Earlier this year the Transportation Research Board published a new study on interregional travel behaviors and policy. This research was also presented on the 2016 TRB Annual Meeting, January 10-14, 2016. The Committee for a Study of Intercity Passenger Travel Issues and Opportunities in Short-haul Markets was formed to investigate this issue. METRANS UTC Director, Dr. Genevieve Giuliano of the University of Southern California, served on this committee.

In this report, interregional travel refers to intercity trips between 100 and 500 miles in length. Studies have shown that travel mode of trips shorter than 100 miles is dominated by automobiles and travel by airplane is the primary vehicle for trips longer than 500 miles. In the case of interregional travel, multiple modes of transportations choice are utilized, including automobiles, intercity buses, passenger rail, and commercial flights. Some new infrastructure projects, such as the California High-Speed Rail, are underway or have already taken place in corridors with heavy interregional travel. However, research has indicated a lack of data to inform policy development and national-level planning for funding allocation.

The study began with a review of interregional travel behaviors, patterns, and choices. It also examined supply and demand dynamics of interregional transportation infrastructure. Three main recommendations are emphasized in this report:

1. There is a need for data updates for intercity travel. There has been no fresh research on traveler preference for interregional travel since the 1995 American Travel Survey. Thus problematically leading to insufficient understanding of long-distance travel in the US.

2. There is a lack of planning, modeling and policy effort targeting interregional travel. Because this is an under-studied field, there are less planning efforts, few well-designed modeling methods, and no policy debate on this segment of public transportation.

3. No single governmental agency oversees this subject of transportation. The report recommends a strategy for United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to incentivize states to collaborate on the development of multimodal interregional travel planning organizations.

View the Transportation Research Board Special Report 320 online here.

(Photo by Transportation Research Board)

The Transportation Research Board (TRB)

TRB is one of seven program units of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which provides independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conducts other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine. More information is available here.

Kaitlyn (Kenan) Zhang

Kaitlyn is a first-year Master of Public Policy (MPP) student attending the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. Her interests are in transportation policy, urban development, and economics. She is also working towards a certificate in Transportation Systems from the Viterbi School of Engineering.