Comparative analysis of day-to-day trip-chaining behavior of urban commuters in two cities

The day-to-day variation in automobile commuter trip-chaining behavior is investigated. Models are developed to relate trip-chaining patterns to three types of factors: (a) socioeconomic characteristics, (b) workplace conditions, and (c) traffic system characteristics. The analysis is based on a diary survey of commuters in Dallas, Texas. The transferability of commuter trip-chaining behavior is also examined through comparison with results of a previous study conducted in Austin, Texas. Commuters engaged in many nonwork stops during commuting trips, indicating that trip chaining is an essential characteristic of commuting behavior. The analysis reveals that socioeconomic attributes, workplace conditions, and commuter preference exert similar influences in the two cities, whereas traffic system characteristics (namely, no-stop travel time) have different influences on morning stop frequency behavior in the two cities. For the evening, no attributes were found to have significantly different effects between Austin and Dallas.