[sustran] VTPI News - Fall 2005

[Todd Alexander Litman]

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                                   VTPI NEWS
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                       Victoria Transport Policy Institute
                          "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"
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                             Fall 2005    Vol. 8, No. 3
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The Victoria Transport Policy Institute is an 
independent research organization dedicated to 
developing innovative solutions to transportation 
problems. The VTPI website (http://www.vtpi.org ) 
has many resources addressing a wide range of 
transport planning and policy issues. VTPI also provides consulting services.
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


ONLINE TDM ENCYCLOPEDIA
========================

The VTPI "Online TDM Encyclopedia" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/tdm>http://www.vtpi.org/tdm 
) is a comprehensive information resource to help 
identify and evaluate innovative management 
solutions to transport problems, available for 
free on our website. We continually update and 
expand the Encyclopedia. We recently added the following chapters:

"Streetscape Improvements: Enhancing Urban 
Roadway Design" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm122.htm>http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm122.htm 
). This chapter discusses various ways to improve 
urban streetscapes in order to help create more 
attractive, accessible, multi-modal communities.

"Emergency Response Transport Management: 
Managing Transportation Systems During Disasters" 
(http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm124.htm ). This 
chapter discusses emergency response 
transportation planning and the role mobility 
management strategies can play in dealing with disasters.


We are in the process of modifying the format of 
large chapters (those more than about 20 pages in 
length). They will have a standard, HTM format 
chapter which provides summary information, and 
we are adding longer, more detailed reports in 
PDF format. This allows us to provide more 
information in an easier to read format. This has 
been done to the following chapters:

"Land Use Evaluation: Evaluating How 
Transportation Decisions Affect Land Use 
Patterns, and the Economic, Social and 
Environmental Impacts That Result" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm122.htm>http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm104.htm )

"Land Use Impacts on Transport: How Land Use 
Patterns Affect Travel Behavior" (http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm20.htm )

"Transportation Elasticities: How Prices Affect 
Travel Behavior" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm11.htm>http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm11.htm )


As always, we appreciate feedback. Please let us 
know if you have suggestions for improving any of these documents.
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NEW DOCUMENTS
==============

"Gasoline Price-Elasticity Spreadsheet" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/gasoline_elasticity.xls>http://www.vtpi.org/gasoline_elasticity.xls 
), by Charles Komanoff
This spreadsheet uses U.S. Department of Energy 
data from 2004 through August 2005 to estimate 
the short-term price-elasticity of demand for 
gasoline. Fuel price increases during this period 
provide a natural experiment for measuring this 
impact. The analysis shows the elasticity ranges 
from -0.01 to -0.23, and averages -0.11 for the 
months covered in this spreadsheet, indicating 
that a 10% increase in fuel price reduces fuel 
consumption and vehicle mileage by about 1% in the short term.


"Lessons From Katrina and Rita: What Major 
Disasters Can Teach Transportation Planners" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/katrina.pdf>http://www.vtpi.org/katrina.pdf )
This paper examines failures in Hurricane Katrina 
disaster response and their lessons for 
transportation policy and planning in other 
communities. It identifies various policy and 
planning strategies that can help create a more 
efficient, equitable and resilient transport system.
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UPDATED DOCUMENTS
==============
We have updated several of our existing documents.

"Win-Win Transportation Solutions" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/winwin.pdf>http://www.vtpi.org/winwin.pdf 
). This paper describes several innovative policy 
reforms that help solve transportation problems 
by removing barriers and market distortions that 
encourage inefficient travel behavior.

"Evaluating Research Quality" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/resqual.pdf>http://www.vtpi.org/resqual.pdf 
). This short paper provides guidelines for evaluating research quality.

"Evaluating Criticism of Smart Growth" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/sgcritics.pdf>http://www.vtpi.org/sgcritics.pdf 
). This paper evaluates various criticisms that 
have been raised concerning Smart Growth land use reforms.
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PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE
====================
The following documents have recently been published in professional journals:

Todd Litman, “Terrorism, Transit and Public 
Safety: Evaluating the Risks,” Journal of Public 
Transit, Vol. 8, No. 4 
(<http://www.nctr.usf.edu/jpt/pdf/JPT%208-4S%20Litman.pdf>http://www.nctr.usf.edu/jpt/pdf/JPT%208-4S%20Litman.pdf 
), 2005, pp. 33-46.

Todd Litman, “London Congestion Pricing – 
Implications for Other Cities,” CESifo Dice 
Report: Journal of Institutional Comparisons, 
Vol. 3, No. 3 (http://www.cesifo-group.de/link/40publdice ), Autumn 2005.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
================

We will be busy at the Transportation Research 
Board Annual Meeting (http://www.trb.org ), held 
January 22-26 in Washington DC. This annual event 
attracts thousands of participants from around 
the world, and involves hundreds of sessions, 
workshops and committee meetings. Below are 
events in which we are scheduled to participate. 
For more information see the Annual Meeting 
Interactive Program 
(<http://www.trb.org/am/ip/default.asp?e=68>http://www.trb.org/am/ip/default.asp?e=68 
).

Workshop #132, Congestion Pricing from Soup to 
Nuts, Sunday, January 22, 2006, 8:30 AM - 5:00 
PM, ("Pricing as a Tool for Demand Management")

#220 Disaster Planning for Low-Income and 
Disadvantaged Communities, Monday, 8:00 AM–9:45 AM (Discussant)

#243 Congestion Pricing: Path to the Future, 
Monday, 9:30 AM–12:00 PM ("Pay-As-You-Drive 
Vehicle Insurance: Implementation, Benefits, and Costs")

#247 Transportation Issues in Major U.S. Cities, 
Monday, 9:30 AM–12:00 PM ("Terrorism, Transit, 
and Public Safety: Evaluating the Risks")

#389 Identifying Future Transportation Trends 
Affecting the Transportation Planning Process: 
Issues and Responses, Monday, 7:30 PM–9:30 PM 
("The Future Isn't What It Used to Be")

#473 Effectiveness of Transportation Demand 
Management Programs: Impacts and Implementation 
Issues, Tuesday, 10:15 AM–12:00 PM ("Mobility 
Management Traffic Safety Impacts")

ADD40(1) Sustainable Transportation Indicators 
Subcommittee, Tuesday, 1:30 PM–3:15 PM

#555 Exploring the Organizational and Human 
Components of Crisis Management, Tuesday, 3:45 
PM–5:30 PM ("Learning from Katrina and Rita: What Worked, What Didn't?")

#814 Travel Behavior Trends: What Does the Future 
Hold?, Thursday, 10:15 AM–12:00 PM ("Changing 
Transportation Trends and Their Implications for Transport Planning")
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


BEEN THERE – DONE THAT
=======================

VTPI Executive Director Todd Litman debated smart 
growth critic Randal O’Toole over the value of 
public transit and transit-oriented development 
on September 9th at the Annual Meeting of the 
Florida Chapter of the American Planning 
Association in St. Petersburg. Mr. Litman 
identified various inaccuracies and 
misrepresentations in O'Toole's claims, as 
discussed in the reports "Evaluating Rail Transit 
Criticism" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/railcrit.pdf>http://www.vtpi.org/railcrit.pdf 
) and "Evaluating Criticism of Smart Growth" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/sgcritics.pdf>http://www.vtpi.org/sgcritics.pdf 
). For example, Mr. O'Toole claims that bus 
service expansion results in greater ridership 
gains than rail expansion, based on his 
comparison of selected cities. But his analysis 
is biased by the fact that he selected 
rapidly-growing bus-based cities while the 
rail-based cities were large and mature, and 
experienced little or no growth during the 
analysis period. This analysis therefore fails to 
prove that bus-based transit would increase 
ridership more than rail-based systems. In fact, 
there is considerable evidence that rail-based 
systems have been more effective at increasing transit ridership.


Litman also presented his paper, "Managing 
Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs) On Nonmotorized 
Facilities" 
(<http://www.vtpi.org/man_nmt_fac.pdf>http://www.vtpi.org/man_nmt_fac.pdf 
) at the Trails and Pathways 2005 National 
Symposium held in mid-October in Edmonton, Alberta.
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USEFUL RESOURCES
=================
Below are some new information resources that you may find useful.


CCAP, "Transportation Emissions Guidebook: Land 
Use, Transit & Transportation Demand Management," 
Center of Clean Air Policy 
(<http://www.ccap.org/guidebook>www.ccap.org/guidebook), 
2005. This Guidebook provides information on 
various smart growth and mobility management 
strategies, including rules-of-thumb estimates of 
VMT and emission reductions. It includes a 
spreadsheet model which calculates total emission 
reductions from specific combinations of strategies.


Alta Planning + Design, "Caltrans Pedestrian and 
Bicycle Facilities Technical Reference Guide: A 
Technical Reference and Technology Transfer 
Synthesis for Caltrans Planners and Engineers," 
California Department of Transportation 
(<http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/survey/pedestrian/TR_MAY0405.pdf>www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/survey/pedestrian/TR_MAY0405.pdf), 
2005.
This comprehensive guidebook synthesizes 
information on non-motorized transportation 
planning. It includes information on local, 
regional and state planning processes; potential 
funding sources; standard and innovative 
practices for bicycle facilities; benefits of 
non-motorized transportation; safety evaluation; 
travel impacts on non-motorized facilities; 
examples and case studies; and an extensive 
bibliography. It is intended to assist 
transportation professionals in accommodating 
pedestrians and bicyclists in the roadway system.


"Car-Free Development" module of the Sustainable 
Transport Sourcebook, by Lloyd Wright 
(<http://www.sutp.org/download/carfreemodule.php>http://www.sutp.org/download/carfreemodule.php 
). This 220+ page document covers a range of 
issues around car-free development, including and 
overview of worldwide car-free activities (e.g. 
car-free days, car-free housing, large-scale 
pedestrianisation), project implementation 
guidelines, and many useful information resources.


Walter Hook, Training Course on Non-Motorised 
Transport, Sustainable Urban Transport Project 
(<http://www.sutp.org/download/trainingmat.php>www.sutp.org/download/trainingmat.php), 
2005. This guide provides detailed information 
for planners and other stakeholders on why and 
how to improve walking and cycling conditions in 
both developed and developing countries.


TSG, Measuring Accessibility as Experienced by 
Different Socially Disadvantaged Groups, 
Transport Studies Group – University of 
Westminster. Engineering and Physical Sciences 
Research Council (EPSRC) 
(<http://www.wmin.ac.uk/transport/projects/samp.htm>www.wmin.ac.uk/transport/projects/samp.htm), 
2005. This study examines the transportation 
needs of various disadvantaged groups, and 
provides guidelines and tools for evaluating the 
quality of transport services (particularly 
public transit services) available to them.


"Traveler Response to Transportation System 
Changes" Handbook 
(<http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/All+Projects/TCRP+B-12A,+Phase+II>http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/All+Projects/TCRP+B-12A,+Phase+II 
), TCRP Report 95. This comprehensive set of more 
than a dozen reports to date, provides detailed 
information on the travel impacts of various 
transportation system changes and policy actions, 
including transit improvements and fares, road 
and parking pricing, parking supply, HOV 
facilities, and land use changes and site design 
practices. For example, it discusses how changes 
in parking fees affect automobile travel, and how 
transit fare reductions and HOV facilities can 
affect transit ridership, based on extensive 
reviews of empirical evidence. Like VTPI's 
"On-Line TDM Encyclopedia," TCRP Report 95 was 
identified in The Urban Transportation Monitor of 
January 21, 2005, as one of "the most essential transportation publications."


Active Living Storybank
The Active Living Network has launched the Active 
Living Storybank, a searchable database with more 
than 100 projects, programs and initiatives 
around the country. All entries promote health 
through changes in the built environment, public 
policy and education. The Storybank encompasses 
all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam, and allows 
professionals, advocates, community leaders and 
others to find examples of Active Living in 
action. Search the Active Living Storybank, or 
share your story, at: www.activeliving.org


The Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies
<http://www.easts.info/publications/journal_proceedings/online.html>http://www.easts.info/publications/journal_proceedings/online.html
The Eastern Asia Society for Transportation 
Studies (EASTS) has released its Journal as an 
on-line journal. EASTS has organized 6 bi-annual 
conferences since 1997, including the latest one 
held in Bangkok, Thailand. EASTS publishes 
journals of peer reviewed papers and proceedings 
of the conference. Eastern Asia is one of the 
most dynamic and growing areas in the field of 
transportation in the world, and EASTS has been 
tackling a wide range of contemporary issues.


NCEF, National Clearninghouse for Educational 
Facilities Website 
(<http://www.edfacilities.org/>www.edfacilities.org), 
provides information on the development of safe 
and healthy schools, including resources on 
transportation and parking management strategies.
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HOLIDAY OFFER
==============
Housesitter wanted for a lovely heritage home 
close to downtown Victoria from December 18th 
through January 5th. Stay rent free in one of 
North America's most walkable and attractive 
cities. Must like dogs. For information contact Todd Litman (litman at vtpi.org).
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Please let us know if you have comments or 
questions about any information in this 
newsletter, or if you would like to be removed 
from our email list. And please pass this 
newsletter on to others who may find it useful.



Sincerely,
Todd Alexander Litman
Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org)
litman at vtpi.org
Phone & Fax 250-360-1560
1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA
“Efficiency - Equity - Clarity”

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