Page 121 - Proceeding of Atrans Young Researcher's Forum 2019_Neat

“Transportation for A Better Life:
Smart Mobility for Now and Then”

23 August 2019, Bangkok, Thailand

because a motorcycle is more vulnerable in adverse Specific issues coming out from this paper
weathers, motorcyclists tend switch to a taxi or a car shall be useful to the formulation of traffic
for being more comfortable and safer. Finally, it is management strategies to addressing adverse
so interesting that “Heavy rain before departure weather in HCMC. First, people’s travel behavior
time” has a negative influence on choosing changes are highly dependent on the moments of
motorcycle but it has a positive influence on receiving relevant information. If they are informed
choosing bus. “Flooding during the trip” has a prior to departure time, they would reschedule their
positive effect on choosing bus, but not statistically journey in terms of departure time, destination, and
significant. This suggests that if people know a route. Pre-journey weather forecast, traffic
heavy rain will happen soon just before the departure information, and warning system may be an
time, they tend to shift from motorcycle to other important solution to influence people’s travel
mode or might consider choosing bus. If accurate decision-making and thus would help better manage
weather and traffic information are provided prior to the road traffic network. Second, road flooding has
a trip, it would influence people’s mode choice. caused large changes in people’s travel behavior,
The value of saved travel time (VOTT) is especially it strongly causes route changes.
derived by dividing the coefficient of “trip time Therefore, alternative routes need to be available in
difference” by the coefficient of “trip cost case of road flooding. Road planning and
difference”. Table 6 shows VOTT estimates in management shall pay attention to this point. Third,
adverse weathers in comparison to the figures mode change is very modest, except for commuting
estimated in normal weathers. The former is about 4 trips under road flooding prior to the trip. This
to 5 times of the latter, meaning that in adverse implies that either the number of alternative modes
weathers people would be willing to pay higher cost are very limited (i.e., the majority of people are using
at the same amount of travel time saved. motorcycle for daily travel and very few people are
Table 6. Values of saved travel time in adverse using car and bus) or people may resist to mode
weathers and in normal conditions change because of their habitual mode usage. Fourth,
VOTT in adverse VOTT in normal public transport improvement and private transport
weathers *(VND/h) weathers **(VND/h) control are important measures for mitigating the
Car and Taxi 445,714 101,630 and 95,650
Motorcycle 205,000 48,540 impacts of adverse weathers on traffic system
Bus 375,000 N.a because the transfer to car and taxi is notable while
*) calculated based on the mode choice models in Table 5 the shift to city bus and shuttle bus is very modest.
**) calculated based on the SAPI project in HCMC in 2014 and
converted to 2018 price Fifth, as the values of saved travel time become
much higher in adverse weathers, pricing policy
5. Conclusion would be effective in influencing mode choice of car
and motorcycle users. Sixth, provision of weather
In this paper, the patterns of travel and traffic information prior to the trip and provision
behavioral changes due to adverse weather of discounted or free tickets would encourage people
conditions have been examined and factors to the to choose public transport and discourage the choice
changes have been determined. Trip cancelation and of motorcycle. Seventh, flexible working regims
delayed departure are very common if the adverse shall be offered to groups of junior engineers,
weathers occur before the trip. Waiting for resuming trainees, skilled workers, artisans and motorcycle
of the trip is very common in case of the adverse owners so that they would refrain from choosing a
weathers occurring during the trip. Route change is car in adverse conditions.
very common only to commuting trips under the In conclusion, this paper contributes to the
flood condition and becomes quite significant to literature by empirically examining the typical
shopping and leisure trips. Destination change is changes in people’s travel behavior in response to
quite significant to only shopping and leisure trips. adverse weather conditions in a Vietnamese city.
Mode change is very modest in all cases. Urban The strong dependency of the behavioral
flood seems to have stronger influences to the adjustments on activity type and individual
behavioral changes than heavy rain. Such behavioral characteristics provides policy makers with a deeper
change patterns would be helpful to infrastructure understanding of how adverse weather conditions
planning and traffic management in addressing the may affect the traffic and what might be
issue of climate change. implemented to mitigate the negative impacts on the
traffic system. However, to support further the

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