project

Investment in transportation infrastructure is generally regarded as an effective means for inducing economic growth and employment in a region. However, the ability of such investments to achieve these objectives, to a large extent, depends on the degree to which travel results from these investments support or conflict with present travel patterns and needs in this region. Using this view as a basis, this paper analyzes travel conditions and choices in the Bronx New York, where large scale transportation and other development projects (commonly called the Bronx Center Project) are presently taking place. Using a large data base, composed of census tract information on socio-economic and travel behavior, the paper first examines the travel profile of the Bronx population, by estimating travel choice elasticities. On the basis of these elasticities it then assesses the impact of the Bronx Center Project on travel patterns and trends.     

Modeling traveler mode choice behavior of a new high-speed rail corridor in China

This study examines mode choice behavior for intercity business and personal/recreational trips. It uses multinomial logit and nested logit methods to analyze revealed preference data provided by travelers along the Yong-Tai-Wen multimodal corridor in Zhejiang, China. Income levels are found to be positively correlated with mode share increases for high-speed rail (HSR), expressway-based bus, and auto modes, while travel time and trip costs are negatively correlated with modal shift. Longer distance trips trigger modal shifts to HSR services but prevent modal shift to expressway-based auto use due to escalation of fuel cost and toll charges. Travelers are less elastic in their travel time and cost for trips by nonexpressway-based auto use modes. The magnitude of elasticity for travel time is higher than trip costs for business trips and lower for personal/recreational trips. The study provides some policy suggestions for transportation planners and decision-makers.     

Effects of increased awareness on choice of travel mode

This paper reports a field experiment with the purpose of studying the effects of increased awareness on travel mode choice. One hundred fifteen subjects were randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. In the experimental group, a more deliberate choice of travel mode was induced and expected to result in a stronger relationship between attitude and behavior, a weaker relationship between habit and behavior, and a behavioral change among individuals with a strong habit. Attitude, habit, and behavior were measured in travel diaries and questionnaires. The results indicated no significant change in the relationship between attitude and behavior and no significant change in the relationship between habit and behavior. However, a temporally extended decrease in car use was observed in the experimental group. The effect was noted for individuals with a strong habit who reduced their car use but not for subjects with a weak habit.     

Rural mobility and mode choice: Evidence from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey

This article uses data from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) to compare travel behavior in rural and urban areas of the U.S. As expected, the car is the overwhelmingly dominant mode of travel. Over 97% of rural households own at least one car vs. 92% of urban households; 91% of trips are made by car in rural areas vs. 86% in urban areas. Regardless of age, income, and race, almost everyone in rural areas relies on the private car for most travel needs. Mobility levels in rural areas are generally higher than in urban areas. That results from the more dispersed residences and activity sites in rural areas, which increase trip distances and force reliance on the car. Somewhat surprisingly, the rural elderly and poor are considerably more mobile than their urban counterparts, and their mobility deficit compared to the rural population average is strikingly less than for the urban elderly and poor compared to the urban average. Data limitations prevented a measurement of accessibility, however, and it seems likely that rural areas, by their very nature, are less accessible than urban areas, especially for the small percentage of car-less poor and elderly households.     

A parameterized consideration set model for airport choice: an application to the San Francisco Bay Area

Airport choice is an important air travel-related decision in multiple airport regions. This paper proposes the use of a probabilistic choice set multinomial logit (PCMNL) model for airport choice that generalizes the multinomial logit model used in all earlier airport choice studies. The paper discusses the properties of the PCMNL model, and applies it to examine airport choice of business travelers residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Substantive policy implications of the results are discussed. Overall, the results indicate that it is important to analyze the choice (consideration) set formation of travelers. Failure to recognize consideration effects of air travelers can lead to biased model parameters, misleading evaluation of the effects of policy action, and a diminished data fit.     

Model development for metro station access mode choice

This paper analyses the behaviour of metro users in choosing their access mode to a metro station. Multinominal logit models with satisfactory predictive power were developed for access mode choice on the basis of data collected by interviewing metro users at existing metro stations. A population segmentation approach was adopted and models referring to individuals having the same set of alternative access modes were developed. Trip purpose was found to have significant effects on the access mode choice. Thus, for each population segment different models are proposed for work and education and other trip purpose. Various conclusions concerning the importance of the variables included in the proposed models were drawn through comparisons carried out across the models.     

Specification of a tour-based neighborhood shopping model

This paper presents a state-of-the practice neighborhood shopping travel demand model. The model structure is designed to incorporate decisions across five dimensions of shopping travel, including decisions of: (1) household tour frequency; (2) participating party; (3) shopping tour type; (4) mode, and (5) destination choices using a tour-based nested-logit model. As a neighborhood model, we have also captured the interrelated effects of three main factors associated with shopping travel decisions both within and outside of the neighborhood, including the residential location within the neighborhood, the neighborhood regional setting and the household structure. The model was validated using the travel data collected in three neighborhoods located in the Puget Sound region, WA. Results show that household socio-demographics have significant effects on the decisions for household tour frequency, mode and destination choices, while the characteristics of the traveling party have considerable impacts on the decisions for tour type. The level of service and the zone attractions influence decisions about mode and destination choices. The day of week variable (weekday versus weekend) is statistically significant in all models, indicating that weekday shopping travel decisions differ from weekend, across all five dimensions of interest. The paper concludes with a discussion about how the model can be used to examine policy-related neighborhood issues (e.g. accessibility).     

Estimation of value of travel time reliability

In mode choice decision, travelers consider not only travel time but also reliability of its modes. In this paper, reliability was expressed in terms of standard deviation and maximum delay that were measured based on triangular distribution. In order to estimate value of time and value of reliability, the Multinomial and Nested Logit models were used. The analysis results revealed that reliability is an important factor affecting mode choice decisions. Elasticity is used to estimate the impacts of the different policies and system improvements for water transportation mode. Among these policies, decision maker can assess and select the best alternative by doing the benefit and cost analysis based on a new market share, the value of time, and the value of reliability. Finally, a set of promising policies and system improvement of the water transportation were proposed.     

Stated preferences for investigating commuters' diversion propensity

A reasonable response to increasing traffic congestion may come from the rapidly developing traveler information systems. Such systems may be successful if they effectively influence drivers' enroute decisions; in this regard, a critical factor may be commuters' willingness to divert from their regular route in response to information about traffic congestion. This study evaluates the effects of real-time traffic information along with driver attributes, roadway characteristics and situational factors on drivers' willingness to divert.The empirical portion of this study is based on a survey of downtown Chicago automobile commuters. The stated preference approach was used to study commuters' diversion propensity. Drivers expressed a higher willingness to divert if expected delays on their usual route increased, if the congestion was incident-induced as opposed to recurring, if delay information was received from radio traffic reports compared with observing congestion, and if trip direction was home-to-work rather than work-to-home. Respondents were less willing to divert if their alternate route was unfamiliar, unsafe or had several traffic stops. Socioeconomic characteristics were also significant in predicting willingness to divert.     

Introduction: Habitual travel choice

In this introduction to the special issue on habitual travel choice, we provide a brief account of the role of habit in travel behaviour, discuss more generally what habitual choice is, and briefly review the issues addressed in the solicited papers. These issues include how habitual travel behaviour should be measured, how to model the learning process that makes travel choice habitual, and how to break and replace car-use habits.     

Motorcycle-based adolescents’ travel behaviour during the school morning commute and the effect of intra-household interaction on departure time and mode choice

We hypothesise that intra-household interaction influences home departure time and mode choice for the morning commute. In Indonesia, over 71% of vehicles on the road are motorcycles. This fact increases the significance of household interaction in influencing transport mode choice since the simplicity of the motorcycle allows a great degree of versatility in regard to multiple family member transport. To emphasise this point, our study focuses on the unique travel behaviour of adolescents during the school morning commute which, due to the use of the motorcycle, is a combination of the travel behaviour of accompanied children and escorting adults. Our study discovers that adolescents are likely to shift their school arrival time very early or close to the designated starting time in relation to motorcycle-based parental escort to school. In regard to mode choice, adolescent students prefer to be escorted by motorcycle rather than take public transport.     

The role of incentives towards adolescents’ commitment to use public transport in Malaysia

This study examines the adoption of a travel behaviour modification programme to encourage sustainable mobility and public bus usage. Students from four schools in Penang Island were recruited and divided into two groups: Group 1 (without incentives) and Group 2 (with incentives). In the experiment, after having a motivation session about sustainable transport, the respondents were asked to design their travel patterns for seven days. The next session gathered data about their actual travel and asked for feedback regarding the programme. The results demonstrate that incentives encouraged respondents to follow their plans for travel behaviour and public bus usage. The results highlight that their commitment to follow their travel plans were influenced by ethnicity, distance from home to school, travel time, and household income. The study offers some discussion regarding the implications of the results for strengthening sustainable mobility and encouraging public bus use among adolescents.     

Unraveling the relationship between trip chaining and mode choice: evidence from a multi-week travel diary

Abstract

Trip chaining (or tours) and mode choice are two critical factors influencing a variety of patterns of urban travel demand. This paper investigates the hierarchical relationship between these two sets of decisions including the influences of socio-demographic characteristics on them. It uses a 6-week travel diary collected in Thurgau, Switzerland, in 2003. The structural equation modeling technique is applied to identify the hierarchical relationship. Hierarchy and temporal consistency of the relationship is investigated separately for work versus non-work tours. It becomes clear that for work tours in weekdays, trip-chaining and mode choice decisions are simultaneous and remain consistent across the weeks. For non-work tours in weekdays, mode choice decisions precede trip-chaining decisions. However, for non-work tours in weekends, trip-chaining decisions precede mode choice decisions. A number of socioeconomic characteristics also play major roles in influencing the relationships. Results of the investigation challenge the traditional approach of modeling mode choice separately from activity-scheduling decisions.