Travel Demand Management

Overview
Travel Demand Management attempts to modify existing travel demand patterns through a variety of strategies promoting increased use of high occupancy vehicles and public transit.

Recurring congestion, specifically during the morning and evening peak commute periods, could be smoothed through the adaptation of variable work hours, compressed work weeks and telecommuting. This service also identifies methods to persuade drivers to alter their mode of transportation and even travel behavior. Some examples include congestion pricing and parking fees, and decreased public transit fares.

Congestion Pricing
Congestion pricing is a market or demand based strategy designed to encourage a shift of peak period trips to off-peak periods or to routes away from congested facilities during the peak demand periods. Congestion pricing also encourages the use of transit and high occupancy vehicles (HOVs). In addition to the term congestion pricing, several other terms are commonly used to refer to direct time-of-travel charges for roadway use, including value pricing, variable pricing, and road pricing. Congestion pricing or road pricing imply an increased fee during congested periods. In contrast, value pricing implies a charge even during uncongested conditions and is often associated with high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes where the motorist has the choice of paying a toll to avoid delays.

Congestion pricing proposes to monetarize the congestion and environmental costs associated with congested traffic flows, in particular delay, air pollution, but also accident occurrance. These costs are largely unaccounted for in the current transportation system.

Ridematching
Ridematching and Reservation makes ridesharing more convenient by matching information and reservations, and providing the information to (potential) users. Users are able to access this information from the internet, home computers, office computes, interactive telephone and other means.

Ridematching services are provided by organizations such as CTS, Inc. in Los Angeles, and RIDES, in the San Francisco Bay Area. These organizations keep a database of subscribers, and generate several hundred ride-match lists every week. Their focus is primarily long-term users, that is, commuters interested in finding a carpool partner, more than just a ride every once in a while. Conversely, the emphasis of ITS ride matching systems is on dynamic ridesharing, although they also offer more long term services. This is achieved by automatically generating ride match lists upon request by interested parties. Potential partners are matched on the basis of information pre-recorded in the database, usually consisting of usual commute times, and residence and workplace locations.

Telecommuting
Telecommuting is when employees work at home or at a satellite or neighborhood work center using electronic communications to interact with coworkers rather than interacting in person. Telecommuting employees meet certain employer qualifications and usually telecommute only part of the time, generally one to two days a week. Non-work activities can also be engaged in remotely. Examples are tele-learning (distance learning via electronic communications) and Internet shopping, banking, and research.

Traveler Information
Advanced Traveler Information Systems can also help affect travel demand patterns by providing real-time traffic and transit information to commuters. This would allows travelers to better plan their trips, bypass congested routes or choose to delay departure times in the event of congestion.

Pre-trip information informs potential travelers of current network conditions, so they can best assess their travel options before they commit themselves to a particular route, mode, time-of-day, or even decide whether to make the trip at all.

En-route driver information provides drivers information pertaining to traffic conditions, incidents, construction, transit schedules, weather conditions, hazardous road conditions, and recommended safe speeds while en-route. This information allows the drivers to select the route which is best for them, or change routes mid-travel. An en-route transit information system provides information to transit riders after their trips have started.

Portable traffic management systems (PTMS), also called Moveable Event Management Systems (MEMS), consist of easily portable traffic control and management devices. PTMS components provide surveillance, traffic control, traffic management, and advisory functions for special events such as concerts or sporting events which generate intense traffic and parking demands over a relatively short, but predictable period of time.
Route guidance provides travelers with instructions on how to reach their destinations. It identifies a suggested route to reach a specified destination. Route guidance for motorists could be determined simply from roadway network models, or in a more advanced manner by using real-time information describing the current traffic conditions, incidents, closures, etc. Dynamic route guidance would allow a better spread of travel demand across the network.

Carsharing
Carsharing can be thought of as organized short-term car rental. Members of a carsharing organization access the vehicles from shared-use lots (e.g., transit station, neighborhoods, and employment centers). Fees typically cover maintenance, insurance, registration, fueling, and time use. Carsharing systems provide the following travel demand benefits: decreased auto use and ownership; cost savings to individuals and employers; energy and emissions savings; increased transit ridership and decreased parking demand.

Please see menu at top for more detail on these components of Travel Demand Management.