Perception bias in route choice

Abstract

Travel time is probably one of the most studied attributes in route choice. Recently, perception of travel time received more attention as several studies have shown its importance in explaining route choice behavior. In particular, travel time estimates by travelers appear to be biased against non-chosen options even if these are faster. In this paper, we study travel time perception and route choice of routes with different degrees of road hierarchy and directness. In the Dutch city of Enschede, respondents were asked to choose a route and provide their estimated travel times for both the preferred and alternative routes. These travel times were then compared with actual travel times. Results from previous studies were confirmed and expanded. The shortest time route was chosen in 41 % of the cases while the perceived shortest time route was chosen by almost 80 % of the respondents. Respondents overestimated travel time in general but overestimated the travel time of non-chosen routes more than the travel time of chosen routes. Perception of travel time depends on road hierarchy and route directness, as more direct routes and routes higher up in the hierarchy were perceived as being relatively fast. In addition, there is evidence that these attributes also influence route choice independently of perceived travel time. Finally, travel time perceptions appear to be most strongly biased against non-chosen options when respondents were familiar with the route or indicated a clear preference for J. Vreeswijk (&)

Assessing the consistency between observed and modelled route choices through GPS data

“…Budapest, Hungary 978-963-313-142-8 @ 2015 BME complementary view is given in [10], where the authors reported that one of the factors determining the systematic difference between best choices and observed route choices is travel time variability, in combination with information reliability [11]. Another study on the perception of travel time [12], consistently with the previous analyses, found that 41% of drivers minimize time, while 80% of drivers minimize distance. They realized also that having a more direct connection or a faster route influences the perception of travel times.…”

Uncovering the influence of commuters’ perception on the reliability ratio

“…This study aims to systematically compare estimated reliability ratios using self-reported (perceived or subjective) travel times from surveys and measured (actual or objective) travel times by GPS devices. Extending the literature on measurement errors (Brownstone and Valletta 1996;Fan, Guthrie, and Levinson 2016;Koster, Peer, and Dekker 2015;Levinson et al 2004;Li 2003;Parthasarathi, Levinson, and Hochmair 2013;Peer et al 2014;Varela, Börjesson, and Daly 2018; Varotto et al 2017;Vreeswijk et al 2014) we posit that these values are different and that perceived times will produce a higher reliability ratio than measured times.…”

Understanding the Shortest Route Selection Behavior for Private Cars Using Trajectory Data and Navigation Information

“…e shortest distance path of any OD is fixed in the road network, but the shortest time path varies with the change in a traffic state. Most existing research uses simulation, weighted solution of historical average speed, or the sum of historical travel time to obtain the shortest time path, [3] Traffic survey of 188 respondents (1997)# Simulation 28% 45 Turin [4] 276 observations of Turin Polytechnic faculty Simulation 30.93% 18.22 Lexington [2] 216 drivers over a week, more than 3000 trips Null * Minneapolis-St. Paul [6] 143 subjects, 25157 trips (2008) Null @ 34 Minneapolis-St. Paul [5] 50 persons, 124 commute trips (2011) 12.26% 24.19 Enschede [8] 317 respondents, 624 trips 54% 41 A European country [9] 526 users over 18 months 47% e Philippines and Japan [7] 17 driver participants Null 21.6…”