Conventional transportation planning considers a relatively limited number of impacts. It typically focuses on traffic congestion reduction, and in some cases air emission reduction, as benefits, and direct financial expenses as costs. Other costs and benefits are often overlooked. Transportation demand management (TDM) programs provide many benefits to users and society that tend to be ignored in conventional analysis. A comprehensive evaluation framework is essential for identifying the full benefits of TDM program, and for accurately comparing investments and policies that involve different transport modes. The Guide provides instructions for estimating the benefits of TDM programs, including commute trip reduction; pricing policies; land use management strategies; and programs to support alternative modes such as transit, ridersharing, bicycling, walking and telecommuting. It describes how to determine the transportation impacts of TDM program, which may include changes in mode, travel time and route, and reduction in total travel. It provides information on estimating the value of these impacts based on cost savings. It discusses how to avoid common problems, such as double counting and offsetting impacts. Examples show how this approach can be applied to calculate benefits of specific TDM programs, and to determine the optimal investment using Least Cost Transportation Planning techniques. Documents, software and organisations useful for TDM planning and evaluation are listed. This Guide is intended for transportation professionals involved in multi-modal planning and policy analysis, and TDM promotion (including transit, ridershare, bicycle, pedestrian and telecommuting programs). (Author/publisher)
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