Reaction to Value Pricing by Different Suburban Populations

Abstract

Value pricing strategies are beginning to be considered for future improvements in suburban areas that currently do not experience significant congestion but are expected to become congested in the future. This is a significant departure from implementing these strategies in congested urban areas, as is commonly done. Therefore, traveler reaction in these suburban areas is unknown. To plan and design value pricing projects most effectively, requires an understanding of the potential reaction of suburban travelers to value pricing. Responses to a survey of travelers using the eastern and western segments of Interstate 10 (I-10) outside San Antonio, Texas, were used to study differences in response to value pricing by suburban population groups. These surveys collected information on travelers' socioeconomic and trip characteristics, as well as their attitudes toward implementation of value pricing. Overall, the majority of travelers on I-10E and I-10W did not favor the implementation of value pricing for the expansion of these corridors. However, I-10W travelers seemed to be more willing to pay for travel time savings, probably because travelers on I-10W had higher average household incomes, were more likely to use I-10W on a regular basis for commuting, and were more often exposed to some traffic congestion.