- Published by: Florida Department of Transportation
- Authored by: Kimley Horn
FDOT has the responsibility of maintaining the State’s roadway system. As a result, it is FDOT’s responsibility to monitor the traffic impacts of new development along the State Highway System. In response to the ever changing economic climate following the downturn of the economy, FDOT saw the need to assess the validity and applicability of trip generation and internal capture practices in Florida. Historically, actual trip generation rates for many land uses in Florida have had the tendency to be slightly higher than the national averages reported in the ITE trip generation reports, the most recent of which is the Trip Generation Manual, 9th Ed. If traffic impact studies utilize data that results in trip estimates being too high or too low, appropriate development and associated infrastructure modifications will not be appropriately identified.
In an effort to better understand current practices and improve the accuracy of trip generation estimates in Florida, FDOT conducted two research studies on new and emerging land uses in 2011 and 2012, the results of which are summarized in this report. Additionally, a literature review was conducted to gather and assess current trip generation and internal capture research to better understand practices throughout the nation. The review also included various trip generation and internal capture estimation software and tools were analyzed based on their accuracy, capabilities, and ease-of-use. The purpose of this document is to summarize and provide recommendations on trip generation/internal capture research and software/estimation tools in an effort to improve the accuracy of traffic studies in Florida.