The province and GTA municipal governments have jointly initiated the development of an integrated transportation plan for the GTA city-region. The goal of the exercise is to develop a transportation plan for the GTA city-region. The goal of the exercise is to develop a transportation plan for the GTA that will enhance the mobility of people and goods; and support other important objectives of GTA-wide interest eg., economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability. Currently, extensive technical analyses are underway to provide direction for developing the plan. The policy analysis includes a review of the TDM experience in over sixty Canadian, American and overseas jurisdictions. Interim results of the analysis suggest that TDM measures may have limited potential to reduce auto travel and transit use, even when aggressively applied. The implications are that while TDM measures offer a means of deferring growth in GTA travel demand, it will also be necessary to selectively expand transportation systems. Also, it appears that optimization techniques may have limited ability to contribute to meeting other regional objectives, such as improving air quality and enhancing economic competitiveness. The paper concludes by pointing out that the success of this planning effort will also depend upon the collective ability of the participants to develop an acceptable implementation framework. In this regard several challenges must be addressed including, consensus building among the province and municipal jurisdictions, the need for political commitment, ability to influence public attitude and behaviour; access to sustainable funding sources, and the assumption of leadership and resolve to coordinate the roles of the various jurisdictions. (A)
Samenvatting