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Travel time ratio: the key factor of spatial reach

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Abstract

An important aspect of reach and accessibility is the time people are willing to spend on reaching activity places. In this paper we see the issue of travel time in an alternative way. Instead of looking at travel time separated from time spent on activities, we examine the relation between travel time and stay time. We operationalize this relation with the concept “travel time ratio”. A hypothetical framework underlying these travel time ratios is displayed. We show that for similar types of activity places the value of travel time ratio are in accordance with each other. We find large differences between trips for mandatory activities and trips for discretionary activities. The results indicate the stability of the travel time ratios. Finally, some implications for future research and policy will be mentioned.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Urban Research centre Utrecht (URU), Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80115, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Martin Dijst

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5048, 2600 GA, Delft, The Netherlands

    Velibor Vidakovic

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  1. Martin Dijst
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  2. Velibor Vidakovic
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Dijst, M., Vidakovic, V. Travel time ratio: the key factor of spatial reach. Transportation 27, 179–199 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005293330869

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