Towards a classification of route selection criteria for route planning tools

Route planners are tools that support the navigator in selecting the best route between two locations. Solving a route choice problem involves sorting and ranking of alternatives according to underlying evaluation criteria and decision rules. Using an appropriate classification of route selection criteria in the user interface is an important ingredient for user friendly route planners. The paper presents a method for assessing a hierarchical structure of route selection criteria for bicycle route planning tasks along with data from two empirical studies. The first study investigates route selection criteria that are relevant for bicycle navigation in urban environments. The second study reveals preferred classification schemata for these criteria. The presented methodology can be adopted for other transportation domains, such as car or pedestrian navigation.