Road pricing is a policy measure under consideration by many goverments and road authorities. Although objectives may be different any road pricing measure will impact the behaviour of travellers and the flow of traffic. In this research we specifically looked at the effects of road pricing measures where the prices are differentiated by time and place. Different choice models were estimated using data from a stated preference survey that was designed within this research. We find that the sensitivities of commuters towards changing departure time exist for both departure and arrival time, they are non-linear and they depend on personal constraints. Also the unreliability in travel time affects the departure time choice of commuters. Since the sensitivities towards rescheduling are high, it is to be recommended to introduce supporting policy measure that lower sensitivities towards rescheduling. In this research we also developed a dynamic modelling framework that can forecast the traffic effects of time-varying road pricing measures on large networks. A dynamic, multi-user class, equilibrium model is used in conjunction with a departure time choice, and an elastic demand model. The departure time choice models were estimated in this research. The model framework was applied on a reward policy case study and results show that traffic flow changes depend on both reward and participation levels in a non-linear manner. In order to assess the potential effects of time-varying road pricing measures it is therefore necessary to apply dynamic models since only those models can appropriately describe changes in congestion levels on a network. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting