AbstractAfter briefly introducing the gravity and interactance models, the following article goes on to discuss the status of these models and asks: Are the hypotheses reasonable; are the models logically consistent; and do the models fit the facts? The first two sections are of a theoretical nature although a number of practical examples are given to illustrate certain of the points made. The third section consists of a series of case studies covering U.K. port traffic, intra-European air traffic, West German domestic air traffic, inter-urban traffic in Africa, and urban road traffic in Oxford. Graphs are plotted to show the relationship between the various traffic model parameters.The general conclusion from the analysis is that gravity and interactance models do not provide a valid means of producing traffic forecasts in a regional environment. The concluding section is devoted to discussing other methods of traffic forecasting and suggesting the most promising areas for future research.