This purpose of this project was to createa functioning refined statewide travel demand model (CSTDM) that accounts for interregional trips and can run with the integrated land use and economic model to evaluate land use and transportation policies. This model framework, the California Statewide Interregional Integrated Model (CalSIIM), allows citizens and decision makers to see how policy choices and investments can result in lower greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation/land use sector. The model encourages experimentation with assumptions and policy choices that can result in more aggressive reduction targets than those initially targeted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
SB 375 mandates that the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) evaluate the California Air Resource Board‘s September 2010 regional greenhouse gas reduction targets and create sustainable community strategies to meet those targets as part of their regional transportation plans. In order to provide the MPOs with a working tool to assist with this process, we adjusted the timeline for completing the CSTDM model activities – moving the delivery date of the model from February 2011 to September 2010.