Modelling commuters’ travel time perception on an urban corridor using the fuzzy logic technique: A case study of Surat, India

Abstract

On the one hand, travel time is important in planning and managing urban roads; on the other hand, it is important in commuters' route and departure time decisions. Often, mode and route choices and a sense of departure time are mainly based on one’s perceived travel time (PTT). This study focuses on modelling travellers’ PTT considering socio-economic and trip attributes for an urban corridor, taking Surat as a case study. An ANOVA test has been conducted to identify factors governing PTT. Analysis shows that trip attributes (e.g., traffic conditions, traffic environment, and travel distance) influence PTT more than travellers' socio-economic characteristics (e.g., income, occupation, age, and vehicle ownership). Commuters overestimate PTT (min/km) nearly two-fold, and the overestimation decreases with increasing trip distance. A PTT Estimation Model has been developed using Fuzzy Logic, considering the epistemic uncertainty associated with attributes. The developed model can help inform necessary improvement measures to bring travel times to a reasonable level.