RAPID: Understanding Transit Traveler Response to the Atlanta I-85 Bridge Collapse

2017年3月30日，亚特兰大I-85公路关键路段的一座桥梁倒塌后，司机们的出行行为发生了显著变化。这种出行行为变化的一个组成部分是亚特兰大MARTA公交系统某些站点的公交乘客增加了50- 70%。之前对明尼阿波利斯、加利福尼亚和日本的严重交通网络中断的研究主要表明，主要的出行行为变化是短暂的。然而，亚特兰大的经验可能会有很大的不同，因为MARTA的轨道交通系统为许多通勤者提供了一条直接的平行路线。快速反应研究拨款（Rapid）项目将评估乘客对这种模式选择变化的承受程度，并将了解他们对旅行的潜在偏好和态度。这项工作将有助于社会的能力，创造一个更可持续的交通系统，通过扩大知识的交通选择有关的替代模式。研究团队包括多名来自不同背景的本科生和研究生。该项目将测量和模拟反弹效应（即，在关键基础设施恢复后，个人和家庭恢复其中断前的活动-旅行模式的程度）和滞后效应（即，即使在服务恢复后的相当长一段时间之后，一些变化仍是永久性的程度）。研究设计包括确定愿意在更极端的条件下尝试服务的顾客对交通服务的看法，但他们不会长期保持顾客，包括对共享空间和其他生活方式选择的态度，以填补模式选择建模中的重要空白。

Following the collapse of a bridge span on a critical section of I-85 in Atlanta on March 30, 2017, drivers significantly changed their travel behavior. One component of this change in travel behavior was a 50-70 percent increase in transit ridership at certain stations on Atlanta's MARTA transit system. Previous studies of severe network disruptions in Minneapolis, California, and Japan have predominantly indicated that major travel behavior change is fleeting. However, the experience in Atlanta may prove significantly different, as MARTA's rail transit system provides a direct parallel route for many commuters. This Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project will assess the extent to which riders sustain this change in mode choice, and will discern their underlying preferences and attitudes regarding travel. This work will contribute to society's ability to create a more sustainable transportation system by expanding knowledge of transportation choices concerning alternative modes. The research team includes multiple undergraduates and grad students from diverse backgrounds. This project will measure and model the rebound effect (i.e., the extent to which individuals and households revert to their pre-disruption activity-travel pattern after the restoration of the critical infrastructure) and the hysteresis effect (i.e., the extent to which some changes are permanent even after a substantial period of time has elapsed since the restoration of service). The study design includes work to identify perceptions regarding transit service across patrons who were willing to try the service in more extreme conditions, but who do not remain patrons in the longer term, including attitudes about shared spaces and other lifestyle choices to fill an important gap in mode choice modeling.