Travel demand management measures can be used to encourage car users to set car-use reduction goals when experiencing impairments in travel options. In forming plans to reduce car-use contingent on such goals, car users consider a range of adaptation alternatives including more efficient car use, suppressing trips, and switching travel mode. These adaptation alternatives, it may be argued, are implemented sequentially over time according to a cost-minimisation principle. A focus group study was conducted gauging the creativity of car-using households when contemplating adaptation alternatives, followed by an Internet-based questionnaire study in an attempt to obtain quantitative estimates of the size of car-use reduction goals and frequency of implementation of adaptation alternatives. The data revealed that the effects of travel demand management measures and trip purpose on the setting of car-use reduction goals were small. While the cost-minimisation principle seemed to dictate stated choices of adaptation alternatives, further research needs to examine the ways in which the principle must be qualified. (A) "Reprinted with permission from Elsevier".
Abstract