Traffic behaviour is determined by a chain of individual decisions, either long-term or momentary decisions. The continually changing circumstances in which choices must be made define human behaviour, while specific factors have no more than a marginal influence on an actual choice at a given moment. It seems likely that choices in traffic behaviour are implied in earlier decisions such as where to work or live. There is no direct connection between the decision to learn to drive, or to buy a car or a bicycle, and the decision to go somewhere on a certain day, even though the former decisions are preconditions for the choice of traffic mode. In a traffic model reality may be reduced too far to make reliable prognoses conforming with the objectives of national policies. The variables used to quantify accessibility, however, are eminently suitable to describe the circumstances in which traffic choices are made. This paper attempts to improve the explanatory power of the traffic model by making accessibility a further reaching influence.
Samenvatting