This study assesses the effect of free parking on mode choice and parking demand. A multinomial logit model is developed to evaluate the probabilities that commuters who do and who do not receive free parking at work will choose to drive alone, ride in a carpool, or use transit for the trip to work in Portland’s (Oregon) CBD. The mode choice model predicts that with free parking, 62 percent of commuters will drive alone, 16 percent will commute in carpools and 22 percent will ride transit; with a daily parking charge of $6, 46 percent will drive alone, 4 percent will ride in carpools and 50 percent will ride transit. The mode choice model predicts that a daily parking charge of $6 in the Portland CBD would result in 21 fewer cars driven for every 100 commuters. This translates to a daily reduction of 147 VMT per 100 commuters and an annual reduction of 39,000 VMT per 100 commuters. These findings are consistent with previous studies of the effect of parking cost on mode choice. The policy variables that play a part in mode choice decisions for commuters are the parking cost and the travel time by transit, and the results suggest that raising the cost of parking at work sites and decreasing the transit travel time (by improving service and decreasing headways) will reduce the drive alone mode share. The results provide little support for the contention that land use is a significant factor in mode choice decisions.

Welfare-to-work transportation programs are premised on a conceptualization of the spatial mismatch hypothesis that focuses on the physical separation between the central city locations of welfare participants, rapidly expanding job opportunities in the suburbs, and the long commutes needed to connect them. Using data from three diverse California counties, this study examines welfare recipients' spatial access to employment. The study finds that the traditional notion of the spatial mismatch is less relevant to welfare recipients, many of whom live in counties in which the urban structure does not fit the simple model of poor, central-city neighborhoods and distant, job-rich suburbs. Many welfare recipients live in job-rich areas; others live in neighborhoods that are spatially isolated from employment. TO be effective, therefore, transportation policies must be tailored to the diverse characteristics of the neighborhoods in which welfare recipients live.

Universities and public transit agencies have together invented an arrangement – called Unlimited Access – that provides fare-free transit service for over 825,000 people. The university typically pays the transit agency an annual lump sum based o expected student ridership, and students simply show their university identification to board the bus. This paper reports the results of a survey of Unlimited Access programs at 35 universities. University officials report that Unlimited Access reduces parking demand, increases students’ access to the campus, help to recruit and retain students, and reduces the cost of attending college. Transit agencies report that Unlimited Access increases ridership, fills empty seats, improves transit service, and reduces the operating cost per rider. Increases in student transit ridership ranged from 71 percent to 200 percent during he first year of Unlimited Access, and growth in subsequent years ranged from 2 percent to 10 percent per year. The universities’ average cost for Unlimited Access is $30 per student per year.

Many cities have traditional neighborhoods, or established, inner-city districts comprised of diverse housing, mixed-land uses, pedestrian connectivity and convenient transit access. This study quantifies the likely effects of land use patterns on auto ownership for such neighborhoods. Using Portland, Oregon, we test a model that explains auto ownership based on household, neighborhood, and urban design characteristics. The index of mixed-land use is statistically significant, ceteris paribus. We find compelling evidence of the impact of mixed-land use on auto ownership: as land use mix changes from diverse to homogeneous, the probability of owning an auto decreases by 31 percentage points. The findings imply that traditional neighborhoods are more conducive to alternatives to private vehicle use, such as walking and public transit, and to higher motor vehicle costs.

Universities and public transit agencies in the United States have together invented an arrangement – called Unlimited Access – that provides fare-free transit service for all students (and, on some campuses, faculty and staff as well). Unlimited Access is not free transit but is instead a new way to pay for it. The university pays the transit agency for all rides taken by eligible members of the campus community. This article evaluates the results of the Unlimited Access program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Bus ridership for commuting to campus increased by 56 percent during BruinGO’s first year, and solo driving fell by 20 percent. Because these startling results were achieved in a city famous for its addiction to cars, they suggest that Unlimited Access can succeed almost anywhere.

Universities and public transit agencies in the United States have together invented an arrangement – called Unlimited Access – that provides fare-free transit service for all students (and, on some campuses, faculty and staff as well). Unlimited Access is not free transit, but is instead a new way to pay for it. The university pays the transit agency for all rides taken by eligible members of the campus community. This paper evaluates the results of UCLA’s Unlimited Access program. Bus ridership for commuting to campus increased by 56 percent during BruinGO’s first year, and solo driving fell by 20 percent. Because these startling results were achieved in a city famous for its addiction to cars, they suggest that Unlimited Access will work almost anywhere.