Telecommunications can change the length of trips, making them either longer or shorter. For example, an on-line information system could be designed to describe the nearest place to purchase a needed item, so users can avoid driving to a familiar place that is farther away. In the longer term, telecommunications support residential sprawl with its longer trip patterns, because people can use telecommunications to let them telecommute or operate a home-based business, instead of commuting daily to a distant central office during peak traffic periods. Telecommunications can also cause trips to be made at different times, perhaps avoiding peak periods. Telecommuters and other home workers with flexible schedules have more opportunity to do some necessary errands during off-peak periods, and stay put at home during the morning and evening rush.
Telecommunications can furthermore cause the route of a trip to change.
Good information about traffic conditions generated by Advanced Traveler Information Systems can be the motivation for staying off of a crowded corridor in peak, or for driving into a corridor that would typically be avoided in the absence of an information system that can now reveal that the traffic is free-flowing. Then, telecommunications can cause the mode of travel to change. An information system that provides accurate, real-time information on the exact time when a bus will arrive at a nearby bus stop, or a real time dispatching system that enables small buses to make front door pickups, could cause more people to ride the bus rather than use their private automobiles. Finally, telecommunications also have broad effects on movement and location that increase the demand for transportation. This happens because telecommunications usage supports and spurs economic growth and consumption, sprawling business and residential land use, and knowledge of new people and places to visit.