Transcending the Typical Weekday with Large-Scale Single-Day Survey Samples

Abstract

Many urban areas are increasingly experiencing significant levels of congestion where and at times when travel was once easy. In fact, the norm today is heavy congestion during off-peak periods and at weekends. However, most models and planning frameworks rely on data for the a.m. peak period for a typical weekday, and important decisions are based on their results. A better understanding of the changes occurring in metropolitan areas is required to assist in decision making, and at the same time the evolution of the data and methods used must be continuously monitored. In such a context, it is important to ask questions about specific travel behaviors on weekdays and weekend days and about how the behaviors vary throughout the year. Therefore, the concept of a typical weekday needs to be challenged for modeling purposes and updated to consist of a concept that will more thoroughly represent the complexity of travel and activity behaviors. With the benefit of the availability of the large-scale origin–destination travel surveys regularly carried out in the greater Montreal, Canada, area, this paper illustrates how such data can help assess the variability of behaviors. By using critical indicators of travel behaviors and statistical methods, this research confirms that behavior differs significantly across the days of the week.