Confronting congestion in urban areas: Developing Sustainable Mobility Plans for public and private organizations in Bogotá

Work trips contribute the most to congestion during peak hours in urban areas. For that reason, public and private organizations can play a relevant part by developing mobility plans (MPs) to propose possible strategies to confronting congestion. Although MP strategies such as the promotion of active and public transport modes, the implementation of parking policies, telecommuting, and flexible work schedules have gained popularity for addressing traffic congestion in recent years, there has been a lack of studies reporting on the potential impact of their implementation in organizations located in Global South cities. This paper evaluates the modal choice by drivers (cars and motorcycles) in response to a series of specific mobility strategies if MPs are implemented by mid-size and large public and private organizations in the city of Bogotá (Colombia). The modal share of employee trips after implementing different travel demand management instruments was evaluated using a stated preference survey. The results of this study suggest that substantial increases of parking charges in the organization’s vicinity are likely to lead to the highest reduction of private cars use and the highest modal share increase for public transport, carpooling, bicycling, and walking. The provision of company bus services seems not to be as the most effective strategy to discourage employees from using a car. Then, these plans should contain a combination of strategies rather than consider them separately to increase the possibility of achieving better results. Also, more studies evaluating the potential success of organizations adopting MPs in the cities of the Global South are needed.