This study is concerned with commuters' trip chaining behaviour in which a stop for nonwork activities in introduced to the basic home-work-home travel pattern. An important question is whether a commuter will make the nonwork stop during the commuting trip or, alternatively, will pursue the nonwork activity by making a separate trip chain from home. A theoretical model is formulated to address this question. The analysis indicates that the likelihood of pursuing the nonwork activity in a separate, home-based trip chain will increase with the speed of travel and will decrease as commuting distance, travel cost, or the density of opportunities increases. The empirical analysis, using data sets from two areas and two points in time, generally supports these theoretical relationships. It also shows, however, that trip chaining behaviour does not remain stable over time despite the fact that trip rates are very stable. This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1203, Demand Forecasting and Trip Generation-Route Choice Dynamics.
Abstract