Best Practice Action Detail

The City has a Travel Demand Policy for redevelopment. A two tier system; a required TCM plan for employers with 200 stalls or more, and a good faith component for all others

The City has a joint overlay zoning district along Interstate-394 that is shared with St. Louis Park. The Interstate-394 Traffic Zoning Ordinance (Section 113.124 of the City Code) requires that all dense developments, meaning those that contain more than 0.6 square feet of gross floor area per each square foot of land area within a lot or parcel, prepare traffic demand management plans if certain conditions occur which will help reduce traffic congestion, air and noise pollution, and other environmental problems associated with them. Plans prepared by the owners of these developments may require the use of rideshare incentive programs, public transit incentives, bicycle and pedestrian incentive measures, variable work hours or flex-time programs, measures to reduce reliance on single occupancy vehicles, shared parking, or other methods.
If City staff has concerns about the traffic impacts of large projects elsewhere in the City, they may require traffic management plans in those areas as well.

The Gateway Corridor Gold Line is a planned nine-mile dedicated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line that will connect St. Paul, Maplewood, Landfall, Oakdale and Woodbury generally along Interstate 94. The Gold Line will be Minnesota's first BRT line that operates primarily within exclusive bus-only lanes.

The Gateway Corridor Gold Line BRTOD planning process established a multi-modal transportation corridor by linking stations with a continuous biking and walking trail parallel to the BRT guideway. Specifically, the Helmo Station BRTOD plan identifies a new I-94 bridge crossing that will provide improved access for transit, walking, biking, and auto traffic between Oakdale and Woodbury to the south. The plan also increases potential ridership by providing direct access to transit-oriented uses along the corridor with strategic biking and walking improvements along existing, planned, or newly identified routes in the city.

Section 544.11 Subd. 1 and 2 of the Zoning Code regarding traffic and parking studies states, “In review of a project or application, the City may require, at the developer's expense, submission of a traffic and/or parking analysis that is prepared by a traffic engineer. Such analysis shall assess the potential impact of a proposed project on roadways, intersections, and/or on-site parking and circulation. If a traffic study indicates that a proposed project or use will have significant impact on the existing service levels of roadways and intersections, the City may require a ‘traffic management plan’ to mitigate traffic impacts. Such plan may include travel demand management strategies, use of transit facilities, or other appropriate measures to reduce traffic congestion. Such plan may also necessitate improvements to road systems.” The city allows for parking reductions based on frequently operating transit nearby.

In 2008, 71% of all downtown bound work trips were made by single occupant vehicle commuters (drive alone). The RDMP sets an aggressive goal of reducing the drive alone mode share to 60% of all work trips in 2020 and 50% of work trips in 2030. It is important to realize that work travel makes up only a small portion of overall daily trips, but the concentration of these trips at peak travel hours has a significant impact on traffic operations

St. Louis Park has identified a TDM District as part of its Zoning Code (article IV. Zoning Districts; division 10. Travel Demand Management District; section 36) that outlines requirements that must be met with respect to development or redevelopment in this district. The district is centered on the I-394 corridor. The corridor runs along the common border between the city and Golden Valley; they have entered into a joint powers agreement. This overlay district imposes on dense developments a condition to prepare and effectuate traffic management plans which will serve to reduce the traffic congestion, air and noise pollution and other environmental problems associated with them. It should be noted that there is a traffic management administrative fee imposed upon each development

The City of Edina approved the Travel Demand Management Policy on April 20, 2021. The policy explains that the primary emphasis of
travel demand management (TDM) is to reduce the number of vehicular trips on congested roadways during peak travel times. Strategies that promote TDM may include pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, utilization of transit service, car/vanpooling, shared mobility and telecommuting.

Specific TDM measures that may be utilized for varying projects include, but are not limited to; on-site transit facilities, preferential location for
managed carpool and vanpool parking, telework, on-site bicycle, scooter and pedestrian facilities and financial incentives.

Travel demand management (TDM) aims to increase the number and proportion of people who share rides and who travel outside of rush hours. These techniques are expected of communities in the metropolitan area served by congested portions of the metropolitan highway system and of cities that have regional business concentration, both of which include Hopkins. Page 5 of the Transportation Comprehensive plan addresses TDM policies and actions the City is doing. A mixed-use zoning ordinance will be adopted some time in the summer of 2011. TDM will be greatly improved with the mixed-use zoning ordinance.

Traffic studies are required for some conditional uses in the city's Industrial zoning district.

The Planning Commission and City Council worked to create the MX-3 District, which is the Transit-Oriented Mixed Use District in 2012. The purpose of the MX-3 District is to encourage a mixture of residential, commercial, office and civic uses in proximity to transit facilities at densities and intensities that support and increase transit use. Development should encourage a safe and pleasant pedestrian environment, maximize access to transit, provide parking in an efficient and unobtrusive manner, and encourage a sense of activity and liveliness on local streets. Attached is the ordinance that was approved.

The 2003 St. Cloud Comprehensive Plan identifies Target Area Plans identified because specific land use plans, goals, policies and/or development standards were developed. Included in these Target Area Plans are the North Star Commuter Rail Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) sites. To date, these Plans have yet to come to fruition as the North Star Commuter Rail has not been extended to the St. Cloud area. However, the goals set forth in the 2003 Comprehensive Plan identifies specific goals for the sites which mimic those outlined in the 2009 Updated Model Ordinances for Sustainable Development. Those goals include: good vehicular access to the site, adequate parking by encouraging structured parking, excellent pedestrian access, aesthetic lighting, landscaping and streetscape considerations, residential densities of 20/units per acre and above, building heights of at least 3 stories, mixed uses both vertically and horizontally and reduced parking ratios. Development regulations will differ depending on the specific TOD site whether the St. Cloud East (Neighborhood/Town Center) or Northstar West Spur (Urban Downtown/Core) sites. At which time the North Star Commuter Rail extends service to the City of St. Cloud, these goals, plans and development standards may be implemented as development moves forward.

The City of Woodbury has a flexible work program allowing many of its employees to start work at various times. They also have variable work days, allowing some employees to work the traditional 5-day (8 hours per day) or 4 days (10 hour work day).