TRAVEL DEMAND ON RETURN-HOME TRIPS AFTER THE OFF-MIYAGI PREFECTURE EARTHQUAKE OF MAY 26, 2003

Abstract

This article analyzes the characteristics of travel demand concerning return-home trips after the Off-Miyagi Prefecture Earthquake of May 26, 2003. This type of investigation is essential for formulating disaster prevention and post-disaster travel demand management policies. As such, this examination of person trips was conducted by randomly sampling 1,239 residents of the Miyagi metropolitan region which suffered the brunt of damage during the earthquake. The results of this analysis showed that 9.7% of the travel demand on the day of the earthquake changed with regard to start time of return-home trips or means of transportation. Consequently, it was discovered that trip makers changed their means of transportation after the earthquake. For example, they switched from trains to other means of transportation, and those that previously used cars and buses returned home mainly on foot. Furthermore, I found that the timing shift of travel demands advances in three periods of contraction, expansion, and convergence, and that there are three distinct types of trip elements (non-response trip, delayed-response trip, and early-response trip).