Valuing Factors Influencing Bicycle Route Choice Using a Stated-Preference Survey

摘要

This paper demonstrates a willingness-to-pay (WTP)-based approach to quantify a bicyclist's perception toward a few key attributes related to bicycle route choice. To check for city-specific influence on bicycle route choice, two small-sized Indian cities, Kharagpur and Asansol with different sociodemographic characteristics have been chosen. A stated-preference (SP) survey is designed to develop multinomial logit (MNL) and random parameter logit (RPL) models for a complete dataset. Additionally, heterogeneity around the means of random parameters is investigated in RPL models with respect to socioeconomic factors, such as income, motorized two-wheeler (TW) ownership, and user type (choice/captive). Subsequently, WTP estimates are derived for key determinants influencing bicycle route choice, namely, road width, level of risk, route visibility, and bicycle journey time. In general, RPL models are observed to be statistically superior and able to represent the behavioral data better than MNL models. Results reveal that level of risk (measure of safety) is perceived as the top most attribute influencing bicyclist's route choice irrespective of city characteristics, followed by route visibility and road width. Although modeled with income heterogeneity, bicycle journey time was the most valued bicycle journey time attribute among less-affluent users in Kharagpur. On the other hand, Asansol users valued bicycle journey time four to five times lesser and preferred safer routes than shorter routes. (C) 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.