Temporal interdependencies in mobility decisions over life course: a family-based analysis using dynamic Bayesian networks

Household members physically share various resources, such as their house, cars, etc. Consequently, models of mobility decisions ideally are models of family decision-making. To contribute to the further development of the relatively thin line of research on household decision-making in travel behavior analysis, a dynamic Bayesian network approach is suggested to investigate temporal interdependencies between various life course events within families. Results indicate that effects of child birth on residential mobility and car ownership change are much stronger than the effects on work mobility for both spouses in dual-worker households. Moreover, the probability of residential mobility and car ownership change strongly increases when both spouses have relatively long commuting times. However, in case only the husband faces excessive commuting time, households have a larger probability of moving to a new house or purchasing an additional car. In contrast, in case only the wife experiences an excessive commuting time, the wife is more likely to change job rather than the household choosing other actions to cope with the situation.