Equilibrium model of trip modes in road traffic and orientation of charge policy

In the adjacent urban trip modes, car and bus are the most prevalent means of transportation. Based on the practical situation that transport bottlenecks are frequently caused in the urban traffic and working on the premise that both of the two trip modes have access to the same traffic route and intervene with each other, this paper develops a model for transport bottlenecks. The paper analyses the differences of the generalized travel cost between car and bus. It deduces and compares the change of traffic flow and travel costs of car and bus under static and dynamic charge policies. This paper deepens our understanding of the issues on these two competitive systems. Based on the analysis, the paper concludes that from the perspective of sustainable development, the government should guide passengers to change their trip modes and should implement the policy of dynamic fees to promote the sustainable development in urban areas. © 2009 ASCE.