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Origin-destination study and its applications

Short answer

O-D study identifies trip origins, destinations, purpose, mode to produce O-D matrices and desire lines. Applications: planning highways, bypasses, terminals, traffic management, public transport, forecasting trip distribution, economic evaluation, and determining through-traffic diversion.

What do you mean by Origin and Destination Study? Explain the various applications of Origin and Destination studies.

Origin and destination (O-D) study

An origin and destination study determines, for a given area and period, where trips start (origin) and end (destination), together with the trip purpose, mode, vehicle type, time and route. The result is shown as an O-D matrix, a desire-line diagram or a zone map. It is the basic survey for transport planning, and is carried out by roadside interviews, licence plate records, home interviews, postcards, tag-on-car and similar methods (IRC:SP:19).

Applications

  • Planning new highways, by-passes, bridges and flyovers, and deciding their location from desire lines.
  • Finding the share of through traffic that can be diverted to a by-pass.
  • Planning traffic management measures (one-way streets, junction improvements).
  • Planning terminals, parking facilities and public transport routes and schedules.
  • Forecasting trip generation and distribution for traffic and land-use planning.
  • Giving the pattern of freight and passenger movement.
  • Determining road priorities and staged construction.
  • Evaluating the economic viability of improvements.
  • In Nepal, DoR O-D surveys are used in feasibility studies of new strategic roads and in traffic demand forecasting for road projects.

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