Author: Joshua A. Auld

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 14

ISBN-13:

Will County is one of the fastest growing regions in Illinois. The growth in this county will greatly increase the number of home to work trips to the central business district of Chicago, further straining an already congested transportation system. An important part of planning for this increase in traffic is having an accurate mode-choice model. Mode-choice models are important for policy makers to determine where extra resources will be needed and provide policies that maximize the level of service for users. In this study, a binomial logit mode choice model was fit to the CATS 1990 household survey data for work trips from to the Chicago CBD. The model was created using key policy variables such as travel time and cost, transit access time, and socioeconomic variables such as gender, age and income level. The model was used to estimate the percentage of trips choosing either automobile mode or transit mode. The model fit the survey data well, with an accuracy of 85% correct predictions. The model was then used to determine mode-splits for towns along the Metra RockIsland Express line. This analysis showed that commuters in the areas of Will County with the fastest growth, from Tinley Park to Joliet, use transit at a very high rate. Less than 10% of commuters traveling to the CBD in the area choose to drive. As the population increases in this area, it is important for planners to account for these tendencies.