Todd Litman
Todd Litman is the executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute.
Contributed 446 posts
Todd Litman is founder and executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transport problems. His work helps to expand the range of impacts and options considered in transportation decision-making, improve evaluation methods, and make specialized technical concepts accessible to a larger audience. His research is used worldwide in transport planning and policy analysis.
Mr. Litman has worked on numerous studies that evaluate transportation costs, benefits and innovations. He authored the Online TDM Encyclopedia, a comprehensive Internet resource for identifying and evaluating mobility management strategies; Transportation Cost and Benefit Analysis: Techniques, Estimates and Implications, a comprehensive study which provides cost and benefit information in an easy-to-apply format; and Parking Management Best Practices, the most comprehensive book available on management solutions to parking problems. Mr. Litman is a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops. His presentations range from technical and practical to humorous and inspirational. He is active in several professional organizations, including the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Transportation Research Board (a section of U.S. National Academy of Sciences). He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Transportation Research A, a professional journal.
Dagwood Should Be Fat, Sick and Impoverished
By all logic, the comic strip character Dagwood should be fat, sick and impoverished due to his gluttonous eating, sedentary habits, and automobile-dependent lifestyle. Blondie should worry about his high blood pressure and clogged arteries [...]
Planners' Sacred Trust
<p class="MsoNormal">Most professions have special responsibilities to society. Physicians are expected to observe the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath">Hippocratic oath</a>. Police officers must apply the law fairly and refrain from abusing their power. Lawyers and accountants are expected to offer accurate advice and protect client confidentiality.</p><p class="MsoNormal">And planners? We have a special responsibility to consider all perspectives and impacts. When evaluating public policy questions most people ask selfishly, “How does this affect me?” Planners, in contrast, should ask selflessly, “How does this affect the community, particularly disadvantaged and underrepresented groups?”</p>
A War On Cars? Let There Be Peace!
<p class="MsoNormal">Our job as planners is ultimately to <a href="http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm114.htm">manage change</a>, which is often fun but occasionally ugly. A good example is a current debate over a supposed <a href="http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2011/01/03/war-on-cars-a-history">“war against the car.”</a> </p>
Threats of Gridlock are Greatly Exaggerated
<p class="MsoNormal">A few weeks ago the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) released its latest <a href="http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/media_information/press_release.stm">Urban Mobility Report</a>, and yesterday INRIX released its <a href="http://scorecard.inrix.com/scorecard/">National Traffic Scorecard 2010 Annual Report</a>. Both paint a grim picture of roadway conditions.</p><blockquote style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 40px; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: none; padding: 0px"> <p class="MsoNormal"> “America is back on the road to gridlock,” warns INRIX. </p>
TTI's Urban Mobility Report Flawed, Says Critic
The Texas Transportation Institute just released its 2010 Urban Mobility Report, which is a standard reference in the road-building industry -- and is seriously flawed, says Joe Cortright.