Conference Report Back: Lauren @ ACT TDM Forum 2024

Lauren Mattern, Journey’s founder and TDM practice lead, spoke and participated in the ACT TDM Forum last week in Charlotte, NC. Lauren’s talk focused on:

• Timing of city development – specifically what mobility technology was ascendent and how prosperous of a time it was – dictated the form of our cities. Cities like Amsterdam show the pairing multimodal infrastructure with parking controls accelerate the mode shift effectiveness of any one measure.

• Although it can seem like the pace of TDM change is moving slow, some of our more entrenched challenges are only just recently nudging – keep going and don’t give up hope.

• The TDM professional role of “Mode Broker” or “Transportation Orchestra Conductor” is useful in more contexts than it is currently in – we understand demand, vehicle trips/parking/traffic, and all the modes? That’s a slam dunk skillset.

• Lauren identified levers of TDM power: 1) Traffic analysis is ready for disruption, can tack on TDM trip reductions which are more satisfying than current options, 2) Zoning and affordability – recent evidence is showing the potency of zoning reform, TDM measures, and parking minimum removal/relaxing to improve affordability - a winning argument.

• There are so many places that TDM practitioners can apply our “universal TDM principles” to “broker more modes” and balance access and demand: stadiums, employers, new developments, curbs, stations, universities, and street safety projects.

Some ideas Lauren took away from the sessions and the hallway talks in between:

• Avoid the “our problem is more important than your problem” projections by listening core community concerns and bringing solutions. These days? That’s affordability and livability. VTPI Director Todd Littman emphasized: we have a great product with TDM. It solves a lot of problems. Let’s explain it in terms that people care about.

• While everyone is pro e-bike in the electrification debate, what about buses and personal car infrastructure? In this debate about electrification, a former operator noted the workforce has been hit hard in the pandemic, most aren’t comfortable with high voltage, the number of bus manufacturers has shrunk to uncomfortably low numbers, and sometimes electric buses can’t handle the same route profiles and more diverse energy source vehicles – all factors in how aggressive the bus electrification push should be.

• Seduced or induced? Good discussion about the fixed vs. variable costs associated with EV and AV ownership or fleet models: EVs cost more than gas/hybrid to own but less to operate + AV fleets could shrink the time opportunity cost very low such that both induce higher vehicle miles travelled.

• What people really wanted to talk about? This is the year land use discussions dominated the biggest talks – the ultimate TDM tool! Lauren’s comments and others emphasized allyship with land use planners. Keynote speaker Mitch Silver articulated the economic and livability case for planning efforts – including expanding tax bases and setting up more efficient infrastructure ratios.