Travel Patterns of Urban Residents

The impact of new and improved transportation facilities on urban travel behavior is a topic seldom addressed in transportation-research literature. The paper presents a method for classifying travel behavior of urban residents and suggests a procedure for quantitatively estimating diverted traffic. An application of the method is made to a limited sample of Chicago's residents. Seven groups of residents with similar travel patterns were identified and the impact of a new expressway on each of the seven groups was estimated. The study suggests a reorientation of research activities: in addition to the analyses of aggregate traffic data a greater attention should be directed toward detailed inquiries about the travel patterns of urban residents and the spatial structure of commercial traffic.