This study theoretically analyses users' departure time choice for morning commute traffic considering individual variations of time value and applies this analysis to a road pricing scheme. TDM policies have been proposed to mitigate social problems of traffic congestion. Although ITS technology is creating many instruments for TDM, we must have tools that evaluate such policies to acquire user acceptance. This study provides a theory for this evaluation. A simple structure of user's behaviour was constructed. Each traveller is assumed to choose his/her departure time so as to minimise his/her cost, which consists of queuing delay on a bottleneck and schedule delay at the destination. This numerical problem was analysed graphically for easy applications to the congestion toll evaluation. It is concluded that the congestion toll which completely eliminates queuing delay exists even with individual variation of time values but the toll changes traveller's behaviour and their costs.
Samenvatting