This chapter focuses on trip-timing decisions by work commuters in an urban context. First, the microeconomic paradigm is reviewed, along with empirical results obtained in various studies. The problem of computing mutually consistent trip-departure patterns and trip times in congested systems is introduced. The daily variability of departure-time choices is then characterized based on empirical findings from diary surveys of urban commuters. Next, experimental investigations of day-to-day departure-time adjustment mechanisms are reviewed, along with a theoretical framework rooted in bounded rationality precepts. Also discussed is the application of these mechanisms, in conjunction with network supply models in a microsimulation framework, to forecast the day-to-day evolution of transportation systems under a variety of strategies, particularly intelligent transport systems (ITS) and real-time information supply. Issues and opportunities are identified in the concluding comments.
Samenvatting