Multi-Modal Transportation Planning

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“Auto dependency makes non-drivers economically and socially disadvantaged.”

What is Multi-modal Transportation Planning?

Planning that considers various modes of transport including: walking, cycling, automobile, public transit and the connections between them.

Best Practices

Multi-modalism is the opposite of auto dependency. With auto dependent areas each adult person is expected have a personal vehicle, which puts a strain on our infrastructure, increases local pollutants, and isolates populations. Multi-modal transportation planning should have integrated institutions, networks, stations, user information, and fare payment systems. It should include transportation improvements beyond roadway expansions and capacity building, such as pricing reforms and smart growth land use policies. The multi-modal transportation planning process will consider all short- and long-term impacts, even those that have no monetary value or cannot be quantified, including:

• Congestion
• Roadway costs
• Parking costs
• Consumer costs
• Traffic accidents
• Quality of access for non-drivers
• Energy consumption
• Pollution emissions
• Equity
• Physical fitness and health
• Land use development
• Community livability

Connections between modes of transport should be taken into special consideration; like the connectivity between pedestrians and cyclists and bus stations and train terminals. 

The multi-modal planning process recommends that all policy and/or decision makers be without a car for two weeks to the experience of other types of transportation. I think this is one of the most important practices in transportation planning. How can one plan for alternative modes of transport if he or she has never used the alternatives? 

Auto Dependency and Multi-Modal Transportation Compared

Factor	Automobile Dependency	Multi-modal Transportation
Motor vehicle ownership	High per capita motor vehicle ownership.	Medium per capita motor vehicle ownership.
Vehicle travel	High per capita motor vehicle mileage.	Medium to low vehicle mileage.
Land use density	Low. Common destinations are dispersed.	Medium. Destinations are clustered
Land use mix	Single-use development patterns.	More mixed-use development.
Land for transport	Large amounts of land devoted to roads and parking.	Medium amounts devoted to roads and parking.
Road design	Emphasizes automobile traffic.	Supports multiple modes and users.
Street scale	Large scale streets and blocks.	Small to medium streets and blocks.
Traffic speeds	Maximum traffic speeds.	Lower traffic speeds.
Walking	Mainly in private malls.	Mainly on public streets.
Signage	Large scale, for high speed traffic.	Medium scale, for lower-speed traffic.
Parking	Generous supply, free.	Moderate supply, some pricing.
Site design	Parking paramount, in front of buildings.	Parking sometimes behind buildings.
Planning Practices	Non-drivers are a small minority with little political influence.	Planning places are high value on modal diversity.
Social expectations	Non-drivers are stigmatized and their needs given little consideration.	Non-drivers are not stigmatized and their needs are considered.

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Source: Introduction to Multi-Modal Transportation Planning, Victoria Transport Policy Institute. 2012