Travel plans for new residential developments: A synthesis of research findings

This paper presents a synthesis of findings from a three-year research program focused on travel plans for new residential developments. Travel plans can be required through the landuse planning and approvals process as a way to encourage new residents to reduce their demand for car travel, and to use more sustainable forms of transport. However, research into travel plans at new residential developments has been limited to date, particularly in terms of understanding their effectiveness. The aim of the research program was to assess the effectiveness of travel plans for new residential developments, and to also identify opportunities to enhance their effectiveness. A mixed methods approach was adopted that included a survey of councils, an assessment of travel plan quality, interviews with relevant industry actors, and case studies of residential developments with travel plans. The key findings are as follows: Considerable scope exists for improving travel plan quality prior to granting approval. General support for travel plans at new residential developments is evident among industry actors, yet there is limited confidence in the ability to successfully implement them. On average, new residential developments with travel plans were observed to have 14% less car use than matching control sites without travel plans