The ecology of urban driving II-Driving cycles across a city: Their validation and implications

Homogeneous urban areas defined through an urban ecology approach are used to sample traffic patterns for a series of cross city driving cycles in Perth, Western Australia. These driving cycles, including a whole city cycle, are presented for peak and off-peak driving. The cycles are validated by relating them back to the urban ecology of Perth through a simple model based on traffic evients (intersection and vehicle-related events). The implications for developing a more fundamental theory of urban driving are examined, and in particular the link between increased road capacity and lower fuel use and emissions is seriously questioned.