Browsing by Subject "Travel demand management"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    The ABC Parking Ramps in Minneapolis: A Unique Past. A Visionary Future.
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2019-03) Douma, Frank; Cao, Jason; Corcoran, Heidi; Fan, Yingling; Lari, Adeel; Rohde, Barbara; Alarcon, Frank; Dame, Rachel; Karner, Kevin
    In 1992 the ABC Ramps were completed in downtown Minneapolis as part of the I-394 construction project. The purpose of the ramps is to have programs that support efforts to reduce congestion and improve air quality by reducing SOV trips from the I-394 corridor. At the time the ramps were built, the ramp goals were aligned with the city of Minneapolis' parking system goals and the I-394 Corridor Management Plan. Since that time, however, the transportation modes, technologies, and plans surrounding the ramps have changed as well as the travel behaviors of the users. As the ramps reach the midpoint of their design life, this study examined the programs, policies, and goals developed for the ramps to ensure they continue to address current transportation challenges and align with regional stakeholder's goals and emerging trends, behaviors, and technology. The project culminated in a series of recommendations with implementation strategies for the ABC ramp management to improve its practice towards reducing congestion and improving air quality in downtown Minneapolis through innovative programming and marketing.
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    Affecting commute mode choice in Southern California: Which employer-based strategies work?
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2020) Kane, Kevin; Hsu, Jenneille; Cryer, Joseph; Anderson, Marco
    Interest in mandatory employer-based trip reduction (EBTR) programs has been renewed due to increased emphasis on reducing transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. This paper analyzes survey data from 2004 to 2016 from an EBTR program in Southern California, known as Rule 2202, which allows employers with more than 250 workers to choose among implementing commute reduction strategies to meet performance standards, show evidence of obtaining omissions credits, or pay a fee-in-lieu. We report program statistics and conduct bivariate and regression analyses to determine which land-use and location characteristics, employer characteristics, and mitigation strategies explain cross-sectional differences in average vehicle ridership (AVR) and AVR improvement to understand where future AVR increases might be realized. Decreasing program participation suggests that alternatives to commute-reduction strategies make financial sense to regulated employers, but Rule 2202 employers report higher alternative transportation shares than the region as a whole. AVR is found to be highest at smaller worksites, in transit-supported and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, and where employers support vanpool programs. Multivariate analyses indicate that AVR gains were also highest in commercially dense neighborhoods, for retail businesses, and where guaranteed ride home programs were offered, showing promise for future AVR gains.
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    Impact of traffic zones on mobility behavior in Tehran, Iran
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2017) Salarvandian, Fatemeh; Dijst, Martin; Helbich, Marco
    The use of private cars has increased rapidly in developing countries, causing congestion and pollution in cities. In Iran, measures have been taken to manage the extensive automobile use in Tehran. Two downtown traffic zones were introduced: The Restricted Traffic Zone (RTZ) based on pass permission and the Odd-Even Zone (OEZ) based on license-plate number. This article investigates how and to what extent traffic zoning influences mobility behavior in Tehran. Two neighborhoods within these zones and one elsewhere were selected to compare the impact of traffic zoning on mode choice and travel time by means of regression analyses. The results show that zoning has decreased driving in both neighborhoods; although compared to the RTZ, the OEZ has had a limited impact. While car use has diminished in both neighborhoods compared to the area without restrictions, travel time has increased in the traffic zones. An explanation might be the low quality of the infrastructure for alternative modes (e.g., cycling). Tehran's spatial functional specialization and the monocentric urban structure induce more car trips and longer travel times, regardless of traffic restrictions. Policymakers are advised to integrate restrictions on automobile use with improvements in public transport to enhance the impact of traffic zones.
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    Parking FlexPass at ABC Ramps: Integrating Parking and Transit Options for Sustainable Mobility
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2022-12) Ryan, Galen; Fan, Yingling; Becker, Andy; Douma, Frank
    Previous research has found that ABC Ramps contract holders were interested in taking transit more frequently; however, Minneapolis lacked a flexible commuter program for these commuters. The current project aimed to develop and implement a commuter program named FlexPass to manage parking demand, promote public transit, and provide a cost scenario that incentivized commuters to drive less. Multiple data collection efforts were conducted over the course of the FlexPass study to assess the viability of this alternative parking contract design, including: (1) Two Phase 1 program evaluation efforts, including the first one in September–December 2020 and the second one in August-December 2021; and (2) Phase 2 program evaluation in February–August 2022. Due to the COVID impacts, this study did not yield sufficient data to generate conclusive findings. Nonetheless, the data provided rich insights into the viability of alternative parking contracts designed to limit the amount of driving. Participants indicated that FlexPass made positive impacts on their travel decisions for more than two third of their work-related trips. Seventy percent of the participants were very satisfied with the FlexPass contracts, and the remaining third percent were somewhat satisfied.
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    Smartphone-Based Interventions for Sustainable Travel Behavior: The University of Minnesota Parking Contract Holder Study
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2020-10) Fan, Yingling; Becker, Andy; Ryan, Galen; Wolfson, Julian; Guthrie, Andrew; Liao, Chen-Fu
    Innovative mobility apps have the power to transform the relationship between transportation networks and travelers. Capitalizing on the recent advancement in smartphone technology, this project develops a smartphone-based behavior intervention tool—named Daynamica—to provide customized, user-centered messages and graphics for promoting travel mode shifts from driving to more sustainable modes. The project tests the effectiveness of the intervention tool among University of Minnesota (UMN) parking contract holders. For each car trip made by a participant, the tool provides a mode shift plan based on the exact trip origin and destination. The tool also provides information describing the environmental impacts of the specific car trip and the personal benefits of switching to the alternative mode. The findings show that although 92 percent of participants are interested in trying alternative modes, in general, when it comes to specific trip considerations, only 36 percent of the car trips are considered reasonable alternative modes. There is ample interest among the most car-dependent population—parking contract holders—to explore alternative mode options; however, their interest is tempered by the limited alternative mode offerings in the region. Thus, it is recommended that transportation practitioners and policy makers improve these offerings. Furthermore, this research generates useful data to identify factors influencing mode shifting. Housing ownership, being male, making stops during the trip, and a late departure time for the morning commute are negatively associated with participants' receptiveness toward mode shifting. Finally, the report includes a novel analysis exploring the activity/trip chaining behaviors of the study participants.
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    Willingness to change car use under a tradable driving credits scheme: A comparison between Beijing and the Netherlands
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2018) Dogterom, Nico; Bao, Yue; Xu, Meng; Ettema, Dick
    Recent years have seen a surge of interest in the concept of tradable driving credits (TDC) as an alternative to road pricing and driving restriction measures. However, empirical research into drivers’ responses to a TDC measure is limited and even lacking for the Chinese context where the concept of TDC has attracted considerable attention. This paper reports the results of a survey that was the first to investigate drivers’ willingness to change car use under a hypothetical distance-based TDC measure in China (Beijing) and aimed to compare these results with the results of a comparative Dutch survey. We observed that willingness to change was considerably higher in Beijing than in the Netherlands and that a substantial share of Beijing car owners indicated an increase in car use. In both contexts, higher education and higher car use intensity had a positive effect on the willingness to change, whereas higher income had a negative effect. We found mixed results for household size, respondents’ car attitudes, and TDC scenario characteristics.