Travel demand forecasting is the process of predicting future traffic volumes on roadways based on changes in land use and socioeconomic characteristics. For small study areas this is commonly achieved through site-specific manual techniques but for larger studies it is performed through travel demand modeling. A travel demand model is one that incorporates rigorous mathematical techniques that replicate travel behavior. The most commonly accepted procedure for performing travel demand modeling is the 4-step process namely trip generation, trip distribution, mode split and trip assignment. Common applications of travel demand models are to forecast traffic volumes under several transportation improvement alternative scenarios, predict changes in travel patterns that result from changes in demographic characteristics and transportation supply, congestion management and air quality analysis.
CBB has considerable experience in applying site-specific manual techniques for travel demand forecasting. The firm has expertise in travel demand modeling, utilizing state-of-the-art software applications in this area. CBB has been involved in updating travel demand models and in applying regional models to analyze transportation system deficiencies in small study areas. The travel demand modeling software that are used in the firm are Cube/TP+, TModel and TransCAD.