Route 422 Study Offers Solutions To Montgomery County Traffic

A new study is proposing key changes to reduce traffic on Route 422 and in turn relieve congestion in parts of Montgomery County and Chester County.

The TDM - Transportation Demand Management - analysis focuses on ways to “reduce demand for travel instead of increasing the supply of roads,” according to a December, 2014 study by Temple University, quoting the Center for Urban Transportation Research.

Such an approach recognizes that building new roads is not the only solution to traffic, and sometimes it’s not a solution at all.

TDM, in turn, means implementing different travel modes, at different times, encouraging locals to make fewer trips and shorter trips, and to take different routes.

Among the methods TDM has identified:

• Biking
• Carpooling
• Public Transit
• Shuttles
• Vanpooling
• Working from home

On their own, none of these alternatives to traditional commuting may seem very effective. But taken together as part of a greater strategy to improve each method, officials are hoping they will see results.

TDM is sponsored by the Greater Valley Forge Transportation Association (GVF), a nonprofit working to promote a more viable transportation network throughout the region.

The recent study was put together by the School of Environmental Design at Temple University, along with GVF and CFA Consultants.

The $200,000 study, funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, recommends that the 422 Coalition of local businesses and government agencies be rebooted, and also encourages more public information about employee ride share programs.

Authors of the study also cited the importance of new technologies in assisting traffic flow, and working with statewide agencies to develop regional-based approaches.