An Interim Introduction to the Handbook

TransitCooperativeResearchProgramSponsoredbytheFederalTransitAdministrationRESEARCHRESULTSDIGESTSeptember2003—Number61SubjectAreas:IAPlanningandAdministration,ResponsibleSeniorProgramOfficer:StephanA.ParkerIVAHighwayOperations,CapacityandTrafficControlVIPublicTransitTravelerResponsetoTransportationSystemChanges:AnInterimIntroductiontotheHandbookThisTCRPdigestisoneofaseriesofproductsfromTCRPProjectsB-12,B-12A,andB-12B,“Updatingthe‘TravelerResponsetoTransportationSystemChanges’Handbook(DOT-FH-11-9579).”ThisdigestwaswrittenbyRichardH.Pratt.CONTENTS•InterimIntroduction,2•HandbookContextandPreparation,2•UseoftheHandbook,6•References,14•AppendixA—ElasticityDiscussionandFormulae,16•AppendixB—InflationandCPIConversions,22Chapter14isthefirstof19stand-alonechapterstobepublishedasTCRPReport95.Theobjectiveofthisprojectistodevelopanup-to-dateandexpandedsourcebookonhowtraveldemandisaffectedbytransportationsystemchangesandbuiltenvironmentoptions.Thisdigestisstructuredtoserveasan“InterimIntroduction”fortheevolvingTravelerResponseHandbook,replacingChapter1,“Introduc-tion”ofthe“InterimHandbook”(availableasTCRPWebDocument12),andfacilitatingthetransitiontofinalmulti-volumepublicationasTCRPReport95.ThisdigestdescribestheTravelerResponseHand-book,containsthepublicationscheduleandinforma-tiononavailability,providesguidancetotheprospectiveHandbookuser,andincludestwoHandbookappendices.Itshouldbesavedforusewiththeprintedchaptersastheybecomeavailable.The“TravelerResponsetoTransportationSystemChanges”HandbookupdateisbeingpreparedbyRichardH.Pratt,Consultant,Inc.,inassociationwiththeTexasTransportationInstitute;JayEvansConsultingLLC;ParsonsBrinckerhoffQuade&Douglas,Inc.;CambridgeSystematics,Inc.;J.RichardKuzmyak,L.L.C.;SGAssociates,Inc.;GallopCorpora-tion;McCollomManagementConsulting,Inc.;HerbertS.Levinson,TransportationConsultant;andK.T.Analytics,Inc.2InterimIntroductionChanges/differencesinurbantransportationsystemde-sign,operationsandpolicy,andthebuiltenvironment:Howdotheyaffecttraveldemand?Theanswersarevitalinplan-ningandevaluatingtransportationproposalsandformakingeffectivedesign,operational,andpolicychangestourbantransportationsystems.Projectionsofthetripsbypersons,modeuse,andothermanifestationsofindividualtravelchoicesareafundamentalinputtomosttransportationplanningesti-matesincludingthoseoftrafficandpassengervolumes,congestion,revenues,costs,feasibility,travelbenefitsanddisbenefits,economicimpacts,energyuse,andenviron-mentaleffects.TheTravelerResponsetoTransportationSystemChangesHandbookhasservedtoassist—since1977—asatraveldemandreferencefortransportationpro-fessionals,providingaccessible,interpretativedocumenta-tionofactualresultsobtainedfromvarioustypesofurbantransportationactionsandoptions.TheThirdEditionwillbeavailableasTCRPReport95.HANDBOOKCONTEXTANDPREPARATIONInthisfirstofthetwomajorsectionsoftheIntroduction,theTravelerResponseHandbookisplacedincontextwithitsorigins,thecurrentupdate,andcompanionreferencedocuments;itsstagedpublicationisoutlinedintermsofchapteravailability;andscopeandkeyresearchstepsarecovered.Thesecondmajorsection,“UseoftheHandbook,”offersinformationprovidedinsupportofinformedandef-fectiveapplicationofthework.GenesisandCoverageoftheHandbookEarlierEditionsTheU.S.DepartmentofTransportation(U.S.DOT)pub-lishedtheFirstandSecondEditionsoftheTravelerRe-sponsetoTransportationSystemChangesHandbook(Pratt,Pedersen,andMather,1977;PrattandCopple,1981).AtthetimeoftheFirstEdition,energyandenvironmentalcon-cernsandashiftinemphasisawayfromcapitalintensiveprojectshadcausedseriousconsiderationoftransporta-tionalternativestoconstantlyincreasinglowoccupancyautomobileuse.RegulationshadbeenissuedrequiringTransportationSystemManagement(TSM)aspartoftheurbanplanningprocess.Accordingly,lowcapitalurbantransportationimprovements,bothTSMandtransit,weretheprimarysystemfocusoftheFirstEdition.BythetimeoftheSecondEdition,shrinkingtransporta-tionrevenues,risingconstructioncosts,andenergyscarcityhadmademoreeffectiveuseofexistingtransportationsys-temsessential.Therewasexpandedemphasisontrafficoperationsimprovements,ridesharing,priorityforhighoccupancyvehicles(HOV),transitserviceenhancements,variableworkhours,andotherTSMactions.Moreexperi-encehadbeengainedinapplicationofthesetypesofactions.However,whiletheSecondEditionreflectedthatadvance-mentinpracticalknowledgeandsubstantiallyexpandedoneachtopicarearetainedfromtheFirstEdition,coveragewasonlyprovidedforninecategoriesofsystemchange—andthatwasovertwodecadesago.CurrentUpdateFurthersubstantialinnovationsandadvancementshaveoccurredintransportationservicesprovisionandmanage-mentsinceSecondEditionTravelerResponseHandbookpublication,givenimpetusbythevariousTransportationEfficiency/EquityActsofCongress.Electronicmediahaveexpandedfare,fee,andtollpaymentoptions;highoccu-pancytoll(HOT)laneshaveintroducedvaluepricingtohighoccupancyvehiclefacilities;federalinterestinpedes-trianandbicycleprovisionshasvastlyincreased;andnewemphasishasbeenplacedonlanduseandtransportationinterrelationships.Morehasbeenlearnedfro