The effectiveness of travel demand management actions in suburban activity centers : case study

This research attempted to estimate the effectiveness of travel demand management (TDM) programs in mitigating traffic congestion problems at two suburban activity centers in Tennessee cities. The approach used by this study consisted of analyzing one intersection in each study site, and determining probable changes in their levels of service due to the implementation of a preselected set of TDM strategies under different employer participation scenarios. Models for predicting reductions in peak hour vehicle trips were identified from previous researches. The study also examined if there was any scope of reducing traffic congestion through low-cost traffic engineering improvements.

The results led to the conclusion that the ability of TDM programs focused on the employees of a SAC to alleviate the traffic congestion problems of developing suburban activity centers may be limited. Areawide TDM measures would be necessary to affect a larger portion of traffic and to achieve significant reductions in travel. Although traffic engineering improvements were found to be more effective than demand control actions, the role of TDM measures as a supplementary and/or long term strategy should not be neglected.