Peter Loukopoulos

A conceptual analysis of the impact of travel demand management on private car use

A conceptual framework is presented that may be utilized when analyzing changes in household travel arising from the range of potential measures available to policy makers. The proposed framework draws on goal setting theory in order to understand how travel is influenced by the impact various travel demand management (TDM) measures have on time, cost, and convenience of travel options. Travel is understood from a perspective assuming that it is controlled by negative feedback functioning to minimize deviations from goals nested at different levels. The conceptual framework, with its basis in goal setting and control theories, is then applied to understanding strategic and operational choice related to travel as well as habitual travel. Finally, the proposed conceptual framework is used to highlight and focus attention on key research issues that ought to be addressed if our understanding of the impact of TDM measures on household travel, and private car use in particular, is to improve.

Forecasting Psychological Consequences of Car Use Reduction: A Challenge to an Environmental Psychology of Transportation

Au cours du troisieme millenaire, la penurie d’energie et la pollution de l’air vont probablement imposer une reduction des transports motorises des personnes et des marchandises. En se focalisant sur la reduction du trafic des voitures privees dans les zones urbaines, l’objectif des recherches passees a souvent ete l’evaluation du rapport cout-efficacite des strategies sociales de reduction. En complement, on essaie, dans cet article, de prevoir les consequences psychologiques de la reduction de l’utilisation de l’automobile. In the third millennium energy shortage and air pollution are likely to necessitate a reduction of motorised transport of people and cargo. Focusing on reduction in travel by private cars in urban areas, the aim of previous research has frequently been to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of societal reduction strategies. A complementary attempt is made in this article to forecast psychological consequences of car use reduction.

Acceptability of Road Pricing

Transport pricing is high on the political agenda throughout the world, but as the authors illustrate, governments seeking to implement this often face challenging questions and significant barriers. The associated policy and research questions cannot always be addressed adequately from a mono-disciplinary perspective. This book shows how a multi-disciplinary approach may lead to new types of analysis and insights, contributing to a better understanding of the intricacies of transport pricing and eventually to a potentially more effective and acceptable design of such policies. The study addresses important policy and research themes such as the possible motives for introducing road transport pricing and potential conflicts between these motives, behavioural responses to transport pricing for households and firms, the modelling of transport pricing, and the acceptability of pricing.

Adaptation of Private Car Use in Response to Travel Demand Management Measures: Potential Roles of Intelligent Transportation Systems

Travel demand management (TDM) measures targeting changed or reduced private car use in urban areas prompt individuals and households to choose more efficient car use (chaining trips, car pooling, choosing closer destinations), to suppress trips and activities, or to switch travel mode. We conjecture that these choices are made sequentially over time according to a cost-minimization principle. In general, less costly changes may however be less effective. Several potential ways are proposed in which intelligent transportation systems may reduce the costs of changes or reduction in car use, thus presumably rendering TDM measures more effective.