Express Lane Route Choice Under Real Time Information: Joint Revealed and Stated Preference Study

Express lanes (ELs) provide reliable travel times in exchange for a toll, which varies dynamically with time and affects travelers’ route choices. This study examines the effect of real time information on people’s route choices using a joint revealed and stated preference (SP) survey conducted in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. The data was gathered using an online poll in July 2023, with 921 respondents from Charlotte, North Carolina, and 906 from Washington, D.C. To better understand the factors affecting the path choices of ELs, an exploratory data analysis was carried out. These factors included individual-specific characteristics, such as age, income, and gender, as well as trip purpose and urgency, tolls, and journey times. These data sets were used to estimate a dynamic discrete choice model to assess sequential route choices under real time information, capturing the travelers’ state-dependency and forward-looking behavior, where individuals optimize intertemporal payoffs while choosing a route based on SP situations. The discrete choice model reveals that individuals often choose tolled routes for significant travel time savings. Individuals aged 25–60 years are less likely to select the tolled route than those over 60. High-income households prefer tolls in Charlotte, North Carolina; the opposite trend is seen in the Washington, D.C. region. The model results show that individual route selections are influenced by trip urgency and by the relative toll and journey duration values. The results could be applied to the design of congestion pricing, taking into consideration travelers’ sequential decision-making behavior.