Transportation Planning Glossary

An advanced travel demand model simulating individual travelers' activity patterns and travel decisions throughout the day.

A design approach ensuring streets safely accommodate all users: motorists, transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

Variable fees for road use that increase during peak periods to manage demand and reduce congestion.

A document required under NEPA that analyzes the environmental effects of a proposed major federal transportation project.

The principle that no population group should bear a disproportionate share of negative environmental impacts from transportation projects.

The traditional travel demand forecasting sequence: trip generation, trip distribution, mode choice, and traffic assignment.

A trip distribution method where trips between zones are proportional to their size and inversely related to travel impedance.

Additional traffic generated by road capacity expansion, offsetting expected congestion relief.

The reciprocal relationship between land development patterns and transportation infrastructure and travel demand.

A qualitative measure of traffic conditions graded A through F, used to evaluate transportation facility performance.

A 20-to-30-year strategic plan developed by MPOs identifying regional transportation goals and investments.

A federally mandated regional body responsible for transportation planning in urbanized areas over 50,000 population.

The step in travel demand modeling that predicts how travelers select among available transportation modes.

Transportation planning that integrates all modes (auto, transit, bike, pedestrian, freight) rather than addressing each in isolation.

The National Environmental Policy Act, requiring environmental analysis for major federal transportation projects.

A planning method exploring multiple plausible futures to test the robustness of transportation strategies.

The Civil Rights Act provision prohibiting discrimination in federally funded programs, requiring equity analysis in transportation planning.

The basic geographic unit in travel demand modeling, aggregating demographic and land use data for trip estimation.

The fourth step of the four-step model, loading trips onto the network to predict link volumes and travel times.

Mixed-use development concentrated near transit stations to increase ridership and reduce automobile dependency.

The fair distribution of transportation benefits and burdens across all communities and population groups.

A four-year prioritized list of funded transportation projects within a metropolitan area.

Strategies to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips through pricing, incentives, and alternative arrangements.

Wardrop's principle where no driver can reduce travel time by switching routes; all used paths have equal cost.

Total distance traveled by all vehicles in an area, used to measure system performance, emissions, and sustainability.