When facing congestion or a lack of parking, a transportation demand management (TDM) program is a great alternative to building new infrastructure. TDM reduces reliance on single-occupancy automobiles and associated parking demand. A well-planned and executed TDM program can be a cost-effective way to deal with transportation headaches.
The goal of TDM is to change the culture, or at least change the behaviors of a portion of your commuters, so that they consider transportation modes other than driving alone.
We’ve found that a good TDM program strikes a fine balance between the demand for adequate parking, a concern for traffic flow, commitments to sustainability, and the ability to afford the additional parking infrastructure.
In developing a TDM plan, we consider the following alternative transportation modes and demand reduction concepts:
- Biking, safe bike infrastructure, and secure bike parking
- Walking and safe sidewalks/paths
- Transit and shuttles
- Carpooling/Vanpooling (including preferential parking for carpools)
- Support services that make it easier to use TDM programs, such as:
- Ride matching services for carpools/vanpools
- Occasional parking privileges
- Guaranteed ride home
- Ride-hailing apps
- Remote work policies
- Modification of parking policies, including fees and allocations
- Education programs, marketing campaigns, and supporting materials
Our process for developing TDM plans is both quantitative and qualitative, including data collection, community engagement, surveys of behaviors and preferences, field observations, and environmental scans of TDM programs and infrastructure (and/or their potential).
Here are a few examples of how we’ve put these concepts into actionable plans for our clients:
Ready to learn more about how TDM can help you? Contact David Lieb, TDM-CP for a friendly chat about your options.
