Transportation System Performance and Traveler Behavior in the Context of a Systemwide Shock: Applications of Data Science Toward a Sustainable Future

The COVID-19 pandemic, a systemwide shock, has left a long-lasting and significant impact on transportation systems. It has contributed to a shift in travel behavior, with many people turning to work from home (WFH) and online shopping. This shift has led to a reduction in vehicular travel. However, the pandemic witnessed increased crash fatalities despite a reduction in overall crashes, disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities (DACs). The main question arising from these pandemic-related issues is what we can learn to improve transportation systems and shape future travel behavior. Therefore, this dissertation aims to investigate how the transportation system changed during COVID-19 and explore the future implications while examining the travel behavior, technology adoption behavior, and road safety aspects in DACs compared with non-DACs during COVID-19. As such, this dissertation first explores the interaction between WFH, online shopping, and in-person shopping behaviors, revealing nuanced relationships that have evolved amidst the pandemic. Second, comprehensive safety data are utilized to dissect why crash fatalities increased during COVID-19. Third, transportation safety in DACs is investigated by leveraging safety data covering COVID-19 periods and the comprehensive DAC indicators developed by the US Department of Transportation. Fourth, DACs’ shopping behavior during COVID-19 is analyzed by focusing on the interplay of emerging online delivery components (retail, grocery, and food) and in-person activities. Finally, the study compares technology adoption behaviors between DACs and non-DACs by exploring infrastructure and socio-economic barriers. Methodologically speaking, this dissertation employs various state-of-the-art statistical and explainable artificial intelligence techniques. Overall findings indicate that compared to pre-COVID-19, the surge in WFM and e-commerce trends was associated with a substantial reduction in physical shopping trips during COVID-19. Speeding and reckless behaviors were strongly associated with the increased road fatalities. DACs experienced heightened adversity than non-DACs, associated with a higher rate of fatal crashes (an increase of 8% to 57%). Online orders were considerably less frequent in DACs than non-DACs (2% to 7%), emphasizing disparity in digital infrastructure. Additionally, technology adoption rates were significantly lower in DACs. These findings underscore the importance of better preparedness and planning for such communities to be equipped to handle future systemic shocks.