Identifying Impacts of School-Escorted Trips on Traffic Congestion and the Countermeasures in Bangkok: An Agent-Based Simulation Approach

Titipakorn Prakayaphun (), Yoshitsugu Hayashi, Varameth Vichiensan and Hiroyuki Takeshita
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Titipakorn Prakayaphun: Department of Constructional Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Chubu University, Kasugai 487-8501, Aichi, Japan
Yoshitsugu Hayashi: Center for Sustainable Development and Global Smart City, Chubu University, Kasugai 487-8501, Aichi, Japan
Varameth Vichiensan: Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
Hiroyuki Takeshita: Center for Sustainable Development and Global Smart City, Chubu University, Kasugai 487-8501, Aichi, Japan

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 23, 1-21

Abstract: The often-discussed issue of parental escorting of children to school and its potential disruption of traffic flow has been extensively examined in the literature. Still, the specific effects of traffic congestion remain understudied. To fill this gap, this study addresses the impacts of school trips on traffic congestion. An agent-based model is applied to simulate various scenarios and assess their impact. Our findings indicate that the traffic speed without school trips is higher speed during peak hours by around 8% and average travel time in the city is reduced significantly. We examine countermeasures: Firstly, flexible working hours can lead to a morning traffic speed improvement of approximately 1.9%. Secondly, staggered school schedules can result in a 6.9% increase in traffic speed at 7 a.m. Optimizing school loading spaces can also enhance road capacity, mitigating road lane blockages during drop-off and pick-up periods. This research sheds light on the impact of parent-escorting travel existence and offers potential solutions to alleviate traffic congestion.

Keywords: education trip; agent-based model; traffic assignment; trip chain; MATSim; Bangkok (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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