Test of the relation between travel and activities times : different representations of a demand derived from activity participation

The paper tests linear and non-linear specifications of the relationship between travel times and activity times, in 4 four French and three Swiss cities, observed at two different periods. First, following Kitamura et al. (1992), we test proportional assignment of total daily available time to activities (including transport). Second, proportionality is tested between (1) daily travel time associated with a given purpose with respect of the daily activity duration and (2) the travel time associated with the duration of the activity at destination. This last specification tests the travel time ratio proposed by Dijst and Vidakovic (2000). Third, because of the non appropriateness of the OLS method for analysing non-normally distributed duration data, we estimate travel time budgets in the duration model framework. We obtain non-linear relation between travel time and activity times. Only daily leisure time and daily travel time are fixed proportion of total daily available time. At disaggregated level, the trip duration do not show proportionality with activity duration. Leisure and shopping activities exhibit increasing and convex relation with travel time.