RETHINKING TRANSPORTATION TARGETS – A CASE FORMOVING BEYOND BASIC MODAL SHARE TARGETS

摘要

Most Transportation Master Plans for major urban areas in Canada establish targetsrnfor transportation demand management. Typically these targets focus on transit modalrnshares or transit use; however, approaches for developing the actual targets varyrnconsiderably. Some municipalities “back-calculate” required mode split targets byrnexamining future peak hour road capacity deficiencies on a screenline basis. Otherrnareas adopt a broader approach and simply assume that if rapidly growing auto use isrnbad, than more transit use must be good, and consequently set very high goals forrntransit mode shares.rnWhile there appears to be little consistency in approaches for setting transportationrndemand targets, there is some consistency in the fact that modal share targets arerngenerally not being achieved. At best, most urban transit systems struggle to maintainrnexisting mode shares, let alone increase their mode shares. Perhaps more alarming isrnthe fact that auto use continues to grow at a staggering rate. The most recentrnTransportation Association of Canada (TAC) Urban Indicators Survey [1] revealed thatrngasoline fuel use per capita, a measure of auto dependency, grew by more than 11%rnbetween 1991 and 2001.rnThis paper will present a critical review of how and why traditional transportation modernshare targets are failing to result in more sustainable transportation, as measured byrnreduced growth in auto usage and increased transit use. A proposed approach isrnoutlined for establishing and achieving urban transportation targets, including arnframework that bases transportation targets on auto use as well as transit modernshares. It is argued that this fundamental target better reflects the objectives that mostrnmunicipalities are trying to achieve when they are setting targets. It is also expectedrnthat this approach will assist municipalities in establishing transportation policies andrnplans that help achieve federal commitments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions,rnaddress a growing link between auto dependency and health problems, and preparernfor a possible future wherein the availability of energy supply may not sustain currentrnauto behaviour.