Car-user responses to travel demand management measures: goal setting and choice of adaptation alternatives

• Published in: Transportation research. Part D, Transport and environment Transport and environment, 2004-07, Vol.9 (4), p.263-280
• Main Authors: Loukopoulos, Peter, Jakobsson, Cecilia, Gärling, Tommy, Schneider, Claudia M., Fujii, Satoshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Focus groups; Heuristic decision-making; Internet survey; Travel demand management
• ISSN: 1361-9209; 1879-2340
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2004.02.003

Travel demand management measures can be used to encourage car users to set car-use reduction goals when experiencing impairments in travel options. In forming plans to reduce car-use contingent on such goals, car users consider a range of adaptation alternatives including more efficient car use, suppressing trips, and switching travel mode. These adaptation alternatives, it may be argued, are implemented sequentially over time according to a cost-minimisation principle. A focus group study was conducted gauging the creativity of car-using households when contemplating adaptation alternatives, followed by an Internet-based questionnaire study in an attempt to obtain quantitative estimates of the size of car-use reduction goals and frequency of implementation of adaptation alternatives. The data revealed that the effects of travel demand management measures and trip purpose on the setting of car-use reduction goals were small. While the cost-minimisation principle seemed to dictate stated choices of adaptation alternatives, further research needs to examine the ways in which the principle must be qualified.