Land Use Impacts on Traffic

Land use factors can have a significant impact on travel behavior, influencing how and why people choose to travel. Some of the key land use factors that can affect travel behavior include:

1. Density: Higher population density in urban areas is often associated with shorter trip distances and higher rates of walking, cycling, and public transit use. People or jobs per unit of land area (acre or hectare). Increased density tends to reduce per capita vehicle travel. Each 10% increase in urban densities typically reduces per capita VMT by 1-3%.
2. Mix of land uses: The mix of land uses in a neighborhood can influence travel behavior by providing opportunities for walking, cycling, and short trips for daily needs. Degree that related land uses (housing, commercial, institutional) are located close together.  Increased land use mix tends to reduce per capita vehicle travel, and increase use of alternative modes, particularly walking for errands. Neighborhoods with good land use mix typically have 5-15% lower vehicle-miles.
3. Transit quality and accessibility: The proximity of a neighborhood to employment centers, services, and amenities can influence travel behavior by reducing the need for long-distance trips and promoting more walking, cycling, and transit use. Quality of transit service and degree to which destinations are transit accessible. Improved service increases transit ridership and reduces automobile trips. Residents of transit oriented neighborhoods tend to own 10-30% fewer vehicles, drive 10-30% fewer miles, and use alternative modes 2-10 times more frequently than residents of automobile-oriented communities.
4. Network Connectivity : The design of street networks, including the number and spacing of intersections and street blocks, can influence travel behavior by promoting more direct and convenient routes for walking, cycling, and transit. Degree that walkways and roads are connected to allow direct travel between destinations.  Improved roadway connectivity can reduce vehicle mileage, and improved walkway connectivity tends to increase walking and cycling.
5. Land use intensity: The intensity of land use, including the amount and size of buildings and the density of people and jobs, can influence travel behavior by affecting trip generation rates, modal choice, and trip lengths.
6. Parking supply and management : The availability and cost of parking can influence travel behavior by affecting the demand for driving and the mode of transportation chosen. Number of parking spaces per building unit or acre, and how parking is managed. Reduced parking supply, increased parking pricing and implementation of other parking management strategies can significantly reduce vehicle ownership and mileage. Cost recovery pricing (charging users directly for parking facilities) typically reduces automobile trips by 10-30%.
7. Walking and cycling conditions : Quantity, quality and security of sidewalks, crosswalks, paths, and bike lanes. Improved walking and cycling conditions tends to increase non motorized travel (NMT) and reduce automobile travel. Residents of more walkable communities typically walk 2-4 times as much and drive 5-15% less than if they lived in more automobile-dependent communities.
8. Urban design: The design of the built environment, including the quality of public spaces, sidewalks, and streetscapes, can influence travel behavior by promoting more walking, cycling, and public transit use.

Trip generation rates of different land uses

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FD Planning Community Forum Discussion

• Land Use Transport Integration and Density of Urban Growth Toolkit
• Integration of Land Use and Transport Planning
• Introduction – Modelling Transport – Ortuzar Willumsen
• Mathematical Prerequisites from Modelling Transport
• data and space from Modelling Transport 
• Trip Generation Modelling from Modelling Transport
• Modal split and direct demand models from Modelling Transport
• Discrete choice models from Modelling Transport

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