Transportation Demand Management

Active parking management strategies use new parking technology with flexible pricing methods to better utilize the available parking inventory.

The alternative work hours strategy is an arrangement where employees and employers agree to a non-traditional or non-peak work schedule.

The design and location of bus stops helps maximize rider access and safety, and enhance safety and efficiency for all users of the transportation system.

Congestion pricing involves charging drivers to drive in an area based on the level of congestion in that area. This encourages people to shift to other modes, routes or travel times, which reduces congestion and improves mobility. Fees can be collected through tolls, per-mile charges, or location-based charges.

Data management is based on the principle of treating data as an important agency asset. This includes regular attention to ensure the process of collecting, validating, and evaluating information (for accuracy, reliability, and relevance for informed decision-making) is appropriate and meets the need and purpose for the data asset. Agencies may source certain types of data from WSDOT, other agencies, and the private sector.

Emergency ride home programs provide a free or subsidized ride to commuters who do not drive alone to work.

Agencies and employers can provide incentives to employees that encourage them to make travel changes that include choosing another transportation mode, shifting the time that they travel, and selecting alternative routes.

Employees rideshare when they share a vehicle (i.e., carpool, vanpool) to commute to and from the same or nearby worksites, reducing congestion and overall vehicle miles traveled.

High occupancy toll (HOT) lanes are a type of managed lane reserved for single-occupant vehicles that pay a toll and high-occupancy vehicles (HOV) that access the lane for free. HOT lanes use electronic tolling and variable pricing to manage demand in the lanes in order to maintain a speed advantage over the adjacent general purpose freeway lanes.

High occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes are a type of managed lane that can only be used by vehicles with more than one passenger. HOV lanes allow vehicles with multiple passengers to bypass traffic along congested corridors, and provide a speed and travel time reliability advantage over adjacent general purpose lanes.

Land use patterns affect transportation needs, and the availability of transportation options in turn affect land use development. Where people live, work, shop, and recreate affects how people travel.

Mobility hubs are places that integrate transit, walking, and bicycling with other services and amenities like bike share, car share, scooter share, parcel pick up and drop off and other services and amenities. The hubs are tailored to the needs of people in the community who do not use a privately owned vehicle, do not drive (about a quarter of Washington’s population), and need first- and last-mile transit connections.

Employers can encourage employees to walk or bike to work by providing on-site facilities to improve convenience for these commute alternatives.

Parallel route usage and improvements manage traffic shifting from congested roads to underutilized roads, in order to reduce congestion and create route efficiencies.

Park and ride facilities are locations for people to park their personal vehicles and transfer to higher occupancy modes for the remainder of their trip. The availability and location of park and rides improves access to transit. The design of park and rides contributes to the safety and security of the people who use them.

This strategy involves prioritizing and reserving parking spaces for carpool or vanpool riders, and typically includes priority parking spots with easy access to a building entrance. This strategy is typically a transportation benefit for commuters; however, it is also used on city streets and in transit parking facilities. 

Ramp closures are the temporary, part-time (for specific parts of the day), or permanent closure on highway entrance or exit ramps. Ramps are typically closed where interchanges are spaced closely together, regular congestion occurs on the highway, a high-collision rate occurs at the ramp, or on ramps with compromised visibility.  

This strategy aims at creating a regional coalition of transportation and government organizations committed to addressing transportation challenges. The utilization will close the existing gaps between bikes and ped trail systems.

Telecommuting is a work arrangement where employees use technology solutions to work from home or another location, and do not commute or travel by traditional means (i.e., car, bus) to a central place of work, such as their office. 

Funding additional or improved transit service can mitigate the impacts of construction. Typically, funding helps to add services to compensate for transit reductions caused by construction activity or to encourage travelers to use transit running on parallel routes.

Trip reduction ordinances include different types of regulations or measures to help mitigate congestion. Typically, there are three forms: restrictions or requirements for developers, employer trip reduction programs, and/or forming transportation management districts and associations.

Unbundled residential parking detaches the cost of parking from the cost of renting or owning a home. For example, condominiums often include a parking space in the price of the home. Detaching the cost of the residence from the parking space allows buyers to pay for parking only if they need it.

Vanpools consist of five to fifteen commuters traveling on the same schedule. Vanpools pick riders up at their residence or at a designated gathering place, such as a park and ride lot. Vanpools typically travel to a single employment hub or worksite.