RAPID: Commuter Adaptation to Transportation Disruption in Hurricane Sandy's Aftermath

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

This Rapid Response Research Grant (RAPID) will collect important, perishable data on transport-related stress and commuter adaptation to transportation disruptions and temporary policy and service changes related to Hurricane Sandy in the New York Metropolitan area. A team will collect changing transportation modes, departure times, and other travel-related choices and stress levels through a survey. The data allow testing of hypotheses such as (1) delays experienced with limited transit availability and crowding change the timing of work trips; (2) previous personal vehicle commuters are more likely to carpool under greater carpooling (HOV3+) restrictions than to take transit; (3) commuters that are women, older, and lower income report more transport-related stress than others; (4) higher stress levels result from longer commute lengths and more days of disruption; and (5) the timespan of commuting disruption is higher for lower income, less educated, and non-white populations. The study's data and models will enhance understanding of commuter adaptability to events that disrupt the transportation system, temporary transportation policies, and fuel shortages. Its outcomes will guide future, comprehensive transportation resiliency studies by allowing demand predictions. Without appropriate demand models, resilience studies rely on judgment-based demand estimates, which can lead to misestimation of connectivity and capacity needs. Acting according to underestimates can cause traveler frustration, delays, and lost productivity in an already stressful time, while overestimates can lead to excessive expenditures. Most transportation disruption analyses focus exclusively on road networks, rather than transit and multi-modal systems. Thus, transit dependent cities have few tested practices with which to inform mitigation and recovery plans. This study addresses this gap and identifies policies for future events and other locations. Furthermore, stress constitutes a typically unmeasured cost of disruption, and its study can improve understanding of how transportation disruptions influence cognitive processes and adaptation, suggesting both public and private interventions to improve public health.