Technology–Based Policy for Transportation Sustainability: Insights into the Design of Advanced Traveler General Information Systems

交通运输业是一个由消费者驱动的行业。因此，如果出行需求不改变，交通能源使用革命就不会发生。关键问题是如何在交通用户中提高能源和环境效率。这个问题的解决方案可能有助于缓解加拿大城市系统中严重的拥堵和空气污染问题。 提高效率的一个重要方法是提高交通用户对其出行的能源和环境足迹的认识。高级旅行者信息系统(ATIS)领域的发展基于这样一个概念，即提供准确的在线旅行时间信息的方案可以有效地改变用户的旅行行为。一个尚未研究的主要领域是，除了已经研究过的旅行时间信息外，是否有可能提供实时的燃油消耗和排放信息。 在这方面，首席调查员(PI)建议详细研究一种更先进的ATIS，称为高级旅行者通用信息系统(ATGIS)方案。ATGIS向交通用户告知他们的燃料和排放成本。通过向司机告知出行的社会和环境后果，精心设计的ATGIS可以为蒙特利尔这样的大城市带来巨大的好处，在那里，出行行为的一个小小的积极变化就可以节省数百万美元的时间、燃料和排放成本。 国际和平协会将蒙特雷亚尔和多伦多作为案例研究，因为这两个城市都面临着许多全球特大城市典型的重大交通问题。然而，这项研究的结果可以被加拿大其他城市用于实施类似的出行信息系统。拟议研究计划的最终目标是对加拿大城市ATGIS的潜力和可行性进行研究。拟议的研究小组将通过检查/控制几个关键因素，包括用户感知的燃料和排放成本、燃料价格和各种条件下的出行需求水平，来评估ATGIS对加拿大城市的整体影响。根据影响分析，研究小组将就交通建模人员应如何修改出行需求模型并包括感知的燃料和排放成本提供基本见解。最后，结合从外展到当地潜力的见解，我们将研究在不同条件下告知用户的最有效机制(S)和提供信息的最合适工具(S)。

Transportation is a consumer-driven industry. Therefore, a revolution in transportation energy use will not happen if travel demand does not change. The key question is how to promote energy and environmental efficiency among transportation users. The solution to that question could help in mitigating severe congestion and air pollution problems in Canadian urban systems. One important approach to promote efficiency is to raise transportation users’ awareness about the energy and environmental footprints of their travel. The advanced traveler information system (ATIS) field has been developed based on the notion that schemes providing exact and online travel-time information could effectively change users’ travel behavior. One major area that has not been studied is the possibility of providing real-time fuel consumption and emissions information, in addition to travel-time information that has been examined already. In this regard, the principal investigator (PI) proposes a detailed study of a more advanced ATIS called an advanced traveler general information system (ATGIS) scheme. The ATGIS informs transportation users of their fuel and emissions costs. Through informing drivers about social and environmental consequences of travel, a carefully designed ATGIS could provide huge benefits for a large metropolitan area like Montreal, where a small positive change in travel behavior could save millions of dollars of time, fuel, and emissions costs. The PI has identified Montréal and Toronto as case studies because both cities face major transportation problems typical of many global megacities. However, the outputs of this research can be used by other Canadian cities to implement similar travel information systems. The ultimate goal of the proposed research program is to conduct a study on the potential and feasibility of an ATGIS for Canadian cities. The proposed research team will estimate the overall impact of ATGISs for Canadian cities by examining/controlling several key factors, including users’ perceived fuel and emissions costs, fuel prices, and travel demand levels under various conditions. According to the impact analysis, the research team will provide fundamental insights into how transport modelers should modify travel demand models and include perceived fuel and emissions costs. Finally, integrating the insights from outreach to local potentials, we will examine the most effective mechanism(s) to inform users and the most appropriate instrument(s) to provide the information under various conditions.