Transport Demand Management - Essay Example

The question is what is TDM? There has never been one single key definition of TDM. Some have defined it as an overall term for the strategies that lead to a better proficient utilisation of transport resources. Others have defined it as an all-encompassing term given to strategies that enhance the transport system’s efficiency. It has also been defined as a wide range of measures that transfer or decrease roadway utilisation, hence, boosting the life and efficacy of the whole transport system (Zhou, 2008).

Thus, it is evident that TDM is not a linear but an all-inclusive term that can be explained from different perspectives. Over the years, the measures used in TDM have involved alternates to drive-alone like transit. Such alternatives are attained through the availing of disincentives and incentives to alter travel features among commuters. At present, these measures now involve programs and policies to solve issues like the choice of location, time, route, and information using technology. TDM is been viewed with an ever growing importance due to the rise of traffic congestion in suburban areas as urban areas are faced with complications in the expansion of highways and environmental issues like air pollution get bigger (Weiner, 2012).

TDM measures can be grouped into organisational and operational, financial, and infrastructure. Of these three groups, infrastructure can be regarded as the most visible of them all. Why is this so? It is so because it involves the building and changing of the structures that are used in transport. As a measure, there is a belief that using infrastructure as a measure in TDM produces expected results as it directs the usage of transport means much more easily even without the use of new policies.

As a measure, it has received widespread support among all industry shareholders. In the UK for example, the Roads for Prosperity publication received nationwide support. The program aimed at taking