This paper addresses commuters' day-to-day route choice behaviour, both pre-trip and en route, under real-time traffic information availability. It is based on the data collected from an experiment using a dynamic interactive travel simulator for laboratory studies of user responses under real-time information (Advanced Traveller Information Systems). The experiment involved actual commuters who simultaneously interacted with each other within a simulated traffic corridor that consisted of alternative travel facilities with differing characteristics (e.g. speed, degree of congestion, capacity, etc.). Based on the real-time information provided by the system, these commuters can determine their route as the origin determine their route as the origin and their path selection en-route at various decision modes along their trip. Preliminary results indicated that the reliability of the real-time information and the supplied schedule delay (relative to the commuter's preferred arrival time) were significant variables that influenced the relative indifference band governing en-route path switching. This paper focuses on developing and calibrating day-to-day commuter route switching models using a multinomial probit (MNP) model framework so as to take account of commuters' choices based on their past experiences with the systems and to gain insights into user response to real-time traffic information. This model is intended for use within evaluation frameworks (e.g. simulation-assignment models) of the effectiveness of real-time information. In addition, the substantive insights provide guidelines for the design of real-time information content and systems.
Abstract