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OCR for page 197
Further Research 197
transportation choices made by the long-distance traveler are fundamentally different from
those made by the same person in day-to-day metropolitan travel. The researchers strongly
recommend that the subject matter originally covered by the American Travel Survey be recom-
menced by some agency of the U.S. DOT.
Step 3: Understand the Markets Revealed
and Their Relationship to Candidate Solutions
This report has suggested that there are three categories of demand for airport ground access.
First, there is the traditional, high-density market that gets attention when capital-intensive solu-
tions such as rail are discussed. This report has presented a significant amount of information
about such services between airports and traditional downtowns. Another category of market
demand is that of the lowest density category, in which trips often start by automobile to major
park-and-ride facilities served by dedicated airport buses; this category of market demand is
being extensively documented in ACRP Project 10-02, "Planning Guide for Offsite Terminals."
By contrast, comparatively little analysis exists about the third market category described in this
report, the middle-density market often served by shared-ride vehicles. Some airports, such as Los
Angeles International Airport, have provided a disciplined program to limit the number of shuttle
van companies competing for this market, while other airports have failed to provide this essential
direction. More research should be undertaken to help airport managers understand what powers
they do and do not have over these important operations. New hybrid service can offer scheduled
services to specific destinations (such as hotels) and continue on with pre-arranged on-demand ser-
vices to other destinations. For most U.S. airports, this market category is often the largest segment
of the full market with comparatively little known about the nature of demand therein.
In addition, the researchers recommend that the study of airport ground access alternatives
be widened to include the smaller U.S. airports. In many cases, the managers of smaller airports
are willing to participate in programs to encourage high-occupancy solutions, but very little
guidance is available. Options such as shared-ride taxis need to be explored for their application
at the mid-sized and smaller U.S. airports.
Step 4: Design a Program of Services and Strategies
for Airport Ground Access
Without question, rubber-tired public transportation vehicles will remain the dominant pub-
lic transportation access mode in the United States. It is surprising, then, to see so little attention
paid to either the fully developed program of bus rapid transit or even the smaller steps of HOV
planning for major U.S. airports. At present, only one such airport program exists, the Silver Line
to Boston's airport. Similarly, the number of airport buses successfully utilizing HOV lanes is
small; major positive examples are at Los Angeles International Airport and, to a lesser extent,
Boston's airport. For some reason, bus rapid transit options do not survive in the planning
process for airport ground access, where rail solutions are almost always recommended. The
researchers recommend that more attention be paid to advanced bus design options, including
low-floor entry for ease of travelers carrying baggage. Such systems are commonplace around
the world but have rarely been applied at major airports.
Step 5: Manage the Airport to Encourage
Higher Occupancy
At present, the ACRP has under way an innovative study of alternative terminal configurations
(ACRP Project 07-01), which marks a major change from the traditional approach to airport
