Sensitivity Analysis of Urban Trip Length Reduction on Traffic Condition (Case Study: Parts of Tehran Road Network)

Urban trip length reduction is one of the transportation demand management methods, which is primarily achieved by land use and accessibility pattern modification. Although it's generally accepted that reducing trip length improves urban traffic conditions, its effectiveness is not totally clear. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between urban trip length and traffic parameters. To this end, a part of Tehran, its freeway and arterial network, and a hypothetical origin-destination matrix was considered as a case study. Next, the mentioned network and OD matrix's assignment was assumed as the base. The average trip length was decreased by changing the O-D matrix to see the effect of trip length reduction on traffic parameters such as network average volume and travel time. Sensitivity analysis showed that as trip length reduces, traffic volume and travel time decrease to reach a minimum point and, then, they increase. Given this trend, the demand management policies can be applied more effectively.