[sustran] NEWS RELEASE - Online TDM Encyclopedia

[Todd Litman]

November 15, 2001
For Immediate Release

                          * NEWS RELEASE *
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                    VTPI Online TDM Encyclopedia
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The newly revised Online TDM Encyclopedia is now the most comprehensive
international resource available for innovative management solutions to
transportation problems. The Encyclopedia provides detailed information on
dozens of ways to increase transportation system efficiency and equity. It
contains more than 90 chapters, hundreds of pages of text, and thousands of
hyperlinks for instant access to resources and references. It is available
free at the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI) website:
http://www.vtpi.org.

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The Online TDM Encyclopedia is designed to help transportation
professionals throughout the world identify, evaluate, plan and implement
Transportation Demand Management strategies. It is the only website that
provides comprehensive information on TDM in an easy-to-use format.
International experts in a variety of disciplines helped develop the
Encyclopedia, which is regularly updated and expanded by the Victoria
Transport Policy Institute. It contains many new and updated sections, with
more information on specific strategies, evaluation techniques and best
practices.

The Encyclopedia rates strategies according to their ability to help
achieve various objectives (congestion reduction, road safety, consumer
choice, environmental protection, etc.), their benefits and costs, equity
impacts, and appropriateness for use in various situations. 

The Encyclopedia also contains information on evaluation methods,
transportation price elasticities, land use impacts on travel behavior,
economic impacts, equity analysis, safety impacts, and sustainable
transportation issues. It is an integrated system that lets you quickly and
easily find answers to your community's transportation problems.

New features include:

*	SOLUTIONS TO MAJOR TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS - New chapters identify
solutions to specific transportation problems, including: traffic
congestion, pollution emissions, energy consumption, parking problems,
community livability impacts, equity, traffic safety, and public health.
Each chapter provides a comprehensive menu of potential options for
addressing each problem.

*	PARKING MANAGEMENT - New and expanded chapters including "Parking
Solutions," "Parking Evaluation," "Parking Management," "Parking Pricing"
and "Bicycle Parking," provide information on a variety of ways to address
parking problems and use parking resources more efficiently.

*	ACCESSIBILITY - An extensive new chapter titled "Accessibility" describes
the concept of accessibility and its implications for transportation and
land use planning. 

*	PLANNING AND EVALUATION - Chapters on "TDM Planning and Implementation,"
"Evaluating TDM," "Comprehensive Transportation Evaluation," "Measuring
Transportation," "Evaluating Safety Impacts of TDM" and "Evaluating
Nonmotorized Transportation" provide theoretical and practical information
for developing and applying TDM programs.

*	TRANSPORTATION COST, BENEFITS AND STATISTICS - Chapters on
"Transportation Cost and Benefits," "Costs of Driving and Savings From
Reduced Vehicle Use," and "Transportation Statistics," each with links to
Internet data sources.

*	NONMOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION - Chapters on "Nonmotorized Transportation
Planning," "Pedestrian Improvements," "Bicycling Improvements," "Small
Wheeled Transport" (skates, push scooters, handcarts, etc.), "Walking and
Cycling Encouragement," "Bicycle Parking," and "Evaluating Nonmotorized
Transportation."

*	SAFETY, RESILIENCE, SECURITY AND HEALTH IMPACTS OF TDM - New chapters
examine transportation system safety, resilience, security and health
impacts, and how demand management strategies can help achieve these goals.

*	INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS - The "Individual Actions for Efficient
Transportation" chapter describes ways that people can apply transportation
management solutions in their own lives.

*	PRINTABLE - The Encyclopedia can now be printed directly by your browser.
Text and images can be copied into word processing files for use in reports
and analysis. 


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BACKGROUND
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What is TDM?
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is a general term for strategies
that increase transportation system efficiency. It is a new way to view
transportation problems that greatly expands the menu of possible
solutions. TDM can be applied in tandem with, or as an alternative to, more
conventional responses. 

Why Manage Transportation Demand?
There are many reasons to manage transportation demand:

Multiple Benefits
Transportation Demand Management can provide multiple benefits including
congestion reduction, road and parking facility cost savings, consumer
savings, improved transportation choice, road safety, environmental
quality, community livability, efficient land use, and equity. As a result,
total benefits are often much greater than other solutions that only
address one or two problems.

Cost Effective
When all benefits and costs are considered, Transportation Demand
Management is often the most cost effective solution to transportation
problems. TDM can provide significant savings by reducing and deferring the
need to increase road and parking capacity, reducing vehicle operating
costs, and reducing crashes and pollution emissions. 

Flexibility
TDM provides a flexible response to many types of transportation problems,
including those that are urgent, temporary, variable or unpredictable. TDM
programs can often be implemented quickly, and can be tailored to a
particular situation and user group. Demand management avoids the risk that
a major capital investment will prove wasteful due to unforeseen changes in
transportation needs.

Consumer Benefits
TDM can provide direct and indirect consumers benefits. Many TDM strategies
use positive incentives. They improve transportation options and provide
new financial savings or other benefits to reduce vehicle use. In addition,
TDM can be a cost effective way to reduce traffic congestion, parking
problems, crash risk and pollution emissions, all of which benefits consumers.

Equity
TDM can help achieve equity objectives. It can result in a fairer
allocation of resources between different demographic and geographic
groups. Many strategies directly benefit people who are economically,
physically or socially disadvantaged by improving transportation options
available to non-drivers. 

Economic Justifications
Many Transportation Demand Management strategies reflect Market Principles.
They correct existing market distortions, which increases economic
efficiency, equity and consumer benefits. TDM supports economic development
by increasing productivity and reducing external costs.

Sustainable Transportation
Transportation Demand Management can help create more Sustainable
Transportation. TDM reflects sustainability principles of efficiency and
integration, and can help achieve sustainability objectives including
resource conservation, equity, environmental protection, efficient land
use, and public involvement. 

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ABOUT VTPI
The Encyclopedia is produced by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an
independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative and
practical tools for solving transportation problems. The VTPI website has
numerous resources addressing a wide range of transport planning and policy
issues. VTPI also provides consulting services.


For more information contact:

Todd Litman, Director
Victoria Transport Policy Institute
1250 Rudlin Street
Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada
Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560
E-mail:  litman at vtpi.org
Website: http://www.vtpi.org