At 11:01 AM 12/09/1999 +0000, Dave Ashmore wrote:
>Does anyone know of any work that has been carried out on the issue of
>demand management at supermarket car parks in both in-town and out-of-town
>stores?

Some commercial centers have Transportation Management Associations (TMAs)
that provide a variety of services, including rideshare matching, parking
management, transit promotion, shuttle buses, bicycle/pedestrian
improvements, etc. I've copied a summary below. These might be an
appropriate model. 

There is information on TMAs and other strategies that may apply to
supermarkets in our reports "Potential TDM Strategies" and "Pavement
Busters Guide", available at our website. 


Sincerely,

Todd Litman, Director
Victoria Transport Policy Institute
"Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"
1250 Rudlin Street
Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada
Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560
E-mail:  [log in to unmask]
Website: http://www.vtpi.org


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Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) and Coordinators

1. Description
Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) are private, non-profit
groups formed to help businesses addressing local transportation problems.
More than 150 exist nationwide, mostly in high-growth areas on the East and
West coasts. They are typically funded by dues paid by businesses and local
government grants. 

Transportation Management Coordinators are staff assigned to support such
programs, either within an individual firm or for a TMA.

Transportation Management Associations coordinate transport activities at
worksite, activity center, neighborhood or municipal level. This is more
effective than smaller, individual programs managed by individual
employers. TMAs provide a wide range of services; they distribute
information, organize transportation fairs and other promotion activities,
perform rideshare matching, manage and broker parking resources, sponsor
guaranteed ride home services, manage vanpools and shuttle buses, help plan
transit, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and implement site amenities
such as bus shelters. They allow small employers to provide commute trip
reduction services comparable to those offered by large employers.

2. Discussion of impacts, benefits and costs, and whether it can be
considered a "Win-Win" strategy.
Transportation Management Associations provide important support for
implementation of many TDM measures, including commute trip reduction
programs, improved travel choices, and parking management. The costs are
primarily related to direct program expenses, estimated by a 1992 U.S.
study to average about $5 per covered employee annually, or about $10 per
year in current Canadian dollars.  Benefits include the potential for
moderate reductions in automobile trips and parking requirements (typically
10-40%, depending on which measures are implemented and other factors. They
can help address specific problems, such as a shortage of peak-period
customer parking capacity. TMAs are often cost effective to businesses and
local governments from reduced parking and traffic congestion costs, and
also provide environmental and social benefits, including increased equity
by improving travel alternatives for non-drivers. The can be considered
Win-Win strategies.

3. Relationships with other TDM strategies.
Transportation Management Associations are usually created with the support
of local or regional governments, as part of a broader TDM program or as a
way to deal with the transportation problems that develop in a specific
area. For example, developers may be required to establish a TMA when a
commercial or employment center expands in order to mitigate local
congestion and parking problems. 

TMAs do not change travel behavior directly, rather they provide an
institutional structure for a variety of specific measures that do. They
are often the most practical and effective way to deliver TDM measures to
end users. Because they are managed by participating businesses they can
avoid some of the residence associated with government-managed TDM programs.

4. Role of stakeholders in implementing this strategy.
Regional or local governments, chambers of commerce, or a large facility
manager (such as a mall or large employer) tend to be the leaders in
establishing TMAs and may provide some financial support, particularly
during their first years. Individual businesses support their TMA
financially, take advantage of TMA services such as parking facility
brokerage, and can encourage employees and customers to use TMA services
such as rideshare matching, parking cash-out and transit improvements. 

5. Current status in the region (who is planning to do what, when).
The Canbie Street Corridor Find Out more is currently the only functioning
TMA in the region that we are aware of. Some local government officials
recognize the potential for implementing more TMAs but there is currently
no mechanism for doing this nor plans to create such a mechanism. 

6. Barriers that need to be overcome for full implementation.
The main barriers are a lack of knowledge among stakeholders, a lack of
support structure to establish TMAs, and often the perception that
short-term benefits are small if there is no immediate parking or traffic
congestion problem.

7. References and resources for more information.
Erik Ferguston, Catherine Ross and Michael Meyer, "Transportation
Management Associations," Transportation Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 2, 1993,
pp. 207-219.

Shirley Morrison Loveless and Jill Sebest Welch, "Growing to Meet the
Challenges; Emerging Roles for Transportation Management Associations,"
Transportation Research Record 1659 (www.nationalacademies.org/trb), 1999,
pp. 121-128.

Association for Commuter Transportation (http://tmi.cob.fsu.edu/act/act.htm). 

Center for Urban Transportation Research, TMA Evaluation Program, Florida
DOT (Tallahassee), 1995.

Tri-Met (Portland region) TMA website www.tri-met.org/tma.htm. 

CARAVAN, Commuter Programs at the Worksite, Commuter Information Center
(www.commute.com/Wrksite.htm), 1999.



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