Route Choice Simulators

Route choice simulators provide a means of collecting data on travellers’ choice of routes. They offer greater opportunity for experimental control and detailed observation than is possible by monitoring real-life choices and, we will argue, can provide more reliable data than can be obtained via stated preference questionnaires or other simplified exercises. Several route choice simulators were developed in the 1990s. Most were intended to help understand and predict drivers’ responses to information and guidance from the Advanced Traveller Information Systems (ATIS) then under development. Others were developed with a broader remit — namely to understand and predict drivers’ route choice in response to a wide range of stimuli and to shed light on issues such as network learning and dynamics. The paper provides examples to illustrate the range of simulators that have been developed and the uses to which they have been put. Key issues in the design of simulators, which are likely to affect the validity of any resulting data, are discussed. The findings from studies designed to compare data from a simulator with that real life are reported. Simulators are compared with alternative sources of behavioural data and conclusions are drawn on their particular strengths and weaknesses. Finally the paper examines the case for the further development and use of route choice simulators.

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