Route Choice and the Value of Motorists’ Travel Time: Theoretical and Methodological Issues

In June 1985, a survey of motorists makng urban journeys within Tyne and Wear was undertaken as part of the Department of Transport's research project into the value of time. This paper considers the theoretical and methodological issues involved in estimating the value that motorists' place upon travel time savings from their actual route choices and their responses to a simulated route choice experiment.

The reasons for undertaking this survey and for choosing this particular location are discussed. The experimental design and the modelling technique used in the stated preference analysis are examined and the problems which face both a revealed preference and a stated preference investigation of motorists' route choices are considered.

One of the aims of the study is to consider variations in the value of time according to socio-economic factors and journey characteristics. The theoretical sources of variations in the value of time are discussed as is the modelling approach which was adopted to analyse these potential variations. The empirical findings from the actual survey of motorists making urban journeys is the subject of a subsequent working paper.