Citation

Dowling RG, Colman SB. Transp. Res. Rec. 1995; 1493: 143-149.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Travel behavior is likely to change when road congestion and travel times are improved as a result of new highway capacity. The behavioral change is complex and may manifest itself over both the short and long run. Short-term impacts may include changes in route choice, time of day that trips are made, mode choice, trip frequency, trip chaining, and destination choice. Longer-term impacts may include changes in automobile ownership, residential location, choice of workplace location, and land development patterns. These changes occur against a background of economic, demographic, and pricing changes affecting the population as a whole. A fresh approach is taken to illuminate the question of whether highway improvements induce new travel. The research has been framed in terms of relating the time "released" by a highway improvement to how households would use this time. The question then becomes, Do travelers use the time saved to make more (or longer) trips, or do they use it for other activities? To make the responses more realistic, respondents were asked to relate hypothetical changes in congestion levels to their previous day's travel and activity patterns. The results of a stated preference/activity survey of nearly 700 urban Californians indicate that congestion-relieving projects are likely to induce a small (3 to 5%) but not trivial increase in trip generation. This effect could be accounted for by modifications in the traditional "four-step" travel forecasting models, which would give transportation and air quality analysts a better sense of how to assess the potential induced travel impacts of new highway capacity.

Language: en

Keywords

Automobiles; Air quality; Surveys; Highway traffic control; Motor transportation; Transportation routes; Highway systems