The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials signed a memorandum of understanding or MOU at its 2023 Spring Meeting with the Association of Commuter Transportation or ACT.
[Above image by AASHTO]
That MOU allows the two organizations to engage in joint activities such as webinars, conferences, and professional development opportunities that provide state department of transportation executives and staff to learn and engage more with Transportation Demand Management or TDM strategies.
David Straus, ACT’s executive director, explained at the meeting that TDM is a strategy aimed at creating a more efficient multimodal transportation system that moves all people.
“It is a broad umbrella of strategies that seeks to reduce congestion, improve air quality, and create economic growth,” he said. “The [COVID-19] pandemic made clear TDM is key to helping create transportation systems that are not just more efficient but more equitable, while also allowing for a shift in mode choice away from single-occupancy vehicles and carbon-based fuels.
Straus said he was “really excited” to partner with AASHTO and to work with state DOTs through this MOU to help raise the profile of TDM within communities across the country.
“This MOU will allow state DOT staff to connect directly with city and private sector transit agencies to figure out the best mobility solutions for everyone,” he explained. “This allows us to put all the transportation options on the table and then explore what solutions can best meet the needs of American communities large and small, urban and rural.”