NEW EXPECTATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION

Data requirements change to reflect our changing understanding of transportation systems and policies. As we enter the new century, transportation data needs will evolve to reflect increased interactions between travel and telecommunications, changing concepts of the relationships between transportation systems and urban form, the growing importance of goods movement as a component of transportation policy, increased pressure to address issues of environmental sustainability in the transportation sector, and concerns about equity in the distribution of transportation resources. This article discusses each of these five themes or trends. They indicate ways in which our understanding of travel is changing, and ways in which transportation data collection can and should be changing over time.