Search Content

Transitways represent large public investments whose positive impacts must be maximized whenever possible to justify the expenditures they entail. Prominent among those looked-for positive impacts is the encouragement of automobile-to-transit mode shifts by attracting increased transitway ridership. This study explores the impacts of travel time, travel cost, and population density on mode choice, using the 2010 Travel Behavior Inventory. We found a monetary value of in-vehicle travel time of $17.5/hour and a transfer penalty of $10, equivalent to 35 minutes in-vehicle travel time. Density, especially at destinations, has important effects, but travel time is the key to promote the shift to transit. The research also employs a Direct Ridership Model (DRM) to predict boardings at the station level as a function of transit-supportive policies. We find that station-area focused policies promoting affordable housing and sidewalks on all streets in station areas or entire cities have a significant and positive impact on ridership if there are sufficient potential destinations in the immediate station area, measured as the number of Google places within 100 meters. Based on our results, we stress the importance of station area affordable housing as a transit system efficiency measure, as well as for the social equity reasons it is usually encouraged. We recommend strengthening pro-affordable housing policies and pro-sidewalk policies in Twin Cities station areas, supporting and encouraging for the neighborhood-scale commercial development that is required for their efficacy, and the continued implementation of pro-affordable housing policies and pro-sidewalk policies as the regional transitway system expands.

After a long period of system deployment of the auto-highway system, and several decades of maturity of that system, the surface transportation sector is facing a large number of technological shifts that could change whether and how people travel. While nascent, their prospects are potentially significant. This research proposed to explore these technologies - ascertain their potential market, consider their interactions, understand what that might do to travel demands, and address how planning and forecasting should respond. This research developed a series of white papers: high-level policy briefs based on our analysis of each technology, its direction, and its implications for Minnesota. This work extends and complements the MnDOT 50 year vision expressed in Minnesota GO. It also builds on the ideas developed in the NCHRP 750 project: Strategic Issues Facing Transportation. The timeframe on these technologies varies, and the authors looked at deployment paths over time rather than simple snapshots in time.

Transitways such as light rail transit (LRT) and bus rapid transit (BRT) provide fast, reliable, and high-capacity transit service. Transitways have the potential to attract more riders and take a portion of the auto mode share, reducing the growth of auto traffic. Park-and-ride (PNR) facilities can complement transit service by providing a viable choice for residents who are without walking access to transit or those who prefer better transit service such as LRT or BRT. In this study, we conducted two research tasks on Transitways services in the Twin Cities region in Minnesota; 1) to examine the impact of the operation of the Green Line LRT on the annual average daily traffic (AADT) of its adjacent roads, and 2) to estimate a PNR location choice model in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.