Real time traffic information and its impacts on route switching behavior of expressway drivers

Non-quantifiable factors (e.g. perceived, attitudinal and preferential factors) have not been investigated fully in past transportation studies, which has raised questions on the predictive capabilities of the models. In this study, Structure Integration Models, with one of their sub-models, Measurement Equation, are combined with latent variables, which are integrated with another sub-model, Structural Equation. The estimated latent variables are used as explanatory variables in decision models. As a result, the explanatory and predictive capabilities of the models are enhanced. The models can then be used to describe the various behaviors of travelers of different types of transportation systems in a more accurate way. In this study, the Structure Integration Model was applied to study the impacts of real-time traffic information on the route-switching behavior of road users on the Sun Yat-Sen expressway, Taiwan. At present, the real-time traffic information provided on this expressway includes radio traffic reports and changeable message signs. The results of this study can facilitate the provision of traffic information on highways.