STATED PREFERENCES FOR INVESTIGATING COMMUTERS DIVERSION PROPENSITY

A reasonable response to increasing traffic congestion may come from t he rapidly developing traveler information systems. Such systems may b e successful if they effectively influence drivers' enroute decisions; in this regard, a critical factor may be commuters' willingness to di vert from their regular route in response to information about traffic congestion. This study evaluates the effects of real-time traffic inf ormation along with driver attributes, roadway characteristics and sit uational factors on drivers' willingness to divert. The empirical port ion of this study is based on a survey of downtown Chicago automobile commuters. The stated preference approach was used to study commuters' diversion propensity. Drivers expressed a higher willingness to diver t if expected delays on their usual route increased, if the congestion was incident-induced as opposed to recurring, if delay information wa s received from radio traffic reports compared with observing congesti on, and if trip direction was home-to-work rather than work-to-home. R espondents were less willing to divert if their alternate route was un familiar, unsafe or had several traffic stops. Socioeconomic character istics were also significant in predicting willingness to divert.