Abstract:
A new generation of travel demand models based on individual microsimulation of activities and travel has opened the way for more detailed analysis and modeling of vehicle use. However, the first activity-based models—those applied in practice as well as activity-based model systems developed as research projects—inherited the simplified approach to car allocation and use with no distinction between vehicle types and certainly no explicit modeling of allocation and use of individual vehicles by household members. Structural modeling of car use by vehicle type is essential for air quality and other environmental issues. Further developments of more elaborate policies (toll roads, area pricing, parking restrictions, etc.) that could be differentiated by vehicle size, type, and occupancy are also foreseen. The current study outlines a modeling approach to this issue that can be incorporated into the framework of an operational travel model, as well as reports on the results of estimation for a model of car-type choice based on a comprehensive household survey undertaken in the Atlanta, Georgia, region in 2001.
