SYNTHESIS OF VEHICLE TRIP PATTERNS IN SMALL URBAN AREAS

A MODEL THAT WAS DEVELOPED FOR SYNTHESIZING TRIP PATTERNS IN THE MADISONVILLE, KENTUCKY, URBAN AREA, IS PRESENTED AS AN ECONOMICAL ALTERNATIVE TO AN INTERNAL ORIGIN AND DESTINATION STUDY. THE INPUT TO THE STUDY CONSISTS OF AN EXTERNAL ORIGIN AND DESTINATION SURVEY, EXISTING DAILY TRAFFIC VOLUMES ON THE MAJOR STREET SYSTEM, AND LIMITED SOCIOECONOMIC DATA - POPULATION, TOTAL EMPLOYMENT, AND INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT. INTERNAL VEHICLE TRIPS AND CORRESPONDING TRAVEL TIME FACTORS WERE DEVELOPED BASED ON EXPERIENCE IN SMALL URBAN AREAS. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL TRIPS WERE RELATED TO POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT THROUGH A MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION PROCEDURE. THE CONVENTIONAL GRAVITY MODEL WAS USED TO DISTRIBUTE TRIPS. ANALYTICAL AND STATISTICAL TESTS WERE USED IN THE CALIBRATION OF THE MODEL. THE ULTIMATE TEST WAS FOR THE MODEL TO REPRODUCE THE GROUND COUNTS ON THE MAJOR STREET SYSTEM. THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE STUDY WERE THAT THE DEVELOPED MODEL ADEQUATELY SYNTHESIZED INTERNAL TRIP PATTERNS IN THE MADISONVILLE URBAN AREA. /AUTHOR/