Master Plan - City of Troy

Troy may have to rely even more heavily onthe quality of life elements of the City to retainresidents even if industry and professional officessucceed in the community. In fact, on a regionalscale, telecommuting could result in a greaterdemand for more remote development andcould ultimately contribute to urban sprawl.Without the requirement of proximity to anemployer, employees can live wherever theywish.The City must continue to consider thepotential needs of telecommuters in orderto combat the potential flight of knowledgeeconomy workers in the City. 8Impacts of TelecommutingThe Research and Innovative TechnologyAdministration of the Bureau of TransportationStatistics, a department within the UnitedStates Department of Transportation, identifieda number of key issues with regard to theimpact of telecommuting on transportationdemand. They include, but are not limited to, thefollowing:• The actual amount and impact oftelecommuting in any particular region willdepend strongly on the local transportationenvironment and travel demand measures.• The congestion and air qualityimprovements potentially attainable throughtelecommuting could be substantiallydiminished if telecommuters removed fromthe highways are replaced by the emergenceof latent travel demand.• Telecommuting could stimulate urban sprawland have other adverse impacts on land useand public transportation.• Factors which will impact the rate of growthof telecommuting include uncertainty ofbenefits for employers and the considerabletime and effort inherently required to bringabout major changes in work styles and waysof doing business.8. Transportation Implications of Telecommuting, Bureau of TransportationStatistics50 CHAPTER 5: MOBILITY