[sustran] VTPI News - Spring 2014

[Todd Litman]

                   -----------

                 VTPI NEWS

                    -----------

              Victoria Transport Policy Institute

              "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"

              -------------------------------------

              Spring 2014    Vol. 14, No. 1

              -----------------------------------

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.

               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

NEW VTPI DOCUMENTS

====================

"Critique of 'Transit Utilization and Traffic Congestion: Is There a
Connection?'" (http://www.vtpi.org/R&M_critique.pdf ).

The study, 'Transit Utilization and Traffic Congestion: Is There a
Connection?' by Thomas A. Rubin and Fatma Mansour, found a positive
correlation between public transit utilization (per capita transit trips and
passenger-miles) and traffic congestion intensity (increased Travel Time
Index) among U.S. cities. They claim this demonstrates that public transit
is ineffective at reducing congestion. This report critiques their study.
Their analysis:

·         Contains omissions and biases which tend to underestimate the
congestion reductions provided by high quality transit. 

·         Uses congestion intensity rather than congestion costs indicators,
and so it ignores the congestion avoided by users of grade-separated
transit.

·         Fails to account for confounding factors such as city size,
density and employment rates.

·         Includes all regional transit use although only high quality,
grade separated service on major urban corridors is expected to reduce
congestion. 

Other studies which account for these factors indicate that high quality
transit can reduce congestion. As a result of their omissions and biases,
Rubin and Mansour’s study provides no guidance for answering policy
questions such as whether appropriate transit service improvements can help
reduce congestion, and how to maximize the value of transit investments.

 

PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE

=================== 

"Testing The Housing And Transportation Affordability Index In A Developing
World Context: A Sustainability Comparison Of Central And Suburban Districts
In Qom, Iran"
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X14000377 ). This
article by Ali A. Isalou, Todd Litman and Behzad Shahmoradi, published in
'Transport Policy' applies Housing and Transportation (H+T) Affordability
Index analysis in Qom City, Iran. The results indicate that suburban-area
households spend over 57% of their monthly income on housing and transport,
significantly more than the 45% spent by households in the central district.
This illustrates the feasibility of applying housing and transportation
affordability analysis in developing country cities to help identify truly
affordable and sustainable development.

 

"Evaluating Public Transportation Local Funding Options"
(http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/JPT17.1.pdf ). This
article published in the 'Journal of Public Transportation' describes and
evaluates eighteen potential local funding options suitable for financing
public transportation projects and services. These options are evaluated
according to eight criteria, including potential revenue, predictability and
sustainability, horizontal and vertical equity, travel impacts, strategic
development objectives, public acceptance and ease of implementation. This
is a somewhat larger set of options, and more detailed and systematic
evaluation, than most previous studies. This study discovered no new options
that are particularly cost effective and easy to implement; each has
disadvantages and constraints. As a result, its overall conclusion is that a
variety of funding options should be used to help finance the local share of
public transit improvements to insure stability and distribute costs
broadly.

 

"Ready or Waiting" (http://www.vtpi.org/AVIP_TTI_Jan2014.pdf ). This article
in 'Traffic Technology International' discusses how autonomous, self-driving
vehicles are likely to develop and be deployed during the next few decades,
and how they are likely to affect transport planning decisions such as road
and parking supply, as well as public transit demand.

 

"Smarter Congestion Relief In Asian Cities: Win-Win Solutions To Urban
Transport Problems" (http://www.vtpi.org/T&C_congestion_relief.pdf ). This
article published in 'Transport and Communications Bulletin for Asia and the
Pacific' describes new and better ways to solve urban traffic congestion
problems. It emphasizes win-win strategies that help achieve multiple
planning objectives and therefore maximize overall benefits. The win-win
approach can be applied to many types of transportation problems, and is
particularly appropriate in rapidly-developing Asian cities. 

 

"Transportation Demand Management: Win-Win Solutions to Transport Problems"
(http://tinyurl.com/ljvj5m ). These proceedings from the 2012 International
Conference on Mobility and Transport include Todd Litman’s keynote
presentation on win-win solutions. The papers are diverse, ranging from
theoretical discussions of "How and Why Planners Make Traffic Increasing
Plans" to various case studies of demand management efforts, including
walking, cycling and public transport improvements.

"Long-Run Trends in Car Use"
(http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/pub/new.html ). This report
summarises Transportation Research Forum Roundtable 152 which examined
changes in car use. It found that many developed countries are experiencing
motor vehicle travel peaking. The task for policy-makers is to identify
transportation strategies that can respond to changing and
difficult-to-predict travel demands.

 

"Avoiding Bridge Tolls Probably Not Saving You Much"
(http://tinyurl.com/o5h5p5b ). This 'Vancouver Sun' newspaper article
discusses whether it is rational for motorists to drive several kilometers
from a new bridge to an older bridge to avoid paying $3.00 tolls, and the
implications of such toll avoidance for transport policy. 

 

Recent Planetizen Blogs (http://www.planetizen.com/blog/2394 ):

"Economically Successful Cities Favor Space-Efficient Modes"
(http://www.planetizen.com/node/67722 )

"Road Tolls Are Fair and Benefit the Poor"
(http://www.planetizen.com/node/67554 )

"Location Optimization Tools: Toward More Comprehensive and Multi-Modal
Indicators" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/67261 )

"How Should We Measure Traffic Congestion?"
(http://www.planetizen.com/node/67172 )

"More Bicycle Route Debate, Or Valuing Multi-Modalism"
(http://www.planetizen.com/node/67037 )

"Smarter Congestion Evaluation – An Example"
(http://www.planetizen.com/node/66726 )

“Smarter Congestion Solutions in 2014" (http://www.planetizen.com/node/66677
)

"Who Subsidizes Whom? " (http://www.planetizen.com/node/66359 )

"Mythbusting: Exposing Half-Truths That Support Automobile Dependency"
(http://www.planetizen.com/node/66268 )

 

Let’s be friends.  Todd Litman regularly posts on his Facebook page
(http://www.facebook.com/todd.litman ). Befriend him now!

 

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

=======================

"How Communities Can Reduce Transportation Emissions By 50%"
(http://tinyurl.com/qdh9suy ), BC Sustainable Energy Association 11 March
2014 podcast, including slideshow and UTube video links.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

==================

I-TED 2014 – International Transportation Economic Development Conference
(https://tti.tamu.edu/conferences/ited2014 ), 9-11 April, Dallas, Texas.
Todd Litman will be presenting three papers, which we will post on our
website in the future.

 

USEFUL RESOURCES

=================

"Preliminary Evaluation of Alternative Methods of Transportation Analysis"
(http://opr.ca.gov/docs/PreliminaryEvaluationTransportationMetrics.pdf ) by
the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research, discusses new
ways to evaluate urban transportation system performance. This is part of
the state’s efforts to develop more comprehensive and multi-modal indicators
for transportation project evaluation. This issue is discussed in my
Planetizen column, "Change Management: Do Planners Lead or Follow?"
(http://www.planetizen.com/node/67340 ). VTPI submitted comments titled,
"Beyond Roadway Level-of-Service: Improving Transport System Impact
Evaluation" (http://www.vtpi.org/CGOP_LOS.pdf )/ 

 

"SLoCaT Results Framework on Sustainable Transport"
(http://www.slocat.net/resultsframework ) is a major international program
to provide guidance on sustainable transportation policies and targets to
incorporate into the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. They
welcome feedback.

 

"Rethinking Streets: An Evidence-Based Guide to 25 Complete Street
Transformations"
(http://pppm.uoregon.edu/news/book-simplifies-street-redesigns ) documents
twenty-five case studies from around the country that helped transform
streets to better accommodate walking, biking, and transit use while
enhancing commercial activity, with minimal to no negative impact on
automobile access. 

 

"Desarrollo Orientado al Transporte: Regenerar Las Ciudades Mexicanas Para
Majorar La
Movididad"(http://mexico.itdp.org/documentos/desarrollo-orientado-al-transpo
rte-dot ) and in English "Transit Oriented Development: Regenerate Mexican
Cities to Improve Mobility"
(http://mexico.itdp.org/wp-content/uploads/Transit-Oriented-Development.pdf
) by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, describes why
and how to create more walkable and transit-oriented communities

The National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates
(http://www.publictransportation.org ) is a national organization of
grassroots transit rider organizations and advocates that supports public
transportation improvements. 

 

"Saving Lives with Sustainable Transport"
(http://www.embarq.org/en/saving-lives-with-sustainable-transport ). This
new EMBARQ study investigates the safety impacts of sustainable transport
around the world. The evidence suggests that projects that improve
resource-efficient modes, such as high-quality public transport systems, and
reduce traffic, such as congestion charging, significantly increase traffic
safety in addition to other co-benefits.

 

"The Road to Prosperity: Real-Time Approaches to Economic Improvement"
(http://tinyurl.com/p5s2djw ) discusses how improving local transportation
options (walking, cycling, ridesharing and public transit) can help increase
true affordability, using Doña Ana County, a semi-rural New Mexico
community, as an example.

 

"The Economics of Transportation Systems: A Reference for Practitioners"
(http://tinyurl.com/q5e24oh ). This Online book by Professor Kara Kockelman
is designed to introduce transportation practitioners to the underlying
economic realities of their profession. It illustrates economic concepts
through transportation applications and case studies, covering a wide range
of topics including transportation costs and benefits, pricing, location
choices, project evaluation and economic impact analysis.

 

"The California Department of Transportation: SSTI Assessment and
Recommendations" (http://tinyurl.com/pq445l7 ). This report by the State
Smart Transportation Initiative (http://www.ssti.us ) provides an assessment
of the performance of the California Department of Transportation and
recommendations for improvement, particularly institutional reforms that
support more responsive, comprehensive and multi-modal transport planning.

 

"Travel Demand Management: An Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of TDM Plans In
Reducing Traffic And Parking In The Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area"
(http://tinyurl.com/q6db4s4 ). This report by Spack Consulting evaluates TDM
program effectiveness and potential financial savings. It finds that the TDM
plans evaluated on average reduce traffic generation 27-37% and parking
generation 11-21% compared with conventional standards.

 

"Has Motorization in the U.S. Peaked?"
(http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt/publications.html ). This series of reports
by Professor Michael Sivak explore current trends in U.S. vehicle ownership
and use, providing more compelling evidence of changing travel demands. 

 

"California Travel Shift"
(http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/news/pressrel/14pr021.htm ). California's
decennial household travel survey sampled more than 42,000 households in
2012. The results provide more evidence of a major shift in travel demands.
The survey shows that the average California household made about 25% fewer
automobile trips in 2012 than in 2001, and 65% to 75% more walking, biking,
and public transit trips. For more discussion see:
http://tinyurl.com/m2rmhke .

"A New Course: How Innovative University Programs Are Reducing Driving On
Campus And Creating New Models For Transportation Policy"
(http://uspirg.org/reports/usp/new-course ). This report by the Public
Interest Research Group describes various campus transportation management
programs.

 

"A Practical Tool For Multi-Modal Planning: Complete Streets Checklist"
(http://blog.tstc.org/2014/02/06/steal-this-complete-streets-checklist ) is
intended to help planners evaluate specific roadway projects. 

 

"Health and Smart Growth: Safety Tops Obesity"
(http://bettercities.net/news-opinion/blogs/robert-steuteville/20924/health-
and-smart-growth-safety-tops-obesity). This blob by Robert Steuteville
provides critical analysis of MIT’s Health + Urbanism study, based in part
on our research on smart growth traffic safety benefits. 

 

"Suburban Sprawl: Exposing Hidden Costs, Identifying Innovations"
(http://thecostofsprawl.com/report/SP_SuburbanSprawl_Oct2013_opt.pdf ). This
report evaluates the costs of dispersed, automobile-dependent development
and ways to reduce those costs.

 

"Urban Road-Building Linked to Poor Statewide Economic Performance"
(http://www.planetizen.com/node/66977 ). This blog by Shane Phillip finds
that roadway expansion is NEGATIVELY associated with productivity growth.
This is consistent with other research which indicates that once a region
has a mature highway system and peaking vehicle travel demand, as in most
economically developed countries, further investments in roadway expansion
are economically harmful because of their incremental costs. 

 

"Assessing the Potential for Reducing Life-Cycle Environmental Impacts
through Transit-Oriented Development Infill along Existing Light Rail in
Phoenix" (http://jpe.sagepub.com/content/33/4/395.full ) This study,
published in the 'Journal of Planning Education & Research', evaluates the
life-cycle energy and environmental impact assessment of the Phoenix light
rail system, taking into account both direct and indirect impacts from
vehicle and building production, and travel activity. The results indicate
significant potential energy savings, and both local and global (greenhouse
gas) emission reductions, plus economic and local livability benefits. It
concluded that marginal benefits from new rail services are likely to
significantly exceed marginal costs.

 

GIZ Fuel Price Website
(https://energypedia.info/index.php/International_Fuel_Prices ) publishes
information on fuel prices for 135 countries around the world in a standard
format suitable for economic evaluation. Here are a couple of their recent
articles:
"Fuelling Controversy" (http://tinyurl.com/p7dhd3u ), published in 'The
Economist' describes efforts to reduce inefficient fuel subsidies in
developing countries. 'The Economic Cost of Global Fuel Subsidies'
(www.uce3.berkeley.edu/WP_069.pdf ), estimated that global gasoline and
diesel subsidies totalled $110 billion in 2012, primarily in
petroleum-producing countries that maintain low fuel prices. Under baseline
supply and demand elasticities assumptions annual world deadweight losses
are estimated to total $44 billion, or $76 to $92 billion including
increased external costs. 

 

"Tools for Sustainable Urban Transport Experts" (http://tinyurl.com/nv2ylom
). This new and comprehensive collection of urban transport tools aims to
provide support to experts in designing and implementing sustainable urban
transport strategies and measures. It is designed for experts involved in
urban transport and will help them to easily find appropriate measures and
approaches in order to make their urban transport vision come true.
Thematically, it covers all areas relevant to sustainable urban transport
including public and non-motorized transport, emission reduction strategies,
and pedestrian and bicycle friendly street design.

 

"Our Cities Ourselves: 10 Principles for Transport in Urban Life"
(http://www.itdp.org/documents/2010-OurCitiesOurselves_Booklet.pdf ). This
attractive and accessible booklet written by Gehl Architects for the
Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) describes how
cities can become more sustainable through better planning.

 

"Protected Bike Lanes Mean Business, People for Bike and Alliance for Biking
and Walking" (http://tinyurl.com/o3koex7 ). This report by the Alliance for
Biking and Walking (http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org ) describes ways
that cycling improvements support local economic development, including
supporting urban real estate development, helping businesses attract
talented workers, reducing healthcare costs, and supporting local retail
activity.

 

"Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design"
(http://thehappycity.com ). This enjoyable book by Charles Montgomery
discusses how better urban design can help people become happier, healthier
and wealthier. It cites scientific evidence but relies primarily on stories
about specific people and places to make its points. 

 

"A New Partnership: Rail Transit and Convention Growth"
(http://tinyurl.com/pgk3qv3 ). This report by the American Public
Transportation Association evaluates the role that high quality public
transit plays in the economic success of downtown convention centers. 

 

"The Economics of Place: The Value of Building Communities Around People"
(www.mml.org/economics_of_place_book/index.html ).This book describes why
and how cities and towns can support sustainable economic development by
implementing policies that emphasize multi-modal accessibility and urban
neighborhood quality. It shows that, as the economy becomes more global and
knowledge-based, competitiveness relies on attracting talented people and
the industries they support; in the old economy, people followed jobs, but
in the new economy, jobs follow talented people. 

 

"Social, Environmental and Economic Impacts of Bus Rapid Transit"
(http://www.wri.org/publication/saving-lives-sustainable-transport ). Bus
rapid transit (BRT) is a high-quality, efficient public transport mode. This
EMBARQ report provides a synthesis of existing literature and new data, and
develops a detailed analysis of BRT economic, environmental and social
impacts.

 

"From Here to There: A Creative Guide to Making Public Transport the Way to
Go" (http://tinyurl.com/p2bofwf ). This attractive guide by EMBARQ provides
practical advice for making public transportation attractive and
competitive.

 

"Children’s Travel Behaviour And Its Health Implications"
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X12000030 ). This
article by Roger Mackett published in Transport Policy examines the nature
of children’s travel behavior and implications for their physical activity
and health.

 

"Cycling, Health and Safety"
(http://internationaltransportforum.org/jtrc/safety/cycling.html ). This
report by the International Transport Forum evaluates overall cycling safety
and health impacts, and describes ways to improve cycling safety. It
concludes that health benefits can outweigh negative impacts by a factor of
20, and the key to maximizing net benefits to create safer paths and roads
through government policy and city action.

 

"Capacity Building on Sustainable Urban Transport" (http://capsut.org ) is
an international program dedicated to capacity building in sustainable urban
transport, including workshops, webinars and other learning opportunities.

 

2,000 photos of the SUTP Photo collection are now on Flickr!
(http://www.sutp.org/gallery/en-gallery )

 

"Optimizing Space to Decongest the Streets"
(http://www.transportsviables.org/projets-et-activites/292-question-despace-
english ) by the Quebec advocacy group Accès Transports Viables ("Access
Sustainable Transportation") illustrate the amount of road space required by
different travel modes, showing why it is important to favor space-efficient
modes on congested roads. They also have a clever video (in French) at
http://www.transportsviables.org/question-despace .

                 *    *    *    *    *

 

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 Litman (litman at vtpi.org)

Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org)

Office: 250-360-1560 | Mobile: 250-508-5150

1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA

“Efficiency - Equity - Clarity”