Demand management as an element of transportation policy: using carrots and sticks to influence travel behavior

This paper describes the characteristics of transportation demand management. The origin of transportation demand management (TDM) as it has evolved in the US is related to federal policy initiatives that first focused on improving the efficiency of the urban transportation system through operational improvements, and then incorporated concerns such as air quality and energy conservation into the transportation planning process. The paper then examines the effectiveness of TDM actions, and concludes that those actions most likely to increase the “price” of travel for single occupant vehicle use will be most effective. The paper identifies several strategies for improving the effectiveness of TDM actions in the context of regional transportation planning, including: incorporating TDM as part of the solutions for regional transportation planning, linking TDM to land use decisions, making the costs of travel more apparent to the user, and making TDM implementation more palatable to the general public.