Vehicle Commuters Research Articles

Role of private vehicle commuters’ travel wellbeing perception in mode shift behavior towards an upcoming metro in Mumbai Metropolitan region

The expansion of mass rapid transit systems such as the metro in urban metropolitan areas is expected to moderate the problems of congestion and public transport overcrowding. It is crucial to devise measures to attract private vehicle commuters towards these modes to make them economically and financially viable. Positive perceptions and high trip frequency of commute trips can lead to long-term habitual inertia and prevent these commuters from shifting towards new sustainable alternatives. To support transport policy-making in promoting sustainable modes, this study mainly investigated the association of private vehicle commuters’ travel wellbeing perception of their commute, commute frequency, and travel attributes with their mode shift behavior towards an upcoming metro system in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Some external changes will occur in the transport system regarding time, cost, and other attributes with the upcoming 426 km metro line network in MMR. A well-designed stated preference survey was conducted, and 2400 observations were collected from 217 private vehicle commuters (two-wheelers and cars). Results indicate that the commuters value metro on-board comfort the most, followed by transfers, travel time, and waiting time. Existing travel wellbeing perception is found to be insignificant in determining the mode shift behavior. Furthermore, regular private vehicle commuters showed a significant shifting propensity towards the upcoming metro. Mann-Whiteney U test results indicate no significant differences in travel wellbeing perceptions among car and two-wheeler commuters.

Value of travel time savings of autonomous vehicle commuters: a segmented valuation for local and inter-city travel

ABSTRACT In this study we aim to identify how the adoption of autonomous vehicles (AVs) affects the value of travel time savings (VOTTS) for commuting trips under different trip distance scenarios (local and inter-city travel). Using a stated preference survey administered to Korean commuters in 2019, two multinomial logit (MNL) mode choice models are developed. These models are stratified by trip length and include four alternatives: AV with a manual driving option (AVMD), AV with a self-driving option (AVSD), shared AV (SAV), and public transit (PT). The results show that the value of in-vehicle travel time savings for AVSD (on average, $7.61/hr) is lower than for the other two AV modes (AVMD = $10.26/hr, SAV = $13.67/hr). It suggests that travelers tend to pay less to reduce travel time while using a private hands-free mode because it allows travelers to use their travel time more productively and/or relieve stress for driving. In addition, changes in the VOTTS for each mode vary by trip length. As travel distance increases, VOTTS for shared modes (SAV and PT) tends to decrease. The value of in-vehicle travel time for SAV in the local travel scenario is the highest among the four modes but is considerably lower than that in the inter-city scenario. These differences suggest that travelers require a certain amount of time to fully use their in-vehicle time, highlighting the importance of trip length when determining the VOTTS. Interestingly, the VOTTS for PT is lower than three AV modes, implying that it might be too early to expect substantial reduction in the VOTTS for AVs due to potential risks of accidents, unfamiliarity with AVs, or immature technology of AVs. Highlights Likelihood of choosing autonomous vehicles is modelled based on trip length. Changes in value of travel time savings for each mode vary by trip length. Value of travel time savings for public transit is lower than autonomous vehicles. Self-driving vehicles have a low value of travel time savings than other modes. People need a certain amount of time to fully perform activities while traveling.

Multi-Criteria Evaluation for Sorting Motion Planner Alternatives.

Automated vehicles are expected to push towards the evolution of the mobility environment in the near future by increasing vehicle stability and decreasing commute time and vehicle fuel consumption. One of the main limitations they face is motion sickness (MS), which can put their wide impact at risk, as well as their acceptance by the public. In this direction, this paper presents the application of motion planning in order to minimise motion sickness in automated vehicles. Thus, an optimal control problem is formulated through which we seek the optimum velocity profile for a predefined road path for multiple fixed journey time (JT) solutions. In this way, a Pareto Front will be generated for the conflicting objectives of MS and JT. Despite the importance of optimising both of these, the optimum velocity profile should be selected after taking into consideration additional objectives. Therefore, as the optimal control is focused on the MS minimisation, a sorting algorithm is applied to seek the optimum solution among the pareto alternatives of the fixed time solutions. The aim is that this solution will correspond to the best velocity profile that also ensures the optimum compromise between motion comfort, safety and driving behaviour, energy efficiency, journey time and riding confidence.

Value of Travel Time Savings of Autonomous Vehicle Commuters: A Segmented Valuation for Local and Inter-City Travel

Value of Travel Time Savings of Autonomous Vehicle Commuters: A Segmented Valuation for Local and Inter-City Travel

Built environment, commuting behaviour and job accessibility in a rail-based dense urban context

This study examines how job accessibility, as measured in commute distance and commute duration, is associated with different built environment features in a rail-based high-density urban context--Hong Kong. As a major contribution of this research, our analyses demonstrate that the average effects of built environment features on people’s commuting patterns and job accessibility mask considerable heterogeneity across different commute modes and neighborhood types. Using multiple regression models, we found that public transit commuters are more responsive to changes in built environments than private vehicle commuters. Subdivided samples also show that several built environment features affect job accessibility in job-dense downtown neighborhoods differently than in other types of neighborhoods (i.e. non-downtown urban neighborhoods, new town neighborhoods, rural neighborhoods), suggesting the nonlinearity in these relationships. This research has important implications to urban policymaking, especially in addressing the needs of different transit users (rail, bus, mixed) versus automobile users, as well as the needs of different types of neighborhoods. The findings and policy recommendations can reasonably be generalized to other major cities with similarly dense settings.

Park And Ride Facilities within Kuala Lumpur Conurbation: How willing are private vehicle commuters to use?

The rapid transformation of Kuala Lumpur conurbation has seen a rise in the demand for private vehicle ownership among commuters, thus leading to an increase in the overall level of congestion within the city center. Towards reducing such issues and focusing on the significance of travel demand management, this study examined the willingness of private vehicle users in using the park and ride facilities. A convenience survey was conducted on 199 respondents through multiple linear regression. It was found that socioeconomic, trip, and technology characteristics have a significant relationship with a willingness to park and ride. The result may assist future transport planners in improving the overall parking management strategies of the city centre.Keywords: Willingness, park and ride, Kuala Lumpur conurbation, regressioneISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v4i12.1943

Demand drivers for charging infrastructure-charging behavior of plug-in electric vehicle commuters

The public as well as the private sector that includes automakers and charging network companies are increasingly investing in building charging infrastructure to encourage the adoption and use of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) as well as to ensure that current facilities are not congested. However, building infrastructure is costly and, like road congestion, when there is significant uptake of PEVs we may not be able to “build out of congestion.” Modelling the choice of charging infrastructure of more than 3000 PEV drivers who had the opportunity to select among home, work, and public locations, we focus on understanding the importance of factors driving demand such as: the cost of charging, driver characteristics, access to charging infrastructure, and vehicle characteristics. We find that differences in the cost of charging play an important role in the demand for charging location. PEV drivers tend to substitute toward workplace charging when they pay a higher electricity rate at home, more so when the former is free. Additionally, socio-demographic factors like dwelling type and gender, as well as vehicle technology like electric range, influence the choice of charging location.

Energy management strategy for hybrid electric vehicles based on adaptive equivalent consumption minimization strategy and mode switching with variable thresholds.

To improve the real-time capability, adaptivity, and efficiency of the energy management strategy in the actual driving cycle, a real-time energy management strategy is investigated for commute hybrid electric vehicles, which integrates mode switching with variable threshold and adaptive equivalent consumption minimization strategy. The proposed strategy includes offline and online parts. In the offline part based on the historical traffic data on the route of the commute vehicle, particle swarm optimization is applied to optimize all the thresholds of mode switching, equivalence factor of the equivalent consumption minimization strategy, and the engine torque and speed at the engine-alone propelling mode so as to establish their mappings on the battery state of charge and power demand. In the online part, the established mappings are involved in the energy management supervisor to generate timely appropriate mode switching signals, and an adaptive equivalence factor for instantaneous optimization equivalent consumption minimization strategy and the optimal engine torque and speed at engine-alone propelling mode. To fully demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, the simulation results and comparison with some other strategies and the benchmark dynamic programming strategy are presented by implementing the strategies on the GT-SUITE test platform. The comparison result indicates that the control effect of the proposed energy management strategy is much nearer to that of the benchmark dynamic programming than those of other strategies (the rule-based control, the conventional equivalent consumption minimization strategy, the adaptive equivalent consumption minimization strategy, the rule-based-equivalent consumption minimization strategy, and the stochastic dynamic programming strategy) with the respective improvement in fuel efficiency by 25.9%, 13.25%, 4.6%, 1.32%, and 1.13%.

A Comparison of Particulate Matter Exposures Between a Student’s Private Vehicle and Public Bus Transit Commutes

Daily commuters of public transportation and private vehicles are exposed to a wide range of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP). However, evidence of differences between commuting method has been building. In this study, the personal ultrafine particle (UFP) and black carbon (BC) air pollution exposures of a high school student were measured during their daily commute. In total, 39 commutes made between the student’s home and school were measured. These commutes were either by bus or private vehicle. Data was analysed using box plots and T-tests of statistical significance. Levels of BC were not significantly higher on buses (mean(SD) = 849(645) ng/m3) than cars (650(689) ng/m3) (p-value = 0.199). For UFP, levels were significantly higher for bus commutes (9393(6923) pts/cm3) than those of private vehicle (4234(6446) pts/cm3) (p-value = 0.045). Our findings suggest that bus commuters may experience higher exposure to UFP relative to private vehicle commuters. The higher UFP exposure may be accounted by the fact that city buses can have a higher air exchange rate due to the constant opening of doors. As well, buses are mainly diesel vehicles, which are a strong source of UFP.

Integrating road carrying capacity and traffic congestion into the excess commuting framework: The case of Los Angeles

The excess commuting framework has advanced a series of metrics through which a city or a region’s jobs-housing balance and commuting efficiency can be measured. This study seeks to add to the conceptual development and extension of the excess commuting framework. Specifically, it considers the carrying capacity (of links) and related congestion issues in the excess commuting framework and demonstrates that overlooking these characteristics has important implications for excess commuting metrics. Drawing on an empirical case study, it shows that when carrying capacity and traffic congestion are accounted for, the observed commute is longer than otherwise. Excess commuting tends to be higher than its counterparts in previous excess commuting studies. The findings suggest that future excess commuting studies should take account of carrying capacity and congestion in determining excess commuting metrics. Moreover, high-quality connections (preferably via public transport) between jobs and housing allied with sufficient carrying capacity of popular links/routes for commuters are crucial preconditions for cities and regions to harvest the full benefits of jobs-housing balance policies targeted at the reduction of the average commute distance and vehicle miles travelled.

Hitting the sweet spot: Variability in commute lengths and vehicle emissions across a diverse state

In this paper we consider travel across Virginia and identify sustainability “sweet spots” where commute lengths and vehicle emissions per mile combine to maximize green travel in terms of total CO2 emissions associated with commuting. The analysis is conducted across local voter precincts (N=2373 in the state) because they are a useful proxy for neighborhoods and well-sized for implementing policy designed to encourage sustainable travel behavior. Virginia is especially appropriate for an examination of variability in sustainable travel behavior and technologies because the state’s transportation, demographic, and political patterns are particularly diverse and have been changing rapidly. We identify four Virginia precinct-based sustainability clusters: Sweet Spots, Emerging Sweet Spots, Neutral and Non-sustaining. A model of demographic differences among the clusters shows that sustainability outcomes, understood in terms of both local commute behavior and vehicle emissions, are significantly associated with the diverse demography and politics of the state. We also look at changes in transportation sustainability and socio-demographic trends within the clusters over the past half-decade, showing that differences in sustainability and demographic metrics are actually accelerating within the state over time. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of the differences among the clusters for developing and implementing effective transportation sustainability policies across the state.

버스 정류소 주변에서 자동차-이동기지국 (V2MR) 통신의 연결시간에 대한 성능분석모형

자동차 통신망의 구축비용을 획기적으로 절감하기 위해 자동차 통신망과 이동통신망을 연결하는 기지국을 대중교통수단인 버스에 설치한 자동차-이동기지국 (Vehicle-to-Mobile Roadside Unit, V2MR) 통신에 대해 연구한다. 자동차-이동기지국 통신에서 자동차들은 이동기지국에 애드 혹 연결을 설정하여 연결성을 크게 향상한다. 본 논문에서는 동일한 경로를 주행하는 자동차들과 이동기지국 간의 통신연결 시간에 대한 새로운 분석모형을 제시한다. 자동차 통신망에서 연결시간은 매우 동적이고 예측하기 힘들기 때문에, 본 논문에서 제안하는 분석모형은 자동차-이동기지국 간의 통신연결 시간을 예측하기 위한 토대를 제공할 수 있다. VEINS 시뮬에이션을 통해 수집한 실험결과를 통해 제안하는 성능분석모형이 V2MR 통신연결시간 추정 오차를 약 1 퍼센트 이내로 줄일 수 있음을 보인다. 또한, V2MR 통신이 V2R 통신에 비해 통신연결 시간을 약 3.85배 증가시킬 수 있음을 보인다. We study the connection time of vehicle-to-mobile roadside unit (V2MR) communications which can reduce the significant cost of the fixed RSU by installing a gateway of mobile network into a transit bus called the mobile RSU. In the V2MR communications, the connectivity of a commute vehicle can be improved via ad-hoc connection to a nearby mobile RSU. In this paper, we present a new analysis model to estimate the connection time between a commute vehicle and a mobile RSU, when there is a bus station in the overlapping route. Since the connection time between two vehicles is highly dynamic and unpredictable, our analysis will provide a fundamental basis of connection-time estimation of V2MR communications. Numerical results obtained from VEINS simulation show that our analysis can estimate the connection time of V2MR communications with the average error below 1.0 percent. Moreover, we show that the average connection time of V2MR communications can be extended to approximately 3.85 times of that of V2R communications.

On-road measurements of pollutant concentration profiles inside Yangkou tunnel, Qingdao, China.

To obtain physical properties of pollutant concentrations encountered by vehicle commuters during travelling Yangkou tunnel (7.76km) of Qingdao City, particle concentration measurements are accompanied by the measurements of gaseous species (CO and CO2). The field campaigns are on-road conducted from April 26 to September 23, 2014. Results demonstrate that the mean particle number concentrations observed within the tunnel at the normal traffic volume are 1.15×105 and 1.24×105particlescm-3 for the southbound and northbound trip, respectively. Furthermore, the significance level of traffic volume to particle number concentration is analyzed by multivariate regression model. And a high correlation between pollutant concentrations and traffic intensity has been demonstrated. Consequently, the fuel-based emission factors of pollutants inside the tunnel are calculated and the personal exposures are derived. In addition, the profile of particle number concentration exhibits distinct dilution features between the exit of northbound bore and the exit of southbound bore. The explanation is attributed to the different long uphill trip within the tunnel. Results in this study offer meaningful understanding to explore the nature of pollutants within long tunnels.

Analysis of Car Commuters knowledge, Awareness and Willing to Modal Shift in Klang Valley, Malaysia

The main objective of present study is to evaluate private vehicle commuters’ knowledge and concern about health and environmental impact of transportation related air pollution in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and interviewing 450 car commuters in five main areas of Klang Valley. The Results indicated that majority of respondents (58%) have knowledge about deteriorating effect of transport on society’s health and welfare. While, only 36% of them were concern about the transport related environmental problems. This study suggest that government intervention through increasing toll, parking fee and introducing congestion fee together with providing more efficient public transport can reduce more than half of travels by car.

Aspirational Planning: A Statistical Model of Hawthorne Bridge and Tilikum Crossing Bicycle Ride Counts

Portland city planners have routinely planned for an increase in bicycle commutership and a decrease in automobile commutership. This paper discusses the latest data on Portland car and bicycle use. Portland and Multnomah County are observing an increase in single occupancy vehicle commuters, car ownership, and gasoline consumption. Bicycle use in Portland is found to have followed a logistic curve pattern since the early 1990s. The authors present an ordinary least squares model to explain bicycle ridership on the Hawthorne Bridge and the recently constructed Tilikum Crossing. When controlling for other factors such as weather and daylight, the Tilikum Crossing has added an average of 1,137 bicycle rides per day to total east-west rides across the Willamette River, some of which are diverted from the Hawthorne Bridge.

"Bicycles May Use Full Lane" Signage Communicates U.S. Roadway Rules and Increases Perception of Safety.

Many global challenges, including obesity, health care costs, and climate change, could be addressed in part by increasing the use of bicycles for transportation. Concern about the safety of bicycling on roadways is frequently cited as a deterrent to increasing bicycle use in the USA. The use of effective signage along roadways might help alleviate these concerns by increasing knowledge about the rights and duties of bicyclists and motorists, ideally reducing crashes. We administered a web-based survey, using Twitter for recruitment, to examine how well three US traffic control devices communicated the message that bicyclists are permitted in the center of the travel lane and do not have to “get out of the way” to allow motorists to pass without changing lanes: “Bicycles May Use Full Lane” and “Share the Road” signage, and Shared Lane Markings on the pavement. Each was compared to an unsigned roadway. We also asked respondents whether it was safe for a bicyclist to occupy the center of the travel lane. “Bicycles May Use Full Lane” signage was the most consistently comprehended device for communicating the message that bicyclists may occupy the travel lane and also increased perceptions of safety. “Share the Road” signage did not increase comprehension or perceptions of safety. Shared Lane Markings fell somewhere between. “Bicycles May Use Full Lane” signage showed notable increases in comprehension among novice bicyclists and private motor vehicle commuters, critical target audiences for efforts to promote bicycling in the USA. Although limited in scope, our survey results are indicative and suggest that Departments of Transportation consider replacing “Share the Road” with “Bicycles May Use Full Lane” signage, possibly combined with Shared Lane Markings, if the intent is to increase awareness of roadway rights and responsibilities. Further evaluation through virtual reality simulations and on-road experiments is merited.

In-vehicle exposures to particulate air pollution in Canadian metropolitan areas: the urban transportation exposure study.

Commuters may be exposed to increased levels of traffic-related air pollution owing to close proximity to traffic-emissions. We collected in-vehicle and roof-top air pollution measurements over 238 commutes in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, Canada between 2010 and 2013. Voice recordings were used to collect real-time information on traffic density and the presence of diesel vehicles and multivariable linear regression models were used to estimate the impact of these factors on in-vehicle pollutant concentrations (and indoor/outdoor ratios) along with parameters for road type, land use, and meteorology. In-vehicle PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations consistently exceeded regional outdoor levels and each unit increase in the rate of encountering diesel vehicles (count/min) was associated with substantial increases (>100%) in in-vehicle concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFPs), black carbon, and PM2.5 as well as strong increases (>15%) in indoor/outdoor ratios. A model based on meteorology and the length of highway roads within a 500 m buffer explained 53% of the variation in in-vehicle UFPs; however, models for PM2.5 (R(2) = 0.24) and black carbon (R(2) = 0.30) did not perform as well. Our findings suggest that vehicle commuters experience increased exposure to air pollutants and that traffic characteristics, land use, road types, and meteorology are important determinants of these exposures.

The Comparison of Mode Choice Sensitivity to the Reduction of Travel Time and Cost in Multimodal Trip

Nowadays, with the extension of travel distances and accessibility to the various commuting options, multimodal trip proposes as the most competent travelling strategy. However, with increasing in demand by using these options as well as metro, subway, buses, cycles and sidewalk, some problems arose. The import of this quantitative study is to sympathize with the significance of the multimodal as a novel factor in the transportation. In this study, we discussed about cost and time as two significant factors, which affect everybody's life. While improving these two factors have a meaningful effect on encouraging/discouraging private vehicle commuters to switch to public transport. The methodology of this study is an empirical research in which a survey was conducted among the students at The National University of Malaysia with a numeric sample. Hence, a case study based on areas around UKM campus is used to demonstrate the results. What were investigated in this study were the attributes of a reduction in either travel cost or time to promote people who use their own vehicles to shift toward public transportation. The results show that the two factors: time and cost made a significant contribution in motivating private vehicle users to switch public transport. However, the most important purpose of this study was determining the most effective factor (at least based on our condition) since it's not practically possible to have the travel time and cost reduction together.

Modeling the structural relationships among short-distance travel amounts, perceptions, affections, and desires

Using structural equation modeling, the relationships among travel amounts, perceptions, affections, and desires across five short-distance (one-way trips of less than 100 miles) travel categories (overall, commute, work/school-related, entertainment/social/recreation, and personal vehicle) are examined. The models are estimated using data collected in 1998 from more than 1300 working commuters in the San Francisco Bay Area. A cross-model analysis reveals three robust relationships, namely: (1) myriad measures of travel amounts work together to affect perceptions; (2) perceptions are consistently important in shaping desires; and (3) affections have a positive relationship with desires. The second finding suggests that two individuals who travel the same objective amount may not have the same desire to reduce their travel: how much individuals perceive their travel to be is important. The third point argues that the degree to which travel is enjoyed is a key determinant of shaping desires to reduce travel: the more travel is enjoyed, the less the desire to reduce it.

Costs and Benefits of Home-Based Telecommuting: A Monte Carlo Simulation Model Incorporating Telecommuter, Employer, and Public Sector Perspectives

This paper reviews and utilizes the current body of telecommuting related research to study the costs and benefits of home-based telecommuting. Monte Carlo simulation methods were utilized to help account for costs or benefits that remain highly variable or have not been well documented by past research. This study illustrates the conditions under which the business case for telecommuting is supported or weakened. Conditions for the employee the telecommuter are generally most favorable when: 1 the employer bears the equipment cost; 2 commute distances are above average; 3 the commute vehicle has below-average fuel economy; 4 travel time is highly valued; and 5 telecommuting is frequent, while conditions for the employer are most favorable when: 1 the telecommuter bears the equipment cost; 2 there is low telecommuter attrition; 3 the employee is highly productive on telecommuting days; 4 the employee's time is highly valued; and 5 telecommuting is frequent. For the employer, telecommuting is also favorable if parking and office space savings are realized. While public sector benefits are conceivable, they remain insignificant in most situations because the impacts on the transportation network are probably not concentrated enough over a specific transportation corridor to realize infrastructure benefits and not quantified or valued enough within a regional air district to realize significant air quality benefits. Further, the public sector loses fuel tax revenue. Altogether, this paper provides insight into the potential public sector impacts of telecommuting, as well as the federal, state, regional, and local public policy implications that arise when telecommuting is considered among other transportation demand management alternatives.