拥堵收费对弹性出行的小汽车使用者出行方式选择影响研究

所有出行群体中,受拥堵收费政策影响最大的是弹性出行的小汽车使用者。引入相对拥堵费作为政策变量,表征拥堵收费政策对该群体出行方式选择的影响,并基于Nested Logit模型,建立了拥堵收费影响下的出行者出行方式选择模型。利用对南京新街口商圈区域弹性出行的小汽车使用者进行的RP和SP调查所获得的数据,对模型参数进行了估计,结果显示:女性、低收入者、IC卡持有者、短途和高频出行者在面对拥堵收费政策时,更容易放弃小汽车而转向公共交通出行。利用弹性理论,分析了不同拥堵费水平下出行者对出行时间和拥堵收费政策的弹性,结果发现:①出行时间的弹性反映了出行方式的总体服务水平;②出行者在出行方式选择时对拥堵收费变得“显著”敏感的临界值为13.25元/次。      

Modelling users’ behaviour in inter-urban carsharing program: A stated preference approach

In this paper, the effects of a inter-urban carsharing program on users’ mode choice behaviour were investigated and modelled through specification, calibration and validation of different modelling approaches founded on the behavioural paradigm of the random utility theory. To this end, switching models conditional on the usually chosen transport mode, unconditional switching models and holding models were investigated and compared. The aim was threefold: (i) to analyse the feasibility of a inter-urban carsharing program; (ii) to investigate the main determinants of the choice behaviour; (iii) to compare different approaches (switching vs. holding; conditional vs. unconditional); (iv) to investigate different modelling solutions within the random utility framework (homoscedastic, heteroscedastic and cross-correlated closed-form solutions). The set of models was calibrated on a stated preferences survey carried out on users commuting within the metropolitan area of Salerno, in particular with regard to the home-to-work trips from/to Salerno (the capital city of the Salerno province) to/from the three main municipalities belonging to the metropolitan area of Salerno. All of the involved municipalities significantly interact each other, the average trip length is about 30 km a day and all are served by public transport. The proposed carsharing program was a one-way service, working alongside public transport, with the possibility of sharing the same car among different users, with free parking slots and free access to the existent restricted traffic areas. Results indicated that the inter-urban carsharing service may be a substitute of the car transport mode, but also it could be a complementary alternative to the transit system in those time periods in which the service is not guaranteed or efficient. Estimation results highlighted that the conditional switching approach is the most effective one, whereas travel monetary cost, access time to carsharing parking slots, gender, age, trip frequency, car availability and the type of trip (home-based) were the most significant attributes. Elasticity results showed that access time to the parking slots predominantly influences choice probability for bus and carpool users; change in carsharing travel costs mainly affects carpool users; change in travel costs of the usually chosen transport mode mainly affects car and carpool users.     

The same mode again? An exploration of mode choice variability in Great Britain using the National Travel Survey

The main focus of travel behaviour research has been explaining differences in behaviour between individuals (interpersonal variability) with less emphasis given to the variability of behaviour within individuals (intrapersonal variability). The subject of this paper is the variability of transport modes used by individuals in their weekly travel. Our review shows that previous studies have not allowed the full use of different modes in weekly travel to be taken into account, have used categorical variables as simple indicators of modal variability and have only considered a limited set of explanatory indicators in seeking to explain modal variability. In our analysis we use National Travel Survey data for Great Britain. We analyse modal variability with continuous measures of modal variability (Herfindahl–Hirschman Index, the difference in mode share between the primary and secondary mode, the total number of modes used). Taking inspiration from Hägerstrand (1970), we conceive that modal variability is determined by different types of spatial mobility constraints and find that reduced modal variability is predicted for having mobility difficulties, being aged over 60, being non-white, working full-time, living in smaller settlement, lower household income, having regular access to a car, having no public transport pass/season ticket and not owning a bicycle. The findings can support a change in perspective in transport policy from encouraging people to replace the use of one mode with another to encouraging people to make a change to their relative use of different transport modes.     

The multinomial logit model revisited: A semi-parametric approach in discrete choice analysis

The multinomial logit model in discrete choice analysis is widely used in transport research. It has long been known that the Gumbel distribution forms the basis of the multinomial logit model. Although the Gumbel distribution is a good approximation in some applications such as route choice problems, it is chosen mainly for mathematical convenience. This can be restrictive in many other scenarios in practice. In this paper we show that the assumption of the Gumbel distribution can be substantially relaxed to include a large class of distributions that is stable with respect to the minimum operation. The distributions in the class allow heteroscedastic variances. We then seek a transformation that stabilizes the heteroscedastic variances. We show that this leads to a semi-parametric choice model which links the linear combination of travel-related attributes to the choice probabilities via an unknown sensitivity function. This sensitivity function reflects the degree of travelers’ sensitivity to the changes in the combined travel cost. The estimation of the semi-parametric choice model is also investigated and empirical studies are used to illustrate the developed method.     

Experimental design influences on stated choice outputs: An empirical study in air travel choice

Discrete choice experiments are conducted in the transport field to obtain data for investigating travel behaviour and derived measures such as the value of travel time savings. The multinomial logit (MNL) and other more advanced discrete choice models (e.g., the mixed MNL model) have often been estimated on data from stated choice experiments and applied for planning and policy purposes. Determining efficient underlying experimental designs for these studies has become an increasingly important stream of research, in which the objective is to generate stated choice tasks that maximize the collected information, yielding more reliable parameter estimates. These theoretical advances have not been rigorously tested in practice, such that claims on whether the theoretical efficiency gains translate into practice cannot be made. Using an extensive empirical study of air travel choice behaviour, this paper presents for the first time results of different stated choice experimental design approaches, in which respective estimation results are compared. We show that D-efficient designs keep their promise in lowering standard errors in estimating, thereby requiring smaller sample sizes, ceteris paribus, compared to a more traditional orthogonal design. The parameter estimates found using an orthogonal design or an efficient design turn out to be statistically different in several cases, mainly attributed to more or less dominant alternatives existing in the orthogonal design. Furthermore, we found that small designs with a limited number of choice tasks performs just as good (or even better) than a large design. Finally, we show that theoretically predicted sample sizes using the so-called S-estimates provide a good lower bound. This paper will enable practitioners in better understanding the potential benefits of efficient designs, and enables policy makers to make decisions based on more reliable parameter estimates.     

Assessing the cost of transfer inconvenience in public transport systems: A case study of the London Underground

Few studies have adequately assessed the cost of transfers² in public transport systems, or provided useful guidance on transfer improvements, such as where to invest (which facility), how to invest (which aspect), and how much to invest (quantitative justification of the investment). This paper proposes a new method based on path choice,³ taking into account both the operator’s service supply and the customers’ subjective perceptions to assess transfer cost and to identify ways to reduce it. This method evaluates different transfer components (e.g., transfer walking, waiting, and penalty) with distinct policy solutions and differentiates between transfer stations and movements.The method is applied to one of the largest and most complex public transport systems in the world, the London Underground (LUL), with a focus on 17 major transfer stations and 303 transfer movements. This study confirms that transfers pose a significant cost to LUL, and that cost is distributed unevenly across stations and across platforms at a station. Transfer stations are perceived very differently by passengers in terms of their overall cost and composition. The case study suggests that a better understanding of transfer behavior and improvements to the transfer experience could significantly benefit public transport systems.     

城市交通投资的消费者福利评价

城市交通中多种出行方式共存等特性使传统的成本一效益分析法难以分析出交通投资产生的效果。文中假设发生在各起讫点问的交通出行是1个消费者代表的出行选择结果,推导一般均衡条件下交通服务供应水平变化与消费者剩余之间的关系。通过Logit模型模拟方式选择得到需求函数,结果显示交通投资产生的消费者福利与交通方式选择集的最大效用的期望值有关,表明以离散选择模型为基础的福利评价方法适用于多种交通投资的效果评价,包括交通方式选择集发生变化的情况。     

交通信息服务条件下的出行选择分析

首先 ,探讨了出行者的出行心理、行为以及信息之间的相互关系 ,在此基础上 ,简要分析了出行者的出行选择。其次 ,考虑在交通信息服务条件下 ,由于出行者本身以及信息方面的原因 ,出行选择可能出现过激反应、集聚反应等问题。最后 ,针对上述问题 ,提出应该加以重视的或有待进一步研究的几个问题。     

综合交通枢纽交通方式选择模型研究

立足于离散选择模型和Nest Logit模型的基本理论,针对Nest Logit模型可以考虑不同选择项之间相关性的特点,研究其在综合交通枢纽交通方式选择方面的应用。分析综合交通枢纽内部各种交通方式的特点,建立基于Nest Logit模型的综合交通枢纽交通方式选择模型,确定其效用函数,计算交通方式选择概率,并对模型参数进行标定。在分析中山市居民换乘意愿调查数据的基础上,针对不同距离分别对出行者换乘交通方式选择进行预测,并把预测结果同实际调查结果进行对比分析,验证了模型的适用性。     

高速公路可变收费标准模型研究

在介绍可变收费的理论基础上,分析影响高速公路可变收费标准制定的主要因素,并讨论不同时段收费费率同交通量的关系。在设定的可变收费方案下,建立了出行者选择的二元logit模型,根据调研样本,采用最小二乘法对模型参数标定并对设定的可变收费方案进行评价,结果证明可变收费能使交通流在各时段合理分布,从而提高了高速公路的服务水平。