[sustran] VTPI News - Summer 2009

[Todd Alexander Litman]

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                                   VTPI NEWS
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                       Victoria Transport Policy Institute
                          "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"
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                           Summer 2009    Vol. 12, 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.
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NEW DOCUMENTS
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"Are Vehicle Travel Reduction Targets Justified? 
Evaluating Mobility Management Objectives Such As 
Targets To Reduce VMT And Increase Use Of 
Alternative Modes" (http://www.vtpi.org/vmt_red.pdf )
This report investigates whether transportation 
policies should include mobility management 
objectives, such as targets to reduce vehicle 
travel and encourage use of alternative modes. 
Such objectives are justified on several grounds. 
Mobility management can provide many benefits, 
and specific policy objectives provide guidance 
for strategic planning. Many mobility management 
strategies are market and planning reforms that 
increase transport system efficiency and equity. 
Mobility management objectives help shift 
planning practices to better prepare for future 
demands. Mobility management criticism tends to 
reflect an older, automobile-oriented 
transportation planning paradigm which considers 
a limited range of objectives, impacts and 
options. More comprehensive analysis tends to favor mobility management.


2009 Transit Performance Spreadsheet (http://www.vtpi.org/Transit2009.xls )
This spreadsheet contains a wealth of 
transportation system performance data for U.S. 
cities, and a variety of analysis concerning the 
relationships between public transportation 
travel and outcomes such as vehicle travel, mode 
split, congestion delays, traffic fatalities, and 
consumer transportation expenditures.
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UPDATED REPORTS
========================
We recently updated the following reports.

"Safe Travels: Evaluating Mobility Management 
Traffic Safety Impacts" (http://www.vtpi.org/safetrav.pdf )

"Transportation Elasticities: How Prices and 
Other Factors Affect Travel Behavior" (http://www.vtpi.org/elasticities.pdf )

"Economic Value of Walkability" (http://www.vtpi.org/walkability.pdf )

"Evaluating Transportation Land Use Impacts" (http://www.vtpi.org/landuse.pdf )

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PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE
===================

"Parking Management Best Practices: Making 
Efficient Use Of Parking Resources" Zoning 
Practice Issue Number 6, American Planning 
Association (http://www.planning.org/zoningpractice )
Until recently, most planners assumed that 
parking should be abundant and free. This article 
describes how to adjust parking planning 
practices to take advantage of management 
solutions to significantly reduce the parking 
supply required in a particular situation and to 
provide other economic, social, and environmental benefits.


Planetizen Blogs (http://www.planetizen.com ):
"Memo From Future Self: Hope For The Best But 
Prepare For the Worst" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/39418 )
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BEEN THERE - DONE THAT
=======================

Australia Visit
During March and April Todd Litman toured five 
Australian cities to share information at 
conferences and workshops. For information see 
the following summary published in the Transport 
Research and Policy Analysis Bulletin
http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/DOI/Internet/planningprojects.nsf/AllDocs/3F5841926D27D774CA25740A007C3193?OpenDocument#todd
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UPCOMING EVENTS
=================

Transportation Research Board Joint Summer 
Conference 
(http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=ed57e411-12a8-456d-bfba-8f8b3b33b851 
), July 19-22, 2009, Seattle, Washington.
VTPI will join more than 300 transportation 
professionals representing more than 30 TRB 
committees at this mid-year conference.


Todd Litman will present a paper, "Performance 
Indicators On The Path To Sustainability" at the 
international conference, "Toward Transport 
System for Green Growth in the North Pacific" in 
Honolulu, Hawaii, August 13-14, sponsored by the 
East-West Center (http://www.eastwestcenter.org ) 
and the Korean Transport Institute 
(http://english.koti.re.kr ). This visit may 
include a public workshop on sustainable 
transportation planning in Honolulu on August 12 
(please contact us if you may be interested).


Todd Litman will present research, 
"Transportation and Health: The Evidence and the 
opportunities" at the American Public Health 
Association 137th Annual Meeting, session 5097.0, 
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 10:30 AM, in 
Philadelphia, PA. For more information see 
<http://apha.confex.com/apha/137am/webprogram/Session27792.html>http://apha.confex.com/apha/137am/webprogram/Session27792.html. 

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USEFUL RESOURCES
=================

Reid Ewing and Eric Dumbaugh (2009), “The Built 
Environment and Traffic Safety: A Review of 
Empirical Evidence,” Journal of Planning 
Literature, Vol. 23 No. 4, May 2009, pp. 347-367; 
at 
<http://jpl.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/4/347>http://jpl.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/4/347. 

The article reaches two conclusions counter to 
accepted transportation engineering theory. 
First, the traffic environments of dense urban 
areas appear to be safer than the lower-volume 
environments of the suburbs. The reason is that 
many fewer miles are driven on a per capita 
basis, and the driving that is done is at lower 
speeds that are less likely to produce fatal 
crashes. Second, at least in dense urban areas, 
less-“forgiving” design treatments­such as narrow 
lanes, traffic-calming measures, and street trees 
close to the roadway­appear to enhance a 
roadway’s safety performance when compared to 
more conventional roadway designs.


Plan-It Calgary (http://www.calgary.ca/planit ) 
is a comprehensive regional planning program that 
has sponsored excellent research including:
"Housing Affordability and Smart Growth in 
Calgary" by Ray Tomalty and Murtaza Haider 
(http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/BU/planning/pdf/plan_it/housing_afford_and_smarth_growth_report.pdf 
).
"The Built Environment and Health" by Lawrence 
Frank & Co 
(http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/BU/planning/pdf/plan_it/health_and_wellness_reports.pdf 
)

"Traffic & Transportation Policies and Strategies 
in Urban Areas in India" 
(http://urbanindia.nic.in/moud/programme/ut/Traffic_transportation.pdf ).
This study by Wilbur Smith developed a Transport 
Performance Index for evaluating urban 
transportation systems and prioritizing system 
improvements in Indian cities. It consists of the following factors:
    * Public Transport Accessibility Index (the 
inverse of the average distance (in km) to the 
nearest bus stop/railway station (suburban/metro).
    * Service Accessibility Index (% of Work 
trips accessible in 15 minutes time).
    * Congestion Index (average peak-period 
journey speed relative to a target journey speed).
    * Walkability Index (quantity and quality of 
walkways relative to roadway lengths).
    * City Bus Transport Supply Index (bus service supply per capita).
    * Para-Transit Supply Index (para-transit vehicle  supply per capita).
    * Safety Index (1/traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents).
    * Slow Moving Vehicle (Cycling) Index 
(availability of cycling facilities and cycling mode share).
    * On-street Parking Interference Index 
(1/(portion of major road length used for 
on-street parking + on-street parking demand).

"Footfalls: Obstacle Course To Livable Cities" 
(http://www.cseindia.org/campaign/apc/pdf/Walkability.pdf 
) by the Right To Clean Air Campaign, Centre For Science And Environment
This study provides Detailed analysis of walking 
conditions in Indian cities. This analysis 
indicates that walkability is overlooked and 
undervalued in transport planning, and that 
improved walkability is justified for equity and 
efficiency sake. It provides specific 
recommendations for improving walking conditions 
to address a variety of planning objectives.


"Reclaiming City Streets For People: Chaos Or 
Quality Of Life?" 
(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/pubs/pdf/streets_people.pdf 
), by the European Commission Directorate-General For The Environment.
This guidebook describes why and how to 
reallocate urban road space to improve walking 
and cycling conditions, and create more livable 
communities. It includes recommendations for 
implementation, and several case studies.


"Applying Health Impact Assessment To Land 
Transport Planning" 
(http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/research/reports/375.pdf )
This study, sponsored by the New Zealand 
Transport Agency, assesses the need for health 
impact assessment (HIA), in the context of the 
New Zealand Transport Strategy and relevant 
legislation, and provides recommendations for 
better integrating HIA into transportation planning.



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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