Heterogeneity in route choice during peak hours: Implications on travel demand management

Traffic congestion has imposed considerable economic expenses and environmental challenges on metropolitan areas. Consequently, cities have implemented Travel Demand Management (TDM) strategies to mitigate this issue during peak hours. Although studies have investigated how individuals make decisions during commuting in response to TDM incentives, there is limited research on differences in route choices between trips to and from work, making the policies less effective. This study aims to fill this gap by using trajectory data from over 3,000 vehicles and examines the impacts of time-varying features, route characteristics, and built environment factors on route variability. Results indicate that factors such as expressway proportion, travel cost, and road density at the origin and destination locations have similar effects on route variability during morning and evening commuting. However, departure time, travel distance, and the number of traffic lights significantly differ in impacting route variability between the two scenarios. This study provides a foundation for optimizing route choices and alleviating traffic emissions during peak hours through advanced TDM measures. With more detailed and deliberate policies, citizens can enjoy urban mobility within a well-organized road network in a more sustainable and efficient way.