Developing a TDM Strategic Plan in Southern California

Steer is working with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) to develop a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Strategic Plan for the diverse six-county region. As SCAG puts together its 2020 Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Study (RTP/SCS) they have begun to explore TDM as a low-cost mechanism to reduce vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions in the region. The TDM Strategic Plan will support the 2020 RTP/SCS by demonstrating the means in which TDM can be most successful in the SCAG Region.

To develop the plan, Steer conducted stakeholder outreach to TDM professionals throughout the region, interviewing over 30 individuals who either implement or interact with TDM strategies, and casting an even wider net through an online survey. This helped us to develop a baseline of TDM delivery in the region as a whole, providing a description of who implements TDM, what programs or strategies they utilize, and what strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats exist. Additionally, along with our subconsultant ICF, we conducted an analysis of TDM practice nationwide through a literature review and closer inspection of the field’s recent technological advances.

We used the existing conditions to develop a tool box of TDM strategies, as well as a list of TDM goals, objectives and performance measures for the SCAG Region. This exercise was particularly important, as the impacts of TDM implementation are often measured inconsistently across similar programs or not measured at all.

The project will conclude in June 2019 with recommendations and a Final Report provided to SCAG. Steer’s recommendations will come in the form of individual mini-strategies for ten congested corridors in the region, as well as larger short, medium, and long-term recommendations for TDM delivery in the region as a whole.