A revealed preference choice model for cycling route types with implicit perceived availability

Abstract

Rather than assuming fully compensatory choice among many physical cycling routes based on cumulative link utilities, this study considers an alternative formulation in which cyclists make decisions at an abstract level between "labeled" route types given bounded rationality. A route type can be understood as a representation of routes with certain favorable characteristics. Although realizations of route types can be generated using shortest path search for each trip, they may not always be sufficiently distinct from the shortest route to be perceived as viable alternatives. To account for implicit perceived availability, we formulate the route type choice problem via a constrained multinomial logit model (CMNL). Using GPS traces from Zurich, we demonstrate the approach and identify attribute thresholds that influence the perceived availability of different route types. The proposed framework provides a more interpretable representation of cycling route choice and improved behavioral consistency with choice set generation.