AICP Transportation and Infrastructure Planning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'induced demand' in transportation planning?
- Traffic generated by new development projects
- The phenomenon where new road capacity generates additional traffic rather than relieving congestion (Correct answer)
- Demand for public transit created by reduced parking availability
- Increased freight traffic resulting from economic growth
Correct answer: The phenomenon where new road capacity generates additional traffic rather than relieving congestion
Induced demand occurs because new highway capacity lowers travel costs, attracting new trips that ultimately fill the added capacity and restore congestion.
Question 2: What federal act significantly restructured transportation funding by emphasizing multimodal systems and planning flexibility?
- Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956
- Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964
- Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 (Correct answer)
- Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21)
Correct answer: Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991
ISTEA transformed federal transportation policy by giving states and MPOs flexibility to use highway funds for transit and emphasizing multimodal, intermodal connections.
Question 3: Which travel demand forecasting method uses trip generation, distribution, mode choice, and assignment steps?
- Activity-based model
- Four-step model (Correct answer)
- Sketch planning model
- Land use simulation model
Correct answer: Four-step model
The four-step model is the traditional travel demand forecasting approach, sequentially estimating trip generation, trip distribution, mode choice, and traffic assignment.
Question 4: What is a 'road diet' in transportation planning?
- Closing roads to vehicle traffic permanently
- Reducing vehicle lane capacity to add space for other modes or improve safety (Correct answer)
- Lowering speed limits on residential streets
- Installing traffic signals to replace stop signs
Correct answer: Reducing vehicle lane capacity to add space for other modes or improve safety
Road diets typically convert a four-lane undivided road to a three-lane configuration, reducing conflict points and adding bike lanes or wider sidewalks.
Question 5: What does 'headway' mean in transit planning?
- The distance from a transit stop to the nearest destination
- The time interval between consecutive transit vehicles on a route (Correct answer)
- The maximum number of passengers a transit vehicle can carry
- The operational speed of a transit vehicle between stops
Correct answer: The time interval between consecutive transit vehicles on a route
Headway determines service frequency—shorter headways mean more frequent service, which is a key factor in transit ridership and rider convenience.
Question 6: What is 'parking cash-out' as a transportation demand management strategy?
- A program allowing commuters to pay for parking with pre-tax dollars
- Offering employees the cash equivalent of a parking subsidy if they choose not to drive to work (Correct answer)
- Selling unused municipal parking facilities to private developers
- Allowing overtime parking fees to be paid online
Correct answer: Offering employees the cash equivalent of a parking subsidy if they choose not to drive to work
Parking cash-out converts employer-provided parking benefits into a taxable cash allowance, giving employees an incentive to use alternatives to driving alone.
AICP Transportation and Infrastructure Planning 2
What is 'induced demand' in transportation planning?