Reactions to congestion under time pressure

All transport-related models of the black-box type lack a choice process mechanism which can enable to explain the dynamics and the high variability of human preferences and choice, mainly under conditions of congestion. Decision Field Theory, recently developed in psychology, offers such a mechanism. The present author further elaborated the theory and proposed an empirical research agenda to investigate the role of various exogenous variables on the theoretical choice mechanism. This study is a part of the agenda aiming to study the role of time pressure in explaining the individuals' reaction to congestion under time pressure. Hypotheses concerning with decision rules are tested in an experimental setting involved lane switching decisions on a congested road under changing levels of time pressure. The results show the growing use of non-compensatory decision rules by those driving under congestion and the exogenous effects of time pressure on both the deliberation (choice) process and the use of information. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.