Encouraging travel behaviour change during network disruption

This project will identify and recommend innovative approaches in the use of operational tools during transport disruption throughout the journey to encourage travel behaviour change, including away from personal car use.

The recommended approaches will optimise Transport for NSW’s (TfNSW) use of operational tools and transport management practices to encourage mode shift during normal operations, major events and unplanned network disruptions by influencing travel behaviour in the lead up to and on the day of operations, potentially catalysing long-term and transformative behaviour change.

This project focuses on identifying how applying behavioural science approaches to using operational tools, communication and management can better inform and/or influence customers to alter their travel behaviour.

Participants

• Transport for NSW
• National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO)

Project background

TfNSW is dedicated to providing a transport network that is reliable, safe, and able to serve the growing population of NSW.

Through a range of operational programs and initiatives, TfNSW aims to minimise the impacts of road and network changes and disruptions by providing passengers with information and services that present viable alternative choices to Reduce, Remode, Reroute and Retime. The ‘four Rs’ approach has been broadly applied to a variety of projects, including TfNSW’s travel demand management programs.

Even with this sort of work already in play, additional research into applying these principles and approaches through a range of operational levers can assist network management approaches in delivering desired customer behaviour outcomes that lead to a more equitable, sustainable, and efficient transport network; and the linkage between research, operational planning, and real time operations can be optimised.

For journeys affected by both planned and unplanned disruptions, people’s travel choices will not only be influenced by their knowledge of available options prior to departure (i.e. at the trip planning phase), but also at the time of departure and/or during the journey. Their travel options may also change for their return journey.

This project aims to better understand travel behaviour and their determinants at a local and network-wide level (e.g., origin, destination, mode) and optimise the use of transport tools and assets to influence people’s trips at different stages of their journey, particularly during network disruption. There is an opportunity to address this knowledge gap through this project to uncover the linkage between individual and operational needs and explore options to apply operational tools and near/real time data to influence travel choice.

Project objectives

This project aims to provide recommendations on the use of operational and planning tools to optimise customer journeys and minimise the impact of network changes and disruptions, by providing customers with useful information in the lead up to and on the day of travel with real time information and services to inform short term decisions immediately before or during their journey, that present viable and preferable alternative travel choices (the four Rs).

Key project aims include:

• Identify and understand current global best practice for multimodal network optimisation and examples of real time operations, transport planning and demand management, behavioural science interventions, and targeted communication strategies to improve customer journeys.
• Analyse TfNSW’s existing control centre operational tools, strategies, and internal stakeholder frameworks, and identify opportunities and challenges in optimising their use throughout the customer journey for the following five scenarios:
  • 1) planned disruption
  • 2) unplanned disruption
  • 3) major events
  • 4) commuters
  • 5) weekend travel
• Provide TfNSW with options and recommendations on improving customer journey outcomes, harnessing travel demand management and travel behaviour change techniques.

Please note …

This page will be a living record of this project. As it matures, hits milestones, etc., we’ll continue to add information, links, images, interviews and more. Watch this space!