The Impacts Of Variable Pricing On Traveler Behavior Of Cargo Trucks

With the increasing of traveling demand, the volumes of some segments on the freeways often reach the saturation, which causes much congestion attach to saturation in peak period and congestion often occurs. To alleviate this situation, more road constructions and traffic management measures can be taken. Traffic demand management, which is one of the traffic management measures, is proved a good way to improve traffic transportation efficiency.Variable pricing, which belongs to the methods of traffic demand management, can adjust freeway traffic volumes, especially the distributions of the truck volumes in different time periods. Variable pricing is a way to smooth the traffic distributions on the roadways in different time periods, for example to transfer the traffic from peak periods to off-peak periods by changing the tolls for different time periods, including 0 AM to 24 PM on Monday to Sunday.This dissertation summarized variable pricing (congestion pricing) theory and designed a variable pricing scheme through converse analysis. Firstly, variable pricing mechanism was hypothesized; secondly, the relation between adjusting range of toll and traveler choice was studied; thirdly, effect of variable pricing on traffic flow was analyzed; finally, the variable pricing scheme was optimized. The process in detail included dividing time periods according to present traffic distribution, determining traveler choice model through SP research, setting up variable pricing scheme, analyzing effect of variable pricing on traffic flow and optimizing variable pricing scheme.The design of questionnaire was the key of the research for the data got from the survey was the base of modeling the truck travelers'choice. In order to designing the reasonable questionnaire table, author learned about truck travelers' characteristics and their choice willingness through a discussion with the related experts and the leaders of some freight enterprises. After that, the primary questionnaire table was designed. The copies of final questionnaire tables were used after the further field researches and some improvements. Through the surveys at different freeways, we found that truck travelers had common characteristics which included only a few short trip truck drivers choosing freeways, the sort of freight and the range of toll change affecting travelers'choices greatly, the ratio of each factor at each freeway as well as the results of t test in model parameters showing in similarity. The traffic impact analysis could be carried out by setting up the choice model and determining the traveling choice probability of the truck driver attributes under the change of tolls.There were some indexes such as capacity, saturation degree and traffic accident rate in peak...