Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Strategies that reduce automobile use in peak period travel include transit service
improvements that divert auto users into transit modes (e.g., new or extended rapid
transit lines),
flexible work hours to spread the peak demand outside the peak hour,
road congestion pricing, downtown parking supply pricing and parking supply
constraints within the congested areas, and offering outlying park-and-ride facilities
connected to downtown by transit.
Adoption of parking pricing policies in city centers can relieve congestion by:
fl
in
fl
uencing the choice of alternative modes for accessing the area
increasing the availability of parking spaces in congested parts of the city at
different times of the day
reducing the incremental VMT added when searching for a parking space.
Parking supply constraints in large city centers served by off-street public
transport can also help reduce congestion by:
encouraging public transportation access to the city center
concentrating park-and-ride facilities along outer stations along the transit line
reducing commuter VMT on radial express highways leading to the city center
by intercepting motorists at outlying park-and-ride facilities.
14.4.3 Cause: Area-wide Demand Growth Exceeding
Capacity Growth
Population, job growth, and rising incomes increase traf
c demand growth that,
over time, exceeds growth in roadway capacity.
14.4.3.1 Possible Strategies
Congestion relief strategies in areas experiencing/expecting population and
eco-
nomic growth
entail (1) increasing the capacity of the roadway network as well as
other modes of transportation,
and
(2) reducing growth in private vehicle use by (a)
coordinating land use growth policies that reduce the need to drive with investments
in alternative modes of transportation, and (b) road pricing policies that increase the
cost of driving.
Increasing Transportation Capacity
This policy involves expanding roadway and transit capacity to serve trips that are
destined to destinations
outside
the range of the walk/bicycle modes. It also
involves constructing a network of accessible bicycle lanes and pedestrian paths
that connect
to land use activities located within the range of these modes.
