Development of a Framework for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)

Abstract

In this project, the research team performs a comprehensive analysis of transit-oriented developments (TODs) in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore metro areas to investigate if TODs actually can reduce automobile travel and encourage transit use as well as non-motorized modes. The research team modeled vehicle miles traveled (VMT), trip generation, trip length, and mode share in two case study areas using the most recent local household travel survey data and advanced econometric models. Findings show that people living in TODs have lower household VMT, make more trips by all modes of transportation, but make fewer trips by automobiles. Results also show that TOD residents tend to travel shorter distances by all modes of transportation, which implies that they choose closer destinations for their activities. In terms of mode choice, trips originating from TODs have substantially higher non-auto mode share in both Baltimore and Washington, D.C., after controlling for relevant socioeconomic and demographic factors. The research team also finds significant differences in the effectiveness of TODs in these two metropolitan areas due to different TOD locations, transit system availability and level of service, and TOD resident characteristics. The trip generation step of the Maryland Statewide Transportation Model (MSTM) can be modified to incorporate the effect of TOD on a transportation system as a result of this study. The results demonstrate that TOD areas have different trip rates and travel behavior. Therefore, developing transportation models that separate TOD from Non-TOD areas would yield more accurate results than the current models. Using such models, sensitivity analysis for changes in TOD characteristics would become possible.

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