Abstract
The inventory of housing near train stations is rapidly expanding along the urban railway corridor after a decade of its first operation in Bangkok, Thailand. There is still no clear reason why people buy or rent property near the stations. Past studies claimed that one important aspect in assessing housing location decisions is its relation with travel choice. The objective of this study is to understand the relationship between location behavior and travel patterns of residents living in close proximity to public transport. This research seeks to model the relationship between residential location and mode choice within a behavioral analysis framework, focusing on the self-selection question.
A discrete logit model is employed to jointly estimate the probability individuals residing near a rail station will commute by rail transit, using the interview data of station-area residents. The empirical results reveal that the inclusion of travel-related attitudes in the model can significantly explain travel behavior through residential choice. The parameter estimation shows a positive attitude toward the rail transit in that choosing to live within the station area can strongly influence rail commuting decision of the residents. This states that Bangkokians could develop more pro rail attitudes after experiencing convenient travel by train when living near a rail stop. However, in case of Bangkok, distance to the nearest station has limited impact on transit ridership and therefore has less influence on travel choice behavior.
