Excess Commuting in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area: Measurement and Policy Simulations

Abstract

In this paper data from the 1985 Japanese Population Census are used to measure 'excess' commuting among 211 origin and destination points in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Using an approach developed by Hamilton, it is found that about 90 per cent of commuting time in Tokyo is excess. Using White's method only about 15 per cent of commuting time is excess. Sensitivity analyses reveal that the results are not very sensitive to the major assumptions of the analyses. The findings are compared and contrasted with Small and Song's results for the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Several simulations are used to examine the effect of decentralisation of employment on commuting behaviour and it is found that commuting time could be significantly reduced by decentralising jobs or centralising workers.

Urban spatial location advantage: The dual of the transportation problem and its implications for land-use and transport planning

“…Other costs can be used including Euclidean distance and travel time which have been used in previous studies (see Horner, 2002;Merriman et al 1995); and also some generalised cost measure is possible although data availability is a major issue in this case. Intra-zonal travel distances were estimated by assuming that each zonal unit is approximately circular in shape (see Frost et al, 1998).…”

Spatial distribution and differences in migration patterns and revenues of gminas in the Kraków Metropolitan Area

“…Emerging job markets in new suburban areas prompt the migration of individuals to such suburban areas (Merriman et al, 1995;Champion, 1994). Major investments made by foreign companies in suburban areas near Kraków (Domański et al, 2009) may also attract new residents from the city as well as other parts of the country.…”

The Impact Of Manufacturing Industry Decentralization On Jobs-Housing Relationship And Commuting Behavior: The Case For The Sincan And Ostim Organized Industrial Districts

“…In an analysis of excess commuting in Tokyo, Merriman, et al (1995) conclude that either the decentralization of jobs or the centralization of residents gives rise to reductions in commuting times. Dubin (1991) agrees that the decentralization of firms might reduce commuting times of workers, but notes that this varies according to the socio-economic characteristics of the commuters.…”