New Project (TRCLC 15-11)

TRCLC 15-11: Development of a New Combined Modal Split and Traffic Assignment Model for Evaluating Transit Oriented Development Strategies

PI: Anthony Chen, Utah State University

Abstract

Transit oriented development (TOD) has emerged in recent years as a promising paradigm to promote public transportation, increase active transportation usage, mitigate congestion, and alleviate air pollution. Studies have shown that household auto ownership level (i.e., car availability) has a huge impact on travelers’ mode choice behavior in TODs. Failing to consider differences in feasible travel options available to different groups of travelers may lead to inaccurate representations of travelers’ mode choice behavior. In addition, route overlapping is one of the major concerns in the route choice models used in the traffic assignment problem for predicting traffic pattern in the transportation network. Therefore, it is critically important to explicitly consider captive travel behavior in mode choice and route overlapping in route choice to better predict the modes and routes that trips will take, resulting in traffic forecasts for the highway system and ridership forecast for the transit system. With a better behavioral model that explicitly considers captive travel behavior in mode choice and route overlapping in route choice, evaluating TOD strategies is expected to be more accurate and effective.

The overall goal of this research is to develop a new combined modal split and traffic assignment (CMSTA) problem with considerations of captive travelers in mode choice and route overlapping in route choice for the purpose of evaluating TOD strategies. It consists of: (1) developing a new CMSTA model formulation making use of advanced discrete choice models that explicitly considers captive travelers in mode choice and route overlapping in route choice, (2) developing solution algorithm for solving the CMSTA model, and (3) conduct tests and a case study using the CMSTA model for evaluating TOD strategies. 

This new CMSTA model has the potential to enhance the realism of modeling of captive travelers in mode choice as well as route overlapping in route choice, and to assist in quantitatively evaluating the effectiveness of transit-oriented-development strategies. Results from this research are expected to help State Department of Transportations (DOTs), Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and transit agencies in evaluating the effectiveness of TOD strategies for their communities, and prioritizing public resources to achieve the planning goals of a region to promote green transportation and livable communities.