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Center for Urban Transportation Research
at the University of South Florida

Publications

The following lists some of the TDM-related publications available at CUTR.

NOTE: Some of the following reports are only in Adobe format (pdf). Before viewing, you may need to first download Adobe Acrobat Reader from the Adobe website.

2004 Evaluation of South Florida Commuter Services

South Florida Commuter Services is a regional commuter assistance program that serves Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties in South Florida. Funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, the program is dedicated to improving South Florida's traffic congestion through many services that promote alternatives to single occupancy vehicle travel. During 2004, South Florida Commuter Services (SFCS) has continued to improve its programs and services as measured by the required and optional performance measures of the Florida Department of Transportation's Commuter Assistance Program evaluation criteria.  For more information, contact Chris Hagelin at hagelin@cutr.usf.edu | Final Report in PDF format

Statewide Survey on Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities

To improve the planning, implementation, and maintenance of bicycle and pedestrian facilities, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) needs to periodically assess the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of Florida residents in regard to bicycling and walking facilities. This survey and report were designed to provide statewide measurements on Florida residents’ satisfaction with bicycle and pedestrian facilities and collect data on bicycling behavior. The project was funded by Florida Department of Transportation Safety Office. For more information, contact Chris Hagelin at hagelin@cutr.usf.edu | Final Report in PDF format

Price Elasticity of Rideshare: Commuter Fringe Benefits & Parking Cash-Out (527-14)

The goal of this research project was to determine the price elasticity of rideshare with specific objectives of helping to assess what the effect on ridership would be if the effective price paid by the traveler was substantially reduced (i.e., increase in employer co-pay) or increased (i.e., decrease in employer co-pay). While there are multiple modes for providing rideshare, this research was limited to the study of vanpools. The quantitative analysis used the Puget Sound data set and applied the regression and Logit models to analyze the impact of fares and other factors on mode choice. Further qualitative analysis was done using simple elasticity and tabular analyses using data sets from several Florida agencies and others from other states to provide an overview of vanpool elasticities and operations in general. While the study found only a limited interpretation of the elasticity, it generated a significant interest in the role of employer subsidies

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Telecommunications and Its Future Role in the Public Transportation Arena (416-01)

The objective of this report is to investigate current conditions in the application of telecommunications to TDM programs that support public transportation statewide. The report provides the results of a survey of transit agencies nationwide to ascertain whether transit agencies are currently using or plan to use telecommuting and telecommunications in their program of services in the future. The research also identifies trends in the telecommunications industry that may have a bearing on travel behavior and subsequent public transit planning. The report provides recommendations on how transit and other transportation agencies can respond to changing conditions.

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Land Developer Participation in Providing for Bus Transit Facilities/Operations (416-06)

This report provides an overview of the various non-regulatory and regulatory approaches for engaging private sector land developer participation in contributing toward the provision of public bus transit capital facilities and the cost of operations. The focusing elements of this report include involvement by land developers regarding cases of new land development or redevelopment, in which there was provided funding or other contributions to public bus capital facilities or operations, under circumstances applicable to Florida localities. This report provides examples of the provision of both on-site and off-site bus facility improvements. This investigation included a review of case studies nationwide, and it is believed that most of the information in this report would be of value to readers nationwide. Case studies feature 16 examples from eight Florida counties or municipalities and 15 additional examples from nine other states.

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Expanding Commuter Choice Tax Benefit Options (473-08)

There are three primary goals associated with this project. The first goal is to evaluate the current level of use of Commuter Choice among employers. The evaluation will begin with a review of previous studies focused on Commuter Choice programs in order to gain a historical perspective. Following a review of previous projects, CUTR will examine how and if tax data can be used determine the current level of participation in Commuter Choice programs, and specifically the use of the Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefit (IRS Code Section 132(f). If current use cannot be determined though tax data, CUTR will distribute a survey to employers in order to determine current usage rates. The second goal of the project is to explore how Commuter Choice Programs can be expanded to provide maximum utility to employers beyond what is currently offered to employees. CUTR will conduct interviews with employers to determine methods for expanding Commuter Choice benefits. From these interviews and the data collected in previous steps, CUTR’s final goal is to develop a set of recommendations for expanding the benefits of Commuter Choice programs. | HTML

Evaluation of Shared Use Park & Ride Impact on Properties (527-10)

The purpose of this study is to document the economic benefit of shared use park and ride facilities located at retail centers. Transit agencies usually perceive shared use park and ride as mutually beneficial to both the transit agency through savings in land and development costs and to park and ride providers through an increase in customer base and sales. In contrast, park and ride providers may hold negative perceptions about shared use park and ride and often feel that allowing a shared use park and ride on their property will bring problems such as increased liability, vandalism, and litter, and will occupy spaces that potential shoppers might have used. This study attempts to document whether the presence of a “Shared Use Park & Ride” has influence on shopping behavior patterns, whether it generates revenues for park and ride providers, and whether it generates ridership for transit service providers. | HTML format

Quantifying the Business Benefits of TDM

The objective of this research was to assess research that has been conducted and current practices in quantifying the business benefits of public transportation and transportation demand management, and to review the various tools and procedures that have been used to measure business benefits. The transportation literature was largely void of rigorous studies that document the link between the TDM strategies and tangible business benefits such as reducing the need to build parking. The review of the efforts to quantify business benefits by employers and agencies points to several clear conclusions and recommendations: (1) Increase public sector research and technical assistance efforts to evaluate employer TDM programs for the impacts on business, not only transportation and emission impacts (2) Expand the tracking of employer-provided commute benefits to include parking by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and (3) integrate, update, and aggressively distribute the tools.  (A National Center for Transit Research project)

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Value Pricing - HOT Lanes in South Florida

The purpose of this project was to evaluate commuter acceptance and equity impacts of the potential programs to convert High-Occupancy-Vehicle (HOV) lanes into High-Occupancy-Toll (HOT) Lanes. Specifically, the project in question was the HOV lane on I-95 in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties The project was conducted in the following stages: (1)Literature Review (2) Equity Analysis and (3) General Public Attitude Survey Implementation and Analysis. To conduct the equity analysis of the potential for development of the HOT Lane, CUTR followed the process outlined in the Community Impact Assessment Manual developed by CUTR for FDOT. There appear to be potential effects from the HOT Lane that could have inequitable impacts, particularly related to race. The main finding from the survey was that the general public does not believe that implementation of a HOT Lane on the HOV corridor in South Florida would be a particularly good idea. On a scale of 1 to 10, over 50% of respondents gave the lowest possible rating, a ‘1’. Breakdowns by demographic and use characteristics provided groups that varied somewhat in their opposition to the idea but did not identify specific groups that were strongly in favor of the idea. Potential strategies for communicating how funding would be used might increase support somewhat, but much of the increase would come among people who already support the idea.

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Proximate Commuting

Transportation Demand Management strategies are those methods of reducing demand on the transportation system through behavioral change: either by reducing the distance traveled by the commuter, or by adjusting the time of travel outside peak hours of congestion. These techniques are distinguished from supply-side tactics that seek to increase the transportation system capacity by building new roads, widening existing roads, or constructing new parking facilities. There are various strategies aimed at reducing transportation demand, whether redistributing traffic across peak hours of travel, or shifting mode away from single-occupant vehicle (SOV) trip making. By spreading the demand for transportation across peak hours and across days, the time and distance commuters spend in the system can be minimized. Telecommuting, for example, enables an employee who works from home to minimize both time and distance required to commute to work. Alternately, ridesharing maximizes the capacity of vehicles – increasing the number of riders in a private vehicle or increasing bus or rail ridership – resulting in fewer individual vehicles on the road at a given moment.

While these methods for reducing traffic congestion frequently are the primary focus of local transportation management organizations or regional commuter assistance programs, they often conflict with the common American affinity for driving alone in one’s personal vehicle. A proximate commuting program is an alternate TDM strategy that enables commuters to retain use of their private automobile, while still reducing the demand on the transportation system. An employer-sponsored proximate commuting program seeks to match eligible employees with the job-site location closest to their home, thereby reducing the time and distance spent commuting to work.

This project explores the potential benefits and potential obstacles to implementation of a proximate commuting program within a multi-site employer. By securing the participation of a selected employer in Hillsborough County, Florida, the project sought to utilize real-time data to explore this strategy and assess the impacts of the program on transportation behavior. If the research and early feasibility assessment proved positive, the further intention of the research was to provide operational and marketing recommendations on how to develop and implement a proximate commuting program.

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Hillsborough County Long Range TDM Plan and the Pinellas County Long Range TDM Plan

Under contract to Bay Area Commuter Services, Inc., CUTR analyzed several scenarios of transportation demand management (TDM) strategies to provide assessment of each scenario in the Year 2025.  This information provided input on the role and needs of TDM programs to be addressed in each MPO's Long Range Transportation Plan for the Year 2025.  The project identified the key measures of effectiveness (i.e., vehicle miles of travel, vehicle trips, mode split, and emissions) for assessing the impact of TDM in each county; reviewed each county's 2020 Long Range Transportation and Comprehensive Plans; reviewed similar plans from five peer communities to identify approaches used by those communities; identified strategies for analysis at several levels: countywide, activity centers and employer site level. An analysis was conducted using the Environmental Protection Agency’s COMMUTER Model to assess effects of different combinations of TDM strategies on the key measures of effectiveness. These strategies were identified by the Advisory Committee and grouped into four scenarios. The potential policies and/or program changes related to, but were not limited to, a comprehensive employer outreach program, the provision of transit and vanpool benefits by employers, planned improvements to transit system, and growth in the adoption of compressed work week and telecommuting programs by employers.  Analyses for several major activity centers within each county also were conducted. Report includes impacts on performance measures and estimated costs for various programs.

Hillsborough County (Tampa)  pdf version | HTML version

Pinellas County (St. Petersburg/Clearwater) pdf version | HTML version

Statewide Commuter Assistance Program Evaluation Project

The Statewide Commuter Assistance Program (CAP) Evaluation Research Project was commissioned and funded by the Florida Department of Transportation's Research Ideas Program. The purpose of this research project was to provide a systematic evaluation of the performance of Florida's commuter assistance programs from two perspectives: 

1. Impact on the commuting patterns and awareness of the general public; and, 

2. Impact on the commuting patterns and awareness of each CAP database of commuters, which are comprised of commuters who have called or otherwise applied for commuting assistance and/or information. 

There were three documents produced as part of this project:  

• Performance Measures for South Florida Commuter Services and Bay Area Commuter Services 
  This report focuses on the performance measures available to Florida Commuter Assistance Program (CAP) offices to determine program progress and/or effectiveness. The performance measures are divided into three sections: 

  • required performance measures 

  • optional performance measures 

  • other performance measures. 

As the name suggests, required performance measures are those that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has mandated that all CAP offices in Florida must track and report on at least an annual basis. These performance measures are specified on pages 8-9 of the Commuter Assistance Program procedures, dated May 5, 1997. District optional performance measures are those that FDOT have determined are appropriate for some of the CAP programs and, at CAP and FDOT District option, can be reported to show progress and/or performance. Other performance measures are those that can help a CAP illustrate the effectiveness of their programs in meeting program or regional objectives.
pdf version | HTML version

• General Public Survey Results 
  This report summarizes the findings from a survey of the general public conducted with 1,410 residents of Florida distributed throughout the state.
  pdf version | HTML version

• Database Survey Results 
  This report summarizes the findings from a survey of the ridematching databases for South Florida Commuter Services (Miami-Dade/Ft. Lauderdale) and Bay Area Commuter Services (Tampa Bay)  conducted with 1,410 residents of Florida distributed throughout the state.
  pdf version | HTML version

Dynamic Parking Pricing Project 

Traffic congestion is an increasing problem in many metropolitan areas that support large commuter populations. Dynamic Parking Pricing is one proposed strategy to control traffic congestion in these types of areas by providing commuters with financial incentives to change their traffic habits. This method, would vary parking pricing by times of day and provide incentives for drivers to commute in off-peak, shoulder times to better spread the peak of congestion. This project is replicable for other areas; however, a study should be completed to ensure that your planned location would benefit from a Dynamic Parking Program. For areas considering implementing a similar program, this manual explains the various steps and procedures involved in the proposed methodology by using the example of the “Dynamic Pricing Parking Project” in Tampa, FL. 
pdf version | HTML version

Reducing Vehicle Trips and Vehicle Miles of Travel Through Customized Travel Options

1. Collect baseline travel data 

2. Provide experimental group with customized travel suggestions, while not providing this information to control group 

3. Collect travel data after providing the suggestions 

A total of 75 individuals in 39 households participated in the research. An analysis of covariance was conducted on the average contributed vehicle miles of travel and contributed vehicle trips, using the second week’s results as the dependent variable. The provision of suggestions had a statistically significant effect on vehicle miles and trips contributed. Overall, this experiment showed that the provision of travel information will r educe vehicle miles of travel. Further research should be conducted to indicate the extent to which such information needs to be customized.
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A Market-Based Approach to Cost-Effective Trip Reduction Program Design

The purpose of this Florida Department of Transportation Research Center-funded project was to quantitatively estimate the impacts of various mixes of TDM strategies and incentives on ridesharing tendencies. A major component of this project was to develop estimates of impacts under different conditions using identical methodologies and to test whether projected impacts were the same across all situations tested. This project was designed to accomplish the following three objectives: 

1. To determine if the impacts of selected TDM strategies are similar in different areas within Florida itself; 

2. If so, to determine if these impacts are also similar to impacts measured in other areas of the nation from other SP discrete choice studies 

3. To provide a mechanism for the development of effective TDM strategies for the areas surveyed, which included Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, and Tampa-St. Petersburg.
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Vanpool Pricing and Financing Guide

This guide was funded by the Florida Department of Transportation Research Center and developed by the TDM Team at CUTR to help transit agencies and others starting a vanpool program understand the process of building value in vanpooling as well as develop effective financing and pricing strategies. More precisely, the guide shows how various vanpool operators are not in the "vanpool business" but the "people business."
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1999 Commuter Assistance Program Evaluation Manual (pdf)
This manual was developed to assist Florida’s Commuter Assistance Programs (CAP) in their efforts to measure and evaluate their performance. As such, this manual focuses on providing the information necessary for a CAP to devise and conduct their own evaluation program. It will also provide guidance on how to report the results of that evaluation so that key CAP funders, elected officials, and the general public can understand and appreciate the efforts of the CAP in addressing traffic congestion, air quality, and mobility concerns. (Source: Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida)

An Evaluation Toolkit for Florida’s Commuter Assistance Programs (CAP): A Companion to the 1999 CAP Evaluation Manual (pdf)
This manual is a companion piece to the Commuter Assistance Program Evaluation Manual that was developed to assist Florida’s Commuter Assistance Programs (CAP) in their efforts to measure and evaluate their performance. While the CAP Evaluation Manual provides a detailed description of how to devise conduct, analyze, and report an evaluation, this manual is intended to provide a basic understanding of how a CAP can meet the minimum evaluation requirements of the Florida Department of Transportation.  The first part describes the performance measures that are required and/or available to evaluate CAP program efforts, including how to obtain the data necessary to measure CAP performance. Where appropriate, guidance is provided on how to calculate performance. The second part provides the basics on how to evaluate, including how to select performance measures, and how to conduct the evaluation. The appendix includes a sample survey the CAP program can use to obtain all necessary survey data to address the FDOT required and optional performance measures.

Florida's TMA Evaluation Criteria
A comprehensive approach to the planning, operation, and evaluation of transportation management associations and organizations.  The criteria are built around the principles of the Malcolm Baldridge Award for Quality. Background information  contains information about the purpose behind the criteria, the key characteristics for the criteria and the instructions/advice for using the criteria. A detailed description of the criteria is also provided.

Commute Alternatives Systems Handbook (pdf)
This handbook provides an introduction to transportation demand management.

TMA Clearinghouse Quarterly newsletter
Various articles from this quarterly publication on Transportation Management Associations and TDM. This newsletter is no longer published.

Special Presentations

How Florida TMAs Measure Up

Analysis of Florida TMAs from 2003 TMA Survey, presented by Sara Hendricks, CUTR.

Student Projects

 

HTML HTML			TDM in Europe: A Synthesis of Research Findings (473-133) Annotated Bibliography of TDM in Europe (473-133biblio)
HTML			Commuter Choice Managers and Parking Managers Coordination: Public Transportation Synthesis Series (473-134)
HTML			Building Transit Oriented Development in Established Communities: Public Transportation Synthesis Series (473-135)

Center for Urban Transportation Research · University of South Florida · 4202 E. Fowler Ave., CUT 100
· Tampa, FL 33620-5375
  (813) 974-3120 · (813) 974-5168 (fax) · winters@cutr.usf.edu