TimePeriods

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Two separate temporal resolutions are used in the MTC travel models. The choice models allow resident travelers to make decisions in one hour intervals, from 5 am to midnight. Meaning, a traveler can decide to leave for work at anytime between 5 am and midnight and choose to return home at any subsequent time between 5 am and midnight. As a simplification, no travel is assumed to take place between midnight and 5 am.

The travel networks are assumed to behave in a uniform manner during the time intervals presented in the table below. Meaning, for example, the frequency of a transit service is assumed to be constant during the entire AM Peak period. Also, the amount of congestion is assumed to be constant during the entire AM Peak period. Again, these assumptions, which we know are not strictly true, are made as a simplification.

When combined, these two representations of time allow travelers to make time of day decisions based on the network conditions in the broad time categories defined in the table below; within each time interval in which network conditions are assumed to be constant, variables unrelated to network conditions will determine the decisions within the one-hour intervals available in the choice models.

Label	Abbreviation	Interval
Early AM	EA	3 am to 6 am
AM Peak	AM	6 am to 10 am
Midday	MD	10 am to 3 pm
PM Peak	PM	3 pm to 7 pm
Evening	EV	7 pm to 3 am

-- Main.DavidOry - 12 Jan 2012