Travel Demand Management Guidebook

Demand leveling is a system of strategies to reduce congestion by reducing the number of single-occupancy vehicles (SOV) trying to simultaneously use congested roadways. By changing times of travel, diverting trips to other modes (walking, cycling, or transit), and/or increasing the vehicle occupancy, demand leveling can be part of the congestion solution. In the broader context, travel demand management (TDM) strategies may include demand leveling but also encompass techniques that can reduce travel demand (Rodriguez and Murth, 2009). Section 1 introduces the different types of voluntary TDM solutions and discusses their successes and limitations in different settings. Section 2 applies the first section's insights to Texas metropolitan areas. Section 3 offers a separate discussion of mandatory demand management strategies. The appendix contains a cost-effectiveness table.