Travel time reliability, psychological choice mechanisms, sustainable transport decisions and smart urban development

Zheng Li, Jingjing Zeng, David A. Hensher and Chenyang Wu

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2025, vol. 200, issue C

Abstract: Existing land use-transportation interaction (LUTI) models largely overlooked important choice mechanisms that shape travel decision making under uncertainty, such as risk attitude and ambiguity attitude. Within a LUTI model, this study embeds a behavioral framework which accommodates the two behavioral elements into a spatial general equilibrium model. In this improved LUTI model, endogenous commuting costs are influenced by commuters’ choice behaviors in the presence of travel time variability inherent in transport systems, and, more importantly, choice outcomes are jointly determined by their taste preferences and ambiguity/risk attitudes. We then apply the model system to an Australian city, where our baseline results, compared to a conventional model that omits risk and ambiguity attitudes, align closely with observed market evidence. This alignment reinforces the validity of our behaviorally realistic modeling approach. Furthermore, simulations of improved travel time reliability reveal the potential to smart development by promoting sustainable travel and urban growth. Our findings underscore the critical role of psychological choice mechanisms in deepening the understanding of travel behavior dynamics and land use patterns. Based on the study evidence, we offer both case-specific suggestions and broader policy implications.

Keywords: Land use-transportation interaction; Urban form; Travel choice under uncertainty; Travel time reliability; Psychological factors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: R14 R41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856425002526
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:transa:v:200:y:2025:i:c:s0965856425002526

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/supportfaq.cws_home/regional
https://shop.elsevie ... _01_ooc_1&version=01

DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2025.104624

Access Statistics for this article

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice is currently edited by John (J.M.) Rose

More articles in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().