The impact of adverse weather conditions on the propensity to change travel decisions: A survey of Brussels Commuters

New developments in transportation systems and the increasing complexities of urban living are creating challenges and opportunities to comprehensively address transportation problems. The key to exploiting new opportunities lies in understanding how travelers would respond to changes in the transportation system. This study aims to understand traveler behavior under normal and unexpected travel conditions in real-life situations. The results of a comprehensive behavioral survey conducted in Brussels are reported. Commuters’ mode, departure time and route selection decisions, and the factors that influence them, including travel conditions, personal and household characteristics, and situational constraints, are explored. The paper develops a deeper understanding of automobile commuters’ response to adverse weather. Automobile commuters constitute more than 50% of the total sample (N=1218). They were asked about adverse weather impacts on their mode, route and departure time changes. Among those who changed their travel decisions in adverse weather (about 50%), more than one-quarter reported that adverse weather was either very important or important in changing their mode; and 60% changed their departure time due to adverse weather whereas 35% diverted to alternate routes. Furthermore, close to 75% kept themselves informed about weather through secondary information sources such as radio and television. To analyze relationships empirically, ordered probit models of mode and departure time were estimated. The models show that commuters change their travel patterns in systematic ways when adverse weather occurs. Finally, the implications of the survey results for dealing with adverse weather problems are discussed.