A study on the time values in the bottleneck queuing model

Abstract

This study derives the related time values in the bottleneck queuing model using the utility function maximization principle. These results are indispensable when policy makers decide on pricing a queuing road bottleneck in the morning rush hour. The background of this stud is that there are many commuting cars queuing in front of the entry to a road bottleneck. Under this situation, all auto-commuters seek to maximize their utilities with some constraints including their available time and disposable income. Then the related time values for all auto-commuters derived from both the early and late arrival patterns at work can be obtained. This study shows that the time-late value is the difference between the punishment cost to the late arrival and the leisure time value. The time early value is equal to the leisure time value. The queuing time value is the sum of the leisure time value and vehicle operating costs. The empirical time late, time early and queuing time values for auto-commuters in Taiwan are estimated as NT74 and NT$98.8, respectively.