Travel behavior and travel demand

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the ways in which travel behavior and demand are analyzed within the framework of regional science. Unlike numerous recent surveys that cover the more technical and abstract aspects of mathematically modeling travel behavior and demand, the attention here is more on the practical aspect of applying travel behavior and demand analysis to subjects such as regional development, infrastructure investment, and congestion analysis. Thus, while the main methods of modeling travel behavior and demand are outlined and critiqued, there is also considerable references to such things as demand elasticities and their estimation that are at the core of applied regional analysis. These types of parameter provide a direct link between a soft policy shift or a harder infrastructure investment, travel behavior, and ultimately the implications of this for regions. There is also discussion of the uses made of the forecasts that are the de facto rationale for studying travel behavior and travel demand, and the ways that neutral forecasting can be manipulated in decision-making.