More studies over the years have shown us that the price and availability of parking has a strong influence on people’s travel choices. A ten-year-old study from New York, for instance, called attention to the influence of parking availability on people’s decision to drive to work. Several years later, I led a study connecting long-term parking growth to citywide increases in car commuting. Now a new study by a cohort of researchers across North America, including myself, makes that connection even clearer by drawing a direct line from residential parking ratios to household VMT.
policy
A new playbook is emerging for managing local travel demand
Over time, transportation demand management has shifted from mainly reducing single occupancy commute trips to something more encompassing, a larger shift toward active and shared transportation for all types of trips made by all types of people.
Dog owners drive more, but policy and design changes could help lessen the need
We all can identify a walkable neighborhood, whether we live in one or know what we expect to see in one: good sidewalks, connectivity to surrounding areas, and many destinations. But new research suggests those considerations might be significantly different for dog owners. Since more than one third of households own dogs, complexity is thrown into concepts like the “15-minute city” or cities designed for all age groups and abilities.
Survey: Mayors see the problem but shy away from the solutions
U.S. mayors recognize safety and environmental issues resulting from automobile traffic, according to a new survey from Boston University. But they are leery about implementing commonly accepted remedies like lower speeds, more enforcement, reduced parking or separated bike lanes.
WSDOT weighs in on bill to make health a goal in transportation policy
The Washington State DOT currently has six statutory goals: economic vitality, preservation, safety, mobility, environment, and stewardship. H.B. 1233, introduced by a Tacoma legislator whose day job is with the county health department, would add health as a seventh goal.
Rahm Emanuel orders Chicago employees to use public transit
In an effort to crack down on the city’s generous travel reimbursement policy, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced a measure that forces city employees to use public transit for work-related travel. Under the new program, …
Society pays more for trucking
A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), released earlier this year, details the far greater marginal costs imposed on society from trucking than rail or waterborne shipping. These costs include public infrastructure costs (such …
Big vision, big roads, what now?
We are used to thinking about American’s interstate system beginning with the Eisenhower era’s creation of a national defense highway system in the 1950’s. A new book “The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the …