Transportation demand management

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Transportation Demand Management or Travel Demand Management (both TDM) is the application of strategies and policies to influence traveler behavior with the aim of reducing automobile travel demand, or redistributing this demand in space or in time.^[1]^[2]

1 Description
2 TDM measures
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Description

Traffic congestion on Interstate 5, at Los Angeles, California.

The concept of TDM has its origins in the 1970s and 1980s, as a result of the hard economic impacts resulting for the sharp increase of the oil crude prices during the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 energy crisis. As long lines appeared at gas stations in the United States, it became self-evident the need to provide for alternatives to single occupancy commuter travel in order to save energy, improve air quality, and reduce peak period congestion, thus reducing travel costs and lost time.^[3]

Today these goals remain the same, and they are now part of the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from urban transportation,^[4] but the range of measures "has broadened to encompass the desire to optimize transportation system performance for commute and non-commute trips and for recurring as well as non-recurring events".^[5] An key issue in social marketing as well in transportation planning and operations, TDM is used increasingly by urban planners to affect the rate at which new development attracts cars and increases the need for new or expanded roadways.

[edit] TDM measures

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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.