Empirical modeling of automobile dependence in the Boston area.

Author(s)
Zhang, M.
Year
Abstract

The public concern over automobile dependence is not the automobile itself, but the overuse of and dependence on it. Measuring automobile dependence properly is essential to better understanding the nature and causes of automobile dependence, and to identify and evaluate effective policy strategies to overcome automobile dependence. This paper complements existing studies by analyzing automobile dependence from the perspective of individual's travel choices. Applying logit captivity modeling, the study quantifies the degree of automobile dependence as the likelihood of an individual becoming captive to driving. The study shows that, in the Boston area, there are 16% and 86% chances that the urban and suburban travelers, respectively, are captive to the automobile. The estimated automobile dependence indices for the non-work trips are generally greater than for the work trips. Surprisingly, the lower income drivers have a stronger tendency to be dependent on the automobile than the higher income. The study suggests that policy making should be aimed to increase viable travel choices. Achieving the goal requires a combination of complementary strategies including land use planning and design, alternative transportation supply and automobile pricing. For the covering abstract see ITRD E128239.

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Publication

Library number
C 35563 (In: C 35524 [electronic version only]) /72 / ITRD E128278
Source

In: Urban transport VIII : urban transport and the environment in the 21st century : proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Urban Transport and The Environment in the 21st Century, Seville, Spain, 13-15 March 2002, p. 395-404, 20 ref.

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This publication is one of our other publications, and part of our extensive collection of road safety literature, that also includes the SWOV publications.