The solution of Manhattan's congestion management problem of increasing traffic congestion, increasing air pollution, and decreasing transit ridership requires comprehensive actions to modify regional travel behaviour. To this end, a co-operative interagency research effort was conducted using focus groups to solicit the attitudes of automobile users. That effort and the process of which it was a part are presented here. To maximise efforts related to Manhattan's congestion management problem, the manhattan central business district (CBD) access group -- composed of transportation, environmental, and planning agencies serving the new york city region -- was convened. In its behalf, "the Manhattan Auto Use Decision Study" was conducted to identify the reasons travellers use automobiles rather than transit forced travel and to solicit suggestions and reactions to proposals for shifting travellers from cars to transit. The insights into travel behaviour and market attitudes provide information for developing strategies to reduce vehicular congestion, improve air quality, and increase transit ridership. The study found that automobile travellers have a dichotomy of views about automobile use; commuters are making logical choices; cost may be dominant, but subtle, in influencing mode choice; and a "carrot and stick" may be needed to divert automobile users to transit. Many of the project's findings have been accepted and acted upon, underscoring the validity of the study's results and the relevance of the focus group methodology.
Abstract