Transportation corridor decision-making with multi-attribute utility theory

Abstract

This paper provides a description of how decisions concerning transportation programmes and projects can be made in the context of sustainable transportation. It provides information on identifying appropriate performance measures for sustainable transportation and then quantifying these measures with a traffic simulation model (CORSIM) as well as transportation environmental models. The quantified performance measures were then used with three decision making methodologies. The test bed used for this study comprised a transportation corridor in Tshwane, South Africa and one in Houston, Texas. A method based on the multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT) techniques was found to be the best because a broad range of quantitative and qualitative sustainability issues can be included in the decision-making process. In addition, the disaggregate approach proposed in this paper made it possible for decisions to be made at the individual link level.