Existing transportation planning models fail to capture such variations in trip purpose. In aggregate models, trips are categorised simplistically as either work or non-work. Furthermore, these models predict travel demand on the basis of the characteristics of zones, rather than those of the individual. It is important to understanding the travel characteristics and trends of women specifically, for the development and implementation of more efficient and equitable transportation programs. Traditional transportation planning models do not characterise gender differences in transportation. These models assume that each traveler's primary concern is to minimise travel time or cost. One possibility highlighted in this chapter is that other factors such as safety, comfort, and accessibility to opportunities may be more important than travel time to many women. In addition women tend to have different cognitive processes or psychology from men. Understanding how risk influences women's travel decisions is also important. The effectiveness of traveller information services in reducing congestion, improving air quality, and promoting sustainable transportation, for example, depends largely on the reactions of travellers to information provided through these services. traveller information services are increasingly being seen as a tool for travel demand management. Current modelling efforts are focusing on developing methods for simulating the effects of traffic information on individuals' choices of departure time, route, mode of transport, and destination. Gender differences in decision-making processes, such as those relating to the way that sets are formulated and how alternatives are selected, should be recognised. This information could be incorporated into newly emerging modelling frameworks that assume travellers to be boundedly rational and satisficers. Nonlinear utility functions that reflect women's attitudes toward risk should be explored.
Abstract