Theory behind the project

We hope that this project will provide insight into the theory of driver route choice. The null hypothesis for the project is that drivers are in equilibrium all the time. That is to say (loosely) that drivers choose their routes through the road network in such a way that they successfully minimise their travel time and could not improve their travel time by switching to a different route. The equilibrium hypothesis is the basis for a number of currently used models of road traffic behaviour.

By analysing the data from the York study (and other previously collected data) we hope to develop viable alternatives to the equilibrium hypothesis which can better explain the way in which drivers choose their routes.