This study will develop local vehicle trip generation rates for various types of land use development in the City of Philadelphia. Development projects could include the construction of a new residential apartment building, an office building, a store, or a restaurant. The goal of the project is to develop linear regression equations that can be used by engineers and planners to calculate the number of vehicle trips that will be made (generated) to and from these types of buildings, during the morning commute (6:00 AM to 10:00 AM), the afternoon commute (3:00 PM to 7:00 PM), and over the course of an entire day.
The trip generation equations will relate vehicle trips (the dependent variable) to the characteristics (the independent variables) of the project sites, and the surrounding neighborhood. For example, the density of a neighborhood measured by the number of households per square mile, or the number of jobs per square mile is one factor that influences the number of vehicle trips that are made. Dense neighborhoods are more compact, with residential development located within a short walking distance of shopping, and employment. Therefore, people living or working in dense neighborhoods tend to use their cars less and walk (and bike) more than people living and working in lower density, suburban neighborhoods that are more spread out, and auto dependent.
The development of the regression equations will require the collection of a large amount of data for each study site. In addition to data on the density of the neighborhood, other independent variables of interest include the amount of parking available and the cost of parking, the distance to bus stops and train stations and the frequency of transit service, the number of job opportunities that are within a short distance of residential development, and whether there are sidewalks and bike lanes for people to use.
DVRPC is seeking an intern to assist with the collection of this data at candidate study sites. Data collection could include any of the following tasks:
- Research available information and identify residential and commercial development projects that are in the pipeline and scheduled to be constructed in the City of Philadelphia in the next year
- Gather available information on proposed projects, such as the type of development (residential, commercial, mixed use), and its size (number of residents, number of employees, or KSF of floor area)
- Travel to candidate study site to document existing site plan / layout. This could include a sketch showing the location of the proposed building in relation to surrounding street network, entrances to building, entrances to parking, nearby bus and rail routes, and bike facilities
- Observe existing travel behavior at study site, such as the number of vehicles, transit passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians entering / exiting during the AM Peak
- Take digital photos of candidate study sites
- Field test computer tablet and app that will be used for data collection
- Collect parking data such as the number of available spaces, the number of parking spaces that are occupied, and the cost of parking
- Collect data on the walk time from study site to the nearest bus stop, and nearest rail station, the average wait time for the next bus/train, and the frequency of bus and rail service
- Survey existing bike facilities, such as bike lanes, in the vicinity of study site, count the number of people using the bike lane, and assess the likelihood bike facility would be used by someone to travel to and from site.
The chosen candidate will:
- Be familiar with the City of Philadelphia, and able to independently navigate to and from candidate study sites
- Have good interpersonal skills and be able to interact with the public, residents, and employees that they may encounter on site
- Have a strong interest in and enthusiasm for transportation planning
- Be working toward a degree in transportation engineering or transportation planning, and have a basic understanding of the principles of Trip Generation, linear regression, and some familiarity with the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation manual.
- Be able to follow the directions of senior Transportation Engineers and Project Managers, and have an interest in the project, and a strong desire to contribute to the success of the project
- Be a good team member, and able to work with other team members from DVRPC and the City of Philadelphia
- Be available to work 15 hours per week
- Be available to work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays - the days of the week when travel data is typically collected
- Be able to work outside during Fall, Spring, and Summer weather, for up to 4 hours at a time
- There may be occasions where the candidate will need to be at a study site during the AM Peak (6:00 to 10:00 AM) or PM Peak (3:00 to 7:00 PM)