Have You Ever Wondered? What is Transportation Demand Management?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Transportation demand management or travel demand management (both TDM) is the application of strategies and policies to reduce automobile travel demand, or to redistribute this demand in space or in time.[1][2]

In transport as in any network, managing demand can be a cost-effective alternative to increasing capacity. A demand management approach to transport also has the potential to deliver better environmental outcomes, improved public health and stronger communities, and more prosperous and livable cities. The techniques of TDM, applied by government transport agencies, link with and supports community movements for sustainable transport.


Background :
The term TDM has its origins in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s, and is linked to the economic impacts of the sharp increase in oil prices during the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 energy crisis. As long lines appeared at gas stations, it became self-evident that alternatives to single occupancy commuter travel needed to be provided in order to save energy, improve air quality, and reduce peak period congestion.[3]

The concepts of TDM borrowed from mainstream transport planning in Europe, which had never been based on assumptions that the private car was the best or only solution for urban mobility. For example the Dutch Transport Structure Scheme has since the 1970s required that demand for additional vehicle capacity only be met "if the contribution to societal welfare is positive", and since 1990 has included an explicit target to halve the rate of growth in vehicle traffic.[4]

Some cities outside Europe have also consistently taken a demand management approach to transport and land use planning, notably Curitiba, Brazil, Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Canada.

Relatively low and stable oil prices during the 1980's and 1990's led to significant increases in vehicle travel, both directly because people chose to travel by car more often and for greater distances, and indirectly because cities developed tracts of suburban housing, distant from shops and from workplaces, now referred to as urban sprawl. Trends in freight logistics, including a movement from rail and coastal shipping to road freight and a requirement for just in time deliveries, meant that freight traffic grew faster than general vehicle traffic.

Because vehicle travel was increasing rapidly from 1980-2000, it follows that (with a few exceptions) the techniques of demand management were not widely or successfully applied during this period. Small-scale projects to provide alternatives to single occupant commuter travel were common, but generally were led from outside the mainstream of transport planning. However many of the techniques in the demand management toolbox were developed during this period.

The British Government's marked a change in direction. In the introduction to the White Paper, Prime Minister Tony Blair stated that

We recognise that we cannot simply build our way out of the problems we face. It would be environmentally irresponsible - and would not work.

A companion document to the White Paper called Smarter Choices researched the potential to "scale up" the small and scattered demand management initiatives then occurring across Britain, and concluded that the comprehensive application of these techniques could reduce peak period car travel in urban areas by over 20%.[6]

A [7] by the United States Federal Highway Administration, was also released in 2004 and also concluded that a more proactive approach to transportation demand was an important component of overall national transport strategy.

Why manage travel demand?
The need to manage travel demand has now become urgent for a number of converging reasons.

Oil prices have now passed the previous peak in 1980, and 95% of all energy used in transport is oil. Vehicle travel in the United States, which has been rising steadily since records began, began to level out before the fuel price increases and is now in decline.[8]. Part of this decline is likely to be people making fewer trips, with potentially far-reaching economic and social consequences. Countries and cities where the car is one of many travel choices are more likely to prosper, as people can choose to drive less but are still able to travel by transit, cycle safely, walk to local shops and facilities, or choose to work or study from home.

Transport systems are responsible for 23% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, and are increasing at a faster rate than any other energy using sector.[9] Demand management is central to the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from urban transportation,[10]

Increases in vehicle travel are linked to a range of health problems including poor urban air quality, road injuries and fatalities, and reduced physical activity. The World Health Organisation released a [11] in 2003, and stated that:

We are concerned that current patterns of transport, which are dominated by motorised road transport, have substantial adverse impacts on health.

The efficacy of expanded roadways in managing traffic congestion is increasingly under challenge. Much of the traffic on new or expanded roads has been shown to be induced.

A growing sustainable transport movement is mobilising public demand for investment in safer, more livable cities with a greater range of travel choices.

There is a broad range of TDM measures, including:

Transportation Management Associations: leverage public and private funds to increase the use of ridesharing and other commuting options that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.
Including or improving pedestrian-oriented design elements, such as short pedestrian crossings, wide sidewalks and street trees.
Requiring users of parking to pay the costs directly, as opposed to sharing the costs indirectly with others through increased rents and tax subsidies.
Including and improving public transportation infrastructure, such as subway entrances, bus stops and routes.
Subsidizing transit costs for employees or residents.
Bicycle-friendly facilities and environments, including secure bike storage areas and showers. See Bicycle transportation engineering
Providing active transportation (AT) facilities including bike lanes and multi-use trails.
Flex-time work schedules with employers to reduce congestion at peak times
Congestion pricing tolls during peak hours.
Road space rationing by restricting travel based on license plate number, at certain times and places.
Workplace travel plans.
Roadspace reallocation, aiming to re-balance provision between private cars which often predominate due to high spatial allocations for roadside parking, and for sustainable modes.
Time, Distance and Place (TDP) Road Pricing, where road users are charged based and when, where and how much they drive. Some transportation experts believe TDP pricing is an integral part of the next generation in transportation demand management.

Bridge Rules Eased for Non-Driving Virginians - January 9, 2009

Security and transportation officials today eased rules on pedestrians walking over bridges from Virginia on Inauguration Day.

The Virginia State Police announced the “clarifications and additions” to the original plan this afternoon. Pedestrians will now be able to use all bridges to cross the Potomac, a change from an earlier policy that pedestrians could use the Memorial and Chain bridges. People will now be able to walk, bike, run or Segway across the Key, 14th Street and Roosevelt bridges, provided they keep to sidewalks and walk/bike paths.

A state police spokeswoman said that for safety, pedestrians will have to keep off the roadway, especially on the 14th Street Bridge.

“It’s not on the roadway, but the walking-biking path,” spokeswoman Corrine Geller said.
Security and transportation officials took a public shellacking yesterday after Secret Service and area transportation officials announced Wednesday that they would close all Virginia bridges across the Potomac into the District and Interstates 395 and 66 inside the Beltway to personal vehicles. The plans also cordon off a large swath of downtown Washington to help manage the unprecedented crowds expected. Maryland, in contrast, has no planned road closures.

Some members of congress, including U.S. Rep. James P. Moran (D-Alexandria), U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Fairfax) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), said it was important to better balance access and security.

In a letter today to the U.S. Secret Service, Moran and Connolly called for a re-examination of the policies.

“Common sense, not fear, should be guiding our transportation policies on Inauguration Day,” Moran said.

“I urge them to explore ways to provide transportation choices for Northern Virginians wishing to attend the inauguration and for key medical personnel traveling to the District, “ Connolly said.

Norton issued a statement today that said she was expressing her concern about the traffic control plan in the District to inaugural officials.

— Eric M. Weiss.

Virginia: Leading by Example

Telework is not just a flexible work arrangement, but a performance management strategy that can facilitate a new kind of outcomes-based government. So noted Aneesh Chopra, Secretary of Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia, during his keynote address at the October 15 Telework Exchange Town Hall Meeting. Chopra explained that the Commonwealth's telework program is enabling state agencies to improve productivity significantly, slash turnover rates and excessive leave time, and save money.

"This is not just because of the good deeds of doing right by the environment or addressing our congestion issues - both of which are obvious priorities - this is good business sense," Chopra stated, adding that telework is something his state increasingly is turning to, even as the state faces an unexpected $2.5 billion budget shortfall in the wake of the recent economic slowdown.

Under Governor Tim Kaine's leadership, Virginia has taken a more progressive and highly-successful approach to government operations by putting the emphasis on results rather than traditional measures, such as the amount of time spent on a project. That strategy, not surprisingly, includes a strong emphasis on telework, which, Chopra says, came up early and frequently when the new administration took office in 2005.

"Governor Kaine immediately acknowledged that when it comes to managing by outcomes, the very natural question is: ‘Why do we care where you work?'" Chopra recalled, noting that one of the Governor's very first actions was to create an office to promote telework, managed by Karen Jackson, and he set an ambitious goal of enabling 20 percent of the Commonwealth's workforce to telework on a regular basis by 2010. "Telework became a very natural priority for us as we thought about outcomes-based government."

As part of its performance management approach, the new administration first required that all 95 state agencies sit down and document the key outcomes they needed to achieve during the next five to ten years. These objectives and related productivity measures were published on a public Web site, to "change the lexicon of our discussion," Chopra explained.

"Now when we have a budget discussion, we talk about it in terms of: ‘How much will an incremental investment in "X" yield in terms of outcome improvement?'" he explained. "So we have an outcome goal that we hold ourselves accountable for and we have a portfolio of programs and initiatives that we now can use to measure success against those goals."

When it came to telework, Governor Kaine took a multi-pronged approach to implementing a telework culture across the Commonwealth. Chopra and his team codified the definition of telework as working at least one day per week (or 32 hours per month) out of the office; changed the eligibility standard from an opt-in to an opt-out approach; established a cross-agency technology group to develop and post information on telework best practices and guidelines, including a telework roadmap; and encouraged private sector adoption by getting pledges from some of the largest employers in the state to match the Governor's telework goals.

Strategies also included leading by example and showing - not telling - agencies how effective telework is at improving government operations.

Kaine, for example, made it a policy for his Cabinet secretaries and their staffs to telework on a regular basis and required that Chopra and other executives provide details of all telework activity in their weekly priorities report to the Governor.

"This has rocked our culture," Chopra stated. "Prior to this, the attitude was, ‘Yeah, telework is important for the agencies because those people process paper, but we're really important people in the Cabinet. It's going to be hard for us to telework.' Gov. Kaine said, ‘Not in my administration.' Now, I must report weekly who teleworked and how many days, by name. That's leading by example."

The Tax Department, meanwhile, volunteered to conduct a telework pilot program, and the effort effectively illustrated telework's benefits - but with a few surprises, Chopra noted. Teleworkers who do mail processing achieved an 80 percent improvement in productivity when compared to the standard by which they're supposed to perform, while data-entry workers at home showed efficiency rates of 110 percent above the standard. In addition, employee turnover is considerably lower among full-time teleworkers at the Tax Department, just eight percent versus the overall agency average of 58 percent. This retention rate, coupled with productivity gains, translates into $141,000 in measurable decreases in retraining and job vacancy costs.

Today, the Virginia Tax Department's top executive teleworks, as do 62 percent of its eligible workers. All of this shows, Chopra told his audience, that telework "is not a nice-to-have but a need-to-have - especially in this budgetary environment. It's why more and more agencies are looking to telework as a strategy to meet the tough goals."

To view Aneesh Chopra's October 15 keynote presentation at the Fall 2008 Town Hall Meeting, please visit www.teleworkexchange.com.

Bike Commuter Tax Benefit Passes Both House & Senate

New Benefit for 2009

After 7 years of being tossed back and forth, the bike commuter tax benefit has finally passed both House and Senate, as part of the $700B financial services bailout package. President Bush signed the legislation almost immediately, and it is now law.

What does this legislation mean?

The bottom line is, you can get up to $20/month tax-free from your employer, if he feels like giving it to you, to reimburse you for your bike commuting expenses. Your employer can write it off as a business expense. This benefit goes into effect at the beginning of the year 2009.

The reimbursement can be “for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment.”

This is similar to the tax-free reimbursements offered to transit riders, and cannot be combined with those. Multimodal commuters already getting the transit benefit cannot get the bike benefit too.

Full text of the legislation follows, as the link we supplied earlier expires:

SEC. 211. TRANSPORTATION FRINGE BENEFIT TO BICYCLE COMMUTERS.

(a) In General- Paragraph (1) of section 132(f) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(D) Any qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement.’.

(b) Limitation on Exclusion- Paragraph (2) of section 132(f) is amended by striking `and’ at the end of subparagraph (A), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (B) and inserting `, and’, and by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

`(C) the applicable annual limitation in the case of any qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement.’.

(c) Definitions- Paragraph (5) of section 132(f) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(F) DEFINITIONS RELATED TO BICYCLE COMMUTING REIMBURSEMENT-

`(i) QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING REIMBURSEMENT- The term `qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement’ means, with respect to any calendar year, any employer reimbursement during the 15-month period beginning with the first day of such calendar year for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment.

`(ii) APPLICABLE ANNUAL LIMITATION- The term `applicable annual limitation’ means, with respect to any employee for any calendar year, the product of $20 multiplied by the number of qualified bicycle commuting months during such year.

`(iii) QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING MONTH- The term `qualified bicycle commuting month’ means, with respect to any employee, any month during which such employee–

`(I) regularly uses the bicycle for a substantial portion of the travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment, and

`(II) does not receive any benefit described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1).’.

(d) Constructive Receipt of Benefit- Paragraph (4) of section 132(f) is amended by inserting `(other than a qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement)’ after `qualified transportation fringe’.

(e) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2008.

Two-Timing Telecommute Taxes

Telecommuting — or telework — is a critical tool that can help employees, businesses and communities weather the current financial crisis, and thrive afterward. However, right now, the nation is burdened with a powerful threat to the growth of telework: the telecommuter tax. This tax is a state penalty imposed on Americans who work for employers outside their home states and sometimes telecommute.

Proposed bi-partisan federal legislation called the Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act would abolish the telecommuter tax. To help assure that the nation can take full advantage of the economic relief telework offers, Congress must pass this bill – either as stand-alone legislation or as part of a new economic stimulus package.

Relief for Employees

Working from home (or alternative sites close to home) can save struggling families money on gasoline, parking, train and bus fares, dry cleaning, business wardrobes and work-week meals. They can save on dependent care by providing some of the necessary care themselves during the time they previously spent commuting.

Telework can also relieve the considerable strain on Americans nearing retirement who have unexpectedly lost their pensions and must now continue working. Working indefinitely may be a hardship for many older employees. Some may not be able, physically, to continue making a daily round-trip commute. Some may need to move closer to their adult children who live out-of-state, either to receive physical help from them, or to help them with child-care costs by baby-sitting. If Americans who have been robbed of their retirements can work from home at least some of the time, they can stay on the job without having to travel as often or live as close to their offices.

Relief for Employers

Employers (both public and private) can use telework to slash real estate and energy expenses. When fewer employees work on-site every day, employers need to rent, heat, cool and light less office space.

Implementing telework can also reduce recruitment and turnover costs: Employers offering flexibility can attract top-tier candidates from a wide geographic area, and generate loyalty among valued employees.

Telework can reduce business interruption costs when an emergency or other major disruption occurs near the main office. If, for example, a severe storm, fire, bomb threat or transit strike affects the employer’s area, a staff trained to work remotely can keep operations running smoothly.

And organizations adopting telework can become more productive. Employees can replace commute time with work time; concentrate better because they are less exposed to the frequent interruptions typical in busy offices; reduce absenteeism by completing tasks at home instead of taking whole days off when they have to meet non-work responsibilities, like caring for sick children, and reduce “presenteeism”, the phenomenon of employees showing up at the office when they are too sick to be productive and are likely to compromise the health and productivity of co-workers.

Relief for Communities

Telework can bring new Internet-based jobs to rural areas with sagging economies. It can also bring new home buyers to such regions: Americans who want to maintain their high paced, big-city careers in a slower paced, more scenic environment. A significant growth in the population of home-based workers in these communities can also produce growth in businesses catering to their needs, such as home office supply stores and business service providers.

The Telecommuter Penalty Tax

Despite the important help telework can provide during and after the financial meltdown, states may punish nonresident teleworkers by subjecting them to a telecommuter tax. New York has been particularly aggressive on this front.

Under the “convenience of the employer” rule, when a nonresident of New York and his New York employer agree that the employee may sometimes work from home, New York will tax him on his entire income, both the income he earns when he works in New York, and the income he earns when he works at home, in a different state. Because telecommuters’ home states can also tax the wages telecommuters earn at home, they are taxed twice on those wages.

In some cases, a telecommuter’s home state may give him a credit for the taxes he pays New York on the income he earns at home. However, even in such cases, the employee may be penalized for telecommuting. When New York taxes income at a higher rate than the home state, the telecommuter must pay taxes on his home state income at the higher rate.

By subjecting nonresident employees to double or excessive taxation if they telecommute, a state like New York needlessly limits the strategies available for coping with our ailing economy.

Harm to Employers

By deterring telework, the telecommuter tax frustrates businesses trying to decentralize their workers and prevents them from exploiting telework’s business benefits.

In addition, the hefty payroll obligations the telecommuter tax imposes on businesses can force companies to relocate. Indeed, The New York Times reported this year on a small business that planned to leave New York because tackling the state's claims under the convenience of the employer rule proved too draining. (See David S. Joachim, "Telecommuters Cry 'Ouch' to the Tax Gods," The New York Times, Special Section on Small Business, Feb. 20, 2008.)

Further, by thwarting the growth of telework, the telecommuter tax encourages traffic congestion, a menace to productivity. Excessive traffic can, for example, cause employees to arrive late for work and delay customer deliveries.

Harm to States

In addition to employees and employers, telecommuters' states of residence also suffer under the telecommuter tax. Consider a Virginia resident who telecommutes most of the time to his New York employer. If Virginia grants the telecommuter a credit for taxes paid to New York on his home state income, Virginia forfeits its tax revenue to New York. In so doing, Virginia effectively subsidizes public services in New York (like transportation, police, fire and other emergency services) while it makes the same services available to its resident who is working in Virginia. States currently struggling with steep budgetary shortfalls cannot afford to cede their own revenue to other states. The employee who telecommutes, meanwhile, suffers under a reduced budget for home state spending.

Even the state imposing the tax loses. In addition to driving business away, New York’s telework tax policy can drive part-time telecommuters away. Because the convenience of the employer rule applies only to nonresidents who spend time working in New York, nonresidents can avoid the rule by avoiding the state: They can increase their telecommuting from part-time to full-time, or take jobs in their home states. When nonresidents stop traveling to New York for work, New York gives up the opportunity to tax any of their wages, and New York restaurants, hotels and other businesses lose the income these teleworkers would have generated on their commuting days.

The Remedy

The Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act would eliminate these ills, prohibiting states like New York from taxing the income nonresidents earn at home in other states.

The bill has bi-partisan support in both Houses of Congress, including the support of lawmakers from Connecticut, Maine, Mississippi and Virginia. Outside Congress, the measure has been endorsed by advocates for telecommuters, taxpayers, homeowners and small businesses.

To help assure that the greatest number of employees and businesses can maximize telework’s economic benefits – during the current crisis and afterward – Congress should pass the Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act. Whether as an addition to a new stimulus package or in a separate measure, Washington must see to it that telecommuter tax fairness becomes the law.

by Nicole Belson Goluboff 11/09/2008

Virginia Prepares for Inauguration Traffic

Motorists urged to plan ahead, expect major delays

FAIRFAX, Va. - Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation are preparing for thousands of buses and vehicles to travel through Virginia for the Inauguration on January 20, 2009, and urge visitors to know what to expect before leaving home to ensure a safe and less stressful trip.

We urge motorists - whether traveling by bus, van or car - to plan their route well in advance, know what bridges and roads will be restricted and where they will park, make sure their vehicle is in top operating condition, travel with a full tank of gas and prepare for long delays and a lot of walking, said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent.

Road and Bridge Restrictions:
Beginning at 2 a.m. Tuesday, January 20, personal vehicles (cars, SUVs, pickups, vans, etc.) will not be allowed to enter Washington from Virginia. Those driving are encouraged to seek out public transportation to access the District on Inauguration Day. (See Public Transit Resources for more information). Personal vehicles will only be able to enter Washington by driving in from designated Maryland routes.
Beginning at 2 a.m. Tuesday, January 20, only authorized vehicles - emergency vehicles, buses, taxis, and for-hire limos and car services - will be permitted to travel northbound on Interstate 395 and eastbound on Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway/I-495. All other traffic heading to Washington on Interstate 95 will be diverted at the Springfield interchange (Exits 170B and 170C) onto I-495 North (Inner Loop) or I-495/I-95 East (Outer Loop). All general traffic traveling eastbound on I-66 and toward Washington on the Dulles Toll Road will also be diverted to the Capital Beltway/I-495.

Only authorized vehicles will be allowed to cross the 14th Street Bridge, Roosevelt Bridge and Key Bridge, all of which lead from Virginia into Washington, D.C. The Memorial Bridge and Chain Bridge will be open to pedestrians only.

To augment patrols and expedite emergency response along Interstates 95, 66 and 495, Virginia State Police will be bringing in several hundred troopers from around the state to the Northern Virginia region. Increases in manpower and resources will begin Monday, January 19, and continue through Wednesday, January 21.

I-95/395 HOV Schedule:
· From 4 p.m. Saturday, January 17 until 3 a.m. Tuesday, January 20, the I-395/95 HOV lanes will be northbound for vehicles carrying three or more people (HOV-3).
· From 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, only buses and authorized vehicles will be permitted to use the I-95/395 HOV lanes from Route 234/Dumfries to Washington.
· The I-95/395 HOV lanes will open to HOV-3 traffic at 5 a.m. Wednesday, January 21.
· The I-95/395 HOV lanes will be open southbound for HOV-3 vehicles from 8 p.m. Tuesday, January 20, until 3 a.m. Wednesday, January 21, and from 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 21, until 9 p.m. or later.
I-66, Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Connector Road HOV Schedule:
· From 4 p.m. Saturday, January 17, until 3 a.m. Tuesday, January 20, HOV-2 will be in effect eastbound.
· From 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, January 20, only buses and authorized vehicles will be allowed to use the eastbound HOV lanes.
· From 6 p.m. Tuesday, January 20, until 9 p.m. Wednesday, January 21, HOV-2 will be in effect westbound.
VDOT will help motorists by:
· Pre-treating ramps, bridges and critical locations on highways and major commuter routes with anti-icing chemicals regardless of the forecast. Major commuter lots in Northern Virginia will also be pre-treated.
· Suspending all lane closures in Virginia for construction or maintenance work on Interstates 66, 95, 395 and 495. In addition, lane closures will be suspended on heavily traveled roads in Northern Virginia to include Routes 1, 7, 28, 50, 234, 236, the Dulles Toll Road, Fairfax County Parkway and Prince William Parkway. This restriction will be in effect from Friday, January 16, until noon, Wednesday, January 21.
· Providing portable toilets at the I-66 and I-95 rest areas in Northern Virginia and Fredericksburg.
· Doubling the number of safety service patrols on the interstates on January 20. Forty patrollers will be pre-positioned and available to assist stranded motorists and provide traffic control. The patrol wears bright, highly visible uniforms and drives specially equipped pickup trucks.
· Re-timing traffic signals on major routes as needed to keep traffic moving as best possible.
· Staging seven wreckers at locations along interstates to remove disabled vehicles. Motorists can stay informed by:
· Calling 511 from a land line or a cell phone for the latest traffic and travel information. Drivers are reminded to only dial 911 or #77 on a cellular phone in emergency situations.
· Tuning into Virginias highway advisory radio for information on delays and possible detours due to accidents or congestion.
· Getting the latest traffic conditions and travel times on overhead
and roadside message signs on I-95, 495, 66 and 81, and Route 29.
· Carrying an emergency kit in their vehicles to include an ice scraper and brush, wiper fluid, blankets, extra warm clothing, a bag of sand or cat litter; flashlight and cell phone, with extra batteries for each; jumper cables; water, snacks, paper towels and a first aid kit.