How Travel Pattern Changes after Number Coding Scheme as a Travel Demand Management Measure was Implemented?

Abstract

Due to serious increase of vehicle ownership in Metro Manila, number coding scheme (NCS) was introduced as travel demand management (TDM) measure to control the use of vehicles especially during rush hours. The scheme works by employing the last digit of vehicle’s plate number to restrict them from running the streets. This study seeks to investigate and explore the possible effects of NCS on commuter’s travel pattern, both the use of private and public transport for daily trips. Interview survey was conducted in early 2011 to gather the pertinent data used in the analysis. From the empirical investigation, the results reveal that during number coding scheme day, when their car is banned from plying the streets, commuter would still use their car in expense of extending their total activity time - meaning car use is not necessarily reduced but shifted to other times of the day.