Incorporating time dynamics in activity-travel behaviour model:a path analysis of changes in activity and travel time allocation with life cycle events

The study of dynamics in activity and travel behavior is not a new research interest in transportation field. There are a few arenas in the dynamics which have been partially covered, yet some remain rather unexplored. Short term dynamics of activity and travel behavior are better understood than long term changes in the contemporary research. For instance, intra-household decision making, day-to-day dynamics of activity-travel generation and scheduling, out-of-home or in-home activity organization have been addressed by a number of studies. However, one can rarely find studies on the dynamics of time allocation in activities and travel related to life cycle events. This study contributes to the understanding of such long term dynamics. Using path analysis it shows the effect of several life cycle events on the changes in time allocation in activities and associated travel. Data were collected in the Netherlands in September 2011 using an event-based questionnaire survey, where the respondents were asked to report a weekly activity and travel schedule before and after the event. Results also show the interdependencies between the types of activity and travel. We conclude that life cycle events have significant impact on changes in time allocation for activities and travel. The effects are varied in direction, intensity and existence according to the type of event and the type of activity. The findings contribute to the specification of dynamics in activity-travel time allocation and predicting the rapid and far reaching changes in addition to the day-to-day dynamics