An Analysis of Time Allocation, Departure Time and Route Choice Behavior under Congestion Pricing Using Stated Preference Data

Driver behavior under congestion pricing is analyzed in this study to evaluate the effects of alternative congestion pricing schemes. The analysis, which is based on stated-preference survey results, focuses on time allocation, departure time choice and route choice when a congestion pricing scheme is implemented on a toll road. A unique feature of the model system of this study is that departure time and route choices are analyzed in conjunction with the activities before and after the trip. A time allocation model is developed in this study to describe departure time choice, and a route and departure time choice model is developed as a multinomial logit model with alternatives representing the choice between freeways and surface streets and, for departure time, choice from among before, during, or after the period when congestion pricing is in effect. The results of the empirical analysis suggest that departing during the congestion pricing period tends to have higher utilities, and that a worker and a non-worker have quite different utility functions. The comparative analysis of different congestion pricing schemes is carried out based on the estimated parameters, and the results suggest that the probabilities of choosing each alternative are stable even if the length of the congestion pricing period changes, but that a higher congestion price causes more drivers to change the departure time to before the congestion pricing period.