Gravity Model Based on Perceived Traveltimes

The purpose of this work is to show that while the minimum path traveltime may be a good estimator of average traveltime, it does not account for the perception differences between individual travellers. To demonstrate this, a strong statistical relationship (called the Minimum Path Deviation Function) between network-derived minimum path traveltimes and the corresponding disaggregate origin-destination survey data is developed. It is possible to predict the traveltimes perceived by various categories of the users of that system. The derivation of the MPDF from Los Angeles Regional Transportation Study (LARTS) data is described in some detail and a modification of the traditional gravity model is shown. Both the standard and modified model forms are tested using data from a subset of the LARTS area in northwest Orange County. Results of the testing showed that the MPDF gravity model performed slightly better than the standard gravity model.