Transportation Planning. 1.What is the future direction of the Travel Demand Analysis in the United States?Explain breifly(Minimum 1.5 pages) Solution Since the beginning of civilization, the viability and economic success of communities have been greatly determined by the efficiency of their transportation infrastructures. The need for efficient transportation and land-use systems has never been more critical than it is today. Vehicle Mile Traveled (VMT) per capita has started to decline in the United States since early 2000 years. Passenger travel demand seems to have decoupled from economic activity (i.e. grows at lower rate). Starting in the mid 2000s, the average per-capita vehicle miles traveled (VMT) have declined, after a long period of steady growth in the decades of the previous century. An increased portion of Americans live without a car, and while the total amount of person-trips in the country continues to rise, this has not translated into increased car use. Instead, the use of alternative modes, including public transportation and active means of travel, has increased. Impact of the economic recession, changes in gas prices, demographic trends, changes in the urban form of American cities, and emerging changes in personal preferences and lifestyles are few parameters to account for the slow down of the Travel Demand. The VMT per capita, as well as the rates of vehicle ownership, including the number of vehicles per person, vehicles per licensed driver, and vehicles per household, reached their respective peaks between 2004 and 2006. However, the economic crisis from 2007-2009 has certainly contributed to reducing total VMT in the country. Changes in travel demand have become important with implications for the urban and transportation planning owing to the large financial investments and considerable time required to provide new transportation infrastructure and services. To understand the situation and adopt corrective measures, Statewide travel forecasting models to predict all travel in the state, potentially by all modes, for both goods and people are bein undertaken. This includes Super-regional models statewide that cover all or parts of multiple states and possibly the whole of the US. Researchers have been undertaking such research initiatives and efforts, to upgrade the existing models and develop new models. These studies are generally under the umbrella of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The importance of statewide models stems directly from the amount of long-distance (as defined within the NHTS as more than 50 miles), and intercity travel in the US. Statewide models go beyond metropolitan models principally by including larger, if not all, portions of long distances trips and by explicitly including passenger and freight modes for intercity travel. Almost two- thirds of the states have active modeling efforts, with one or two states completing a new model each year..

1. Transportation Planning.
1.What is the future direction of the Travel Demand Analysis in the United States?Explain
breifly(Minimum 1.5 pages)
Solution
Since the beginning of civilization, the viability and economic success of communities have been
greatly determined by the efficiency of their transportation infrastructures. The need for efficient
transportation and land-use systems has never been more critical than it is today.
Vehicle Mile Traveled (VMT) per capita has started to decline in the United States since early
2000 years. Passenger travel demand seems to have decoupled from economic activity (i.e.
grows at lower rate). Starting in the mid 2000s, the average per-capita vehicle miles traveled
(VMT) have declined, after a long period of steady growth in the decades of the previous
century. An increased portion of Americans live without a car, and while the total amount of
person-trips in the country continues to rise, this has not translated into increased car use.
Instead, the use of alternative modes, including public transportation and active means of travel,
has increased.
Impact of the economic recession, changes in gas prices, demographic trends, changes in the
urban form of American cities, and emerging changes in personal preferences and lifestyles are
few parameters to account for the slow down of the Travel Demand. The VMT per capita, as
well as the rates of vehicle ownership, including the number of vehicles per person, vehicles per
licensed driver, and vehicles per household, reached their respective peaks between 2004 and
2006. However, the economic crisis from 2007-2009 has certainly contributed to reducing total
VMT in the country.
Changes in travel demand have become important with implications for the urban and
transportation planning owing to the large financial investments and considerable time required
to provide new transportation infrastructure and services.
To understand the situation and adopt corrective measures, Statewide travel forecasting models
to predict all travel in the state, potentially by all modes, for both goods and people are bein
undertaken. This includes Super-regional models statewide that cover all or parts of multiple
states and possibly the whole of the US. Researchers have been undertaking such research
initiatives and efforts, to upgrade the existing models and develop new models. These studies are
generally under the umbrella of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials (AASHTO).
The importance of statewide models stems directly from the amount of long-distance (as defined

2. within the NHTS as more than 50 miles), and intercity travel in the US. Statewide models go
beyond metropolitan models principally by including larger, if not all, portions of long distances
trips and by explicitly including passenger and freight modes for intercity travel. Almost two-
thirds of the states have active modeling efforts, with one or two states completing a new model
each year. Travel demand models, which are used for this purpose, should therefore incorporate
realistic representations of individual and household activity and travel decision making.
As we move into the next millennium, this need for realistic representation of decision making
behavior is particularly acute for at least two reasons; Firstly, rising traffic congestion and
associated air quality and Secondly,substantial shifts in household structures and individual and
household sociodemographics.
America in generally is growing and growing. However, Number of reasons are taken as
attributable and believed to influence the transportatation that had shaped travel demand in
previous decades. This effect has been largely responsible, together with any economic effects,
of the flattening of car travel observed in the recent years.
The underlying regime of growth of travel demand that powered the previous decades has lost
strength, e.g. the effects of factors like the gender gap (both in drivers’ licensing and in
employment) and the role of age on drivers’ licensing, after they had been important reasons for
growth in travel demand in previous years. With an auto ownership ratio of approximately one
vehicle per licensed driver, and almost all adults of driving age that desire to obtain a license
already having one, it is unlikely that passenger travel demand will resume the rapid growth rate
observed in the past. Instead, more limited adjustments will likely be associated with factors
affecting demand, or combination of factors, will prevail.
Following Directions are being adopted in variouys researches and models to improve the
Transportation in the US.
a) Analysis of Inter-Individual Interactions in Activity-Travel Behavior
b) Modeling Time-Space Interactions in Individual Activity-Travel Patterns
c) In-Home and Out-Of-Home Activity Substitution
d) Application of Microsimulation Techniques in Activity-Travel Pattern Analysis
e) Application of New Methodological Techniques for Demand Analysis
f) Integrating Travel and Land-Use Forecast Models
g) Use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
CONCLUSION :
Measurable progress has been made in advancing the state-of-practice in statewide travel
demand models over the previous years. Part of this progress can be attributed to the community
of modelers who have sent a unified message to those doing and funding research. Progress, thus
far, has been incremental rather than revolutionary. Methodological advances in passenger 19

3. demand forecasting are still being adopted primarily from metropolitan models. However,
statewide freight demand models are largely ahead of metropolitan freight models.
The best of the statewide models are well positioned to aid decision making about new or
upgraded facilities and policies. Models are also well positioned to provide information on
impacts of statewide plans, such as economic development potential, air pollution impacts,
energy impacts, greenhouse gas emissions and equity. Statewide models are important tools for
achieving statewide planning goals and federal planning requirements.
The current level of research on long distance travel is modest, at best. The lack of recent data on
long-distance and rural passenger travel remains a stumbling block.
States are trying to be cost-effective with their statewide model development. The aggressive
modeling approaches have not been copied by states but built new models. States are being
cautious in introducing innovative methods, by adopting a wait-and-see attitude.