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.
