National Academies Press: OpenBook

Measuring Transportation Network Performance (2010)

Chapter: Chapter 3 - Regional Scenario Defining Community Goals Across Jurisdictions

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 3 - Regional Scenario Defining Community Goals Across Jurisdictions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2010. Measuring Transportation Network Performance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14425.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 3 - Regional Scenario Defining Community Goals Across Jurisdictions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2010. Measuring Transportation Network Performance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14425.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 3 - Regional Scenario Defining Community Goals Across Jurisdictions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2010. Measuring Transportation Network Performance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14425.
×
Page 10
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 3 - Regional Scenario Defining Community Goals Across Jurisdictions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2010. Measuring Transportation Network Performance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14425.
×
Page 11
Page 12
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 3 - Regional Scenario Defining Community Goals Across Jurisdictions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2010. Measuring Transportation Network Performance. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14425.
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8Scenario In urbanized areas, MPOs provide a well-established forum for identifying community goals across multiple jurisdictions. In many MPOs, goals and objectives traditionally consider the limited set of investments that MPOs have direct control or influence over—primarily highway and transit capacity investments. A network performance approach can help to incorporate other major considerations, such as highway and transit operations, nonmotorized programs, land use policy decisions, and other nontraditional concerns. This scenario describes how MPOs can use network performance measure- ment to help define regional goals and the full range of strate- gies necessary to meet them. The coordination of multiple agencies within a region can help in determining and driving network performance. However, multiagency coordination of performance data and measures can be challenging. Moreover, it is often difficult to share common network measures across systems if the differ- ent agencies have divergent goals. The typically uncoordinated interplay between local and regional transportation and land use planning compounds these issues. Rather than developing data collection and performance measures individually, agencies can collaborate and harmo- nize measures and strategies across jurisdictions in order to reach broader regional goals and outcomes. MPOs can play an important role in facilitating this collaboration across local involvement and public engagement in the planning stages. State support from transportation agencies and strong working relationships between state, regional, and local governments also are important in fostering the development of a systemwide perspective that can help to improve network performance. Case Studies The primary case study for this scenario is the Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC), the MPO for the Albany, New York, region. The Albany urbanized area, also known as the Capital District, consists of major highways, including I-87 and I-91, and key corridors, including NY Routes 7, 9, and 155. CDTC uses core performance measures relating to aggre- gate system performance and supplemental performance mea- sures relating to specific elements of the systems. CDTC has, for many years, included system reliability, land use compat- ibility, and a wide range of environmental impacts in its plan- ning process. CDTC and its members also have been active in providing significant support for community planning, tran- sit service design, intermodal development, ITS deployment, demand management, and public participation. CDTC uses performance measures to evaluate strategic goals and outcomes as well as operational and individual facility-level measures. It works with the public and many local governments in the long-range planning process to develop goals and strategies, and then works with local jurisdictions to implement the strategies through programs and projects. Additional examples of multilevel agency coordination have been taken from the San Diego Association of Govern- ments (SANDAG), Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), and Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Building Blocks Establish Partnership Agreements The fundamental building block for this scenario is the establishment of partnership agreements with the several agencies that have responsibility for transportation infra- structure within the region. Collaboration Across Levels of Government Though all MPOs include participation by local govern- ments and state and regional agencies within the region, indi- C H A P T E R 3 Regional Scenario—Defining Community Goals Across Jurisdictions

9vidual agencies often either are not active in the MPO process or do not collaborate to define regional goals. CDTC uses a col- laborative approach to understand the region’s transportation network and move toward regional goals, such as livability. CDTC collaborates with the New York DOT, regional plan- ning and transit organizations, and local jurisdictions to estab- lish goals and to define and implement strategies. Examples include the following: • CDTC has defined congestion management performance measures and tradeoff analysis through a Regional Opera- tions Committee. • CDTC contracts with the Capital District Regional Plan- ning Commission (CDRPC) and funds that agency’s work in demographic data and forecasts and in regional land use policy discussions. • CDTC includes land use measures in its CMP, including dislocation of existing residences and businesses and com- munity quality-of-life measures. • CDTC works with local municipalities to implement joint planning studies. Because MPOs have no land use author- ity, CDTC established a program that funnels almost one- third of its funding to communities for projects that integrate land use and transportation planning. The pro- gram links regional plans with local projects and provides a tool to reach consensus on how the transportation net- work should perform. typical MPO planning efforts. For example, a major multi- strategy program CDTC undertakes is the Community and Transportation Linkage Planning Program.1 This unique planning process engages regional economic entities, envi- ronmental groups, business leaders, university administra- tion, chambers of commerce, neighborhood associations, and regional community organizations. In the planning process, CDTC widely engages the public to help link strategies and measures to goals. CDTC staff believes that all performance measures should be first approved through public process. For example, public opinion polls have shown that people are willing to tolerate traffic congestion levels, if there are improvements to transit, walking, biking, safety, and landscaping. This interest in and understanding of public opinion helps CDTC choose appropriate measures that will facilitate aligning of network performance with com- munity goals. For example, CDTC conducted public opinion surveys about congestion and realized that reliability mea- sures are more important and meaningful to the public than are other congestion measures, such as level of service (LOS), speed, and volume. Define Performance Measurement Framework MPOs typically already have in place the basic compo- nents of a performance measurement framework that can be expanded to address network performance. Most MPOs define regional goals and objectives as part of their regional trans- portation plan (RTP). This section describes how network performance can help MPOs in addressing a broader array of considerations in their planning processes. Assess Network Performance in the Context of Long-Range Goals Long-range goals provide a key mechanism for developing and communicating regional priorities. Integrating network performance requires crafting goals that emphasize the performance of the network. CDTC focuses on the most important links in the system for achieving efficiency, rather than on individual system components/facilities. The agency has created a land use transportation compatibility index based on traffic intrusions in residential areas and the com- patibility between arterial and local access. Since the early 1990s, MnDOT and the Metropol- itan Council (the MPO for the Twin Cities region) have worked to build a multiagency partnership around transit called “Team Transit” to improve transit operations and increase transit usage. Other agencies involved have included the Cen- ter for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota State Patrol, repre- sentatives from the Twin Cities, and other munic- ipalities served by transit. Team Transit focuses on maximizing the number of people moving throughout the Twin Cities, rather than the number of vehicles. Extended Outreach to Local Governments and Communities Effective partnerships with local governments and com- munities often require a level of outreach that goes beyond 1More information on CDTC’s Community and Transportation Linkage Planning Program can be found at http://www.cdtcmpo.org/linkage.htm.

Use Multiple Strategies to Achieve Goals A network performance focus on regional goals means considering multiple strategies. CDTC identifies transporta- tion strategies that are aligned with regional goals, including • Reliability. CDTC analyses of congestion reveal that adding capacity to major corridors may push bottlenecks further up a roadway. Strategies to improve network reliability also are considered, including intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and traffic management systems, managed lanes, and highway monitoring programs. • Land use. In 2001, a CDTC- and Capital District Transit Authority (CDTA)-led Land Use and Transportation Con- cepts Plan for New York Route 5 led to a bus rapid transit (BRT) concept that is now included in expanded form in the region’s long-range plan. • Corridor approach. CDTC’s Integrated Transportation Corridor Effort provides a stakeholder-driven approach to developing and evaluating major regional corridors. The 2008 Hudson River Crossing study considered mobility, operational efficiency, and community in a study of the bridge systems along the Hudson River using travel model and microsimulation tools and suggested that the network of bridges did not need widening to meet the needs of the region’s travelers. 10 SANDAG publishes an annual performance mon- itoring report for its Regional Comprehensive Plan each year. The section on urban form and transportation includes indicators on smart growth, transit, commute mode shares, travel times, and volumes on key corridors (including evaluation of corridor improvements on these measures), annual hours of traffic delay per traveler, and the percentage of the CMP net- work that is deficient. Measures are derived from state, regional, and local data and are used by SANDAG and its member governments to help choose strategies to meet regional goals and improve the overall transportation system. SACOG’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Funding Program awards local grants for bicycle and pedestrian improvements using performance measures, such as changes in miles of bikeways and sidewalks and impact of bicycle and pedestrian investments on air quality and public health. SACOG recently inte- grated a Regional Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Trails Master Plan into its Metropolitan Transportation Plan. SACOG’s goals include doubling the percent- age of bike/walk trips and reducing bicycle and pedestrian fatalities by 20% by 2020. SANDAG’s Integrated Performance Management (IPM) system provides a multimodal approach to system management that recognizes the inter- dependence of travel modes. Ongoing monitor- ing helps assess consistency with regional policies. ITS is a critical element of the IPM systems net- work used to monitor performance. ITS helps to interconnect the region’s local transportation management centers and integrates data from the modal management systems. Completion of this network will enable the modal agencies to cohesively manage the overall performance of the local and regional transportation systems. Develop Measurement and Data Collection Methodologies Considering network performance requires developing data sources and measures that can help transportation agen- cies conduct system-level evaluations. Identify and Evaluate Nontraditional Performance Measures Network performance requires moving the CMP beyond simple measures of congestion and delay. CDTC and its planning partners have developed “aggregate” performance measures targeted at improving overall network performance (Table 3.1). Besides the traditional MPO focus on accessibil- ity, safety, and congestion (especially delay and LOS), CDTC includes measures of • System reliability. Traditional MPO congestion manage- ment planning tends to address recurring congestion, using simple averages of travel-time delay and volume/capacity (v/c) measures. These measures do not consider variations in the experiences of travelers. For example, a network approach might consider both average travel time and travel- time variability. CDTC’s CMP uses the planning time index to capture network performance. The index uses express- way speed and volume by lane in 15-minute increments in key corridors.

tial effects of climate change in the region in a project’s cost. An analysis of global warming costs is applied to major sys- tem decisions, such as the evaluation of transportation improvement plan (TIP) projects when applicable. CDTC also has gone beyond state requirements and produced GHG emissions specific to year, operating speed, and func- tional class. This has allowed CDTC to mark progress toward reaching regional environmental goals. 11 Planning Time Index Ratio of driving time on a “worse than average delay day” (95th percentile) to a “free-flow day”: • PTI >1.0: trip would take longer time; • PTI =1.0: trip would take no extra time; and • PTI <1.0: speed would be >55 mph even on the “worst” day Table 3.1. CDTC core performance measures. Area Core Performance Measures Access • Percentage of p.m. peak-hour trips transit accessible • Percentage of p.m. peak-hour trips with transit advantage • Percentage of p.m. peak-hour trips accessible by bicycle and walking Accessibility • Travel time between representative locations Congestion • p.m. peak-hour recurring excess person-hours of delay • Excess person-hours of peak-hour delay per person-miles traveled • Excess person-hours of peak-hour delay per person Flexibility • Reserve capacity on the urban expressway and arterial system (p.m. peak-hour vehicle miles of capacity) Safety • Estimated annual societal cost of transportation accidents ($M) Energy • p.m. peak-hour fuel consumption (thousands of gallons) Economic Cost • Annual vehicle ownership and operating costs for autos and trucks ($M) • Other monetary costs of transport: highway and transit facilities and service, parking facilities, environmental damage ($M) Air Quality • p.m. peak-hour daily hydrocarbon (HC) emissions (kg) • p.m. peak-hour daily nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions (kg) Land Use • Land use transportation compatibility index (residential use traffic conflict: miles at LOS “E” or “F” and arterial land access conflict: miles at LOS “E” or “F”) • Dislocation of existing residences and businesses • Amount of open space • Community quality-of-life factors that reflect community quality of life in the central cities, inner suburbs, outer suburbs, small cities and villages, and rural areas Environmental • Number of major environmental issues to be resolved to implement existing commitments Economic • How does the transportation system support the economic health of the region? Source: CDTC Congestion Management Process, 2007. http://www.cdtcmpo.org/rtp2030/materials/cm-doc.pdf. • Community compatibility. CDTC is concerned with how transportation system and land use decisions affect the New Visions goal of becoming a “Quality Region” with a strong sense of place. Since the 1990s, CDTC has employed qualitative measures of community compatibility and qual- ity of life in its transportation planning process, assigning Levels A through F for community impact in addition to quantitative analysis. • Greenhouse gas emissions. CDTC incorporates analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into its planning process through “full cost analysis,” including the poten- The Minnesota I-394 Integrated Corridor Manage- ment coalition is using measures to help reduce variations in travel time and improve reliability, including a buffer index, maximum travel times experienced by travelers throughout the corridor, the range of travel times (and variability) experi- enced by travelers, and the percentage of “late” bus routes throughout the corridor. The coalition includes MnDOT, several municipal governments, and Metro Transit. The groups will develop a data hub used to connect multiple systems.

Metadata Collection and Data Sharing Developing common databases and travel models across jurisdictions or modes can be a significant challenge of multi- level agency coordination. The CDTC has addressed this issue on several fronts, including (1) using the Management Information System for Transportation (MIST) database that records expressway speed and volume by lane every 15 min- utes2 and (2) monitoring travel speed and delay on arterial corridors using global positioning system (GPS) technology. New databases and performance measures are being used to revise the critical congestion corridors articulated in the CMP documents, which contain all long-range performance meas- ures, including congestion measures. For example, nonrecur- ring delay indicators are being used to redefine the definition of critical congestion. The Regional Operations Committee is using these performance measures to help CDTC evaluate the performance of its ITS, incident management systems, and operations systems. CDTC maintains significant transportation system per- formance data, including biennial data for nonstate federal- aid system facilities, quadrennial sample data for local roads, supplemental data for all Albany county and city roads, and data for transit system infrastructure age, facilities, ITS, sig- nal systems, sidewalk inventories, Thruway, and operations and maintenance systems. CDTC’s data collection includes automatic traffic recorder counts; intersection traffic counts; vehicle, truck, and pedestrian trip generation; vehicle classi- fication counts; bicycle and pedestrian shared-path volumes; transit ridership and park-and-ride lot usage; various safety data, including crash location and frequency; and other data as necessary. CDTC maintains these data for access by state government, local municipalities, public and nonprofit agen- cies and groups, consultants, and other interested parties. Through CDTC’s TIP, the agency funds the Capital Dis- trict Transportation Management Center, run by the New York State Police and New York State DOT (NYSDOT). The Center is a source of data on traffic volumes, speed, and inci- dents, which are incorporated into the CMP. Values for many of CDTC’s performance monitoring measures are estimated using the regional travel model. With the excess delay mea- surements methods, postprocessors will be used with STEP model data to generate values for excess delay, congested cor- ridors, and bicycle and pedestrian accessibility (The Metro- politan Congestion Management Process, May 2007). CDTC coordinates with NYSDOT, New York State Depart- ment of Environmental Conservation, and others to update natural and cultural resource maps for environmental plan- ning and uses geographic information system (GIS) applica- tions, such as the regional bike-hike trail maps, bike and pedestrian data mapping and analysis, and crash data mapping and analysis for the Linkage studies. CDTC also works with CDRPC to process GIS data and incorporate parcel-level data and high-resolution orthophotography for the entire region. 12 Minnesota’s Twin Cities region conducted an extensive study of the effectiveness of the region’s 430 ramp meters in 2000, including a shutdown of the system. The study revealed that meters improve throughput by about 14%, yield 2.6 million hours of systemwide delay savings, reduce the number of crashes by about 4 each day, and save 1,160 tons of emissions. Ramp metering results in a net benefit of $32 million to $37 million per year to the region’s traveling public. Providing rigorous analysis of operations and ITS investments helps justify expenditures on these strategies. SANDAG uses data collected by California DOT (Caltrans) as part of the Freeway Performance Monitoring System (PeMS) to measure freeway speeds, delays, and reliability for the regional freeway system. PeMS transmits data from automated detection devices every 30 seconds. SANDAG uses these data to identify and priori- tize transportation corridor improvements and to monitor the regional comprehensive plan, rather than relying solely on travel times derived from models. SACOG’s multimodal, multijurisdictional “smart corridor” initiative is a collaborative effort of the County of Sacramento, the Regional Transit District, Caltrans, the State Highway Patrol, and American River Fire District. The Sacramento Transportation Area Network (STARNET) will coordinate the interagency ITS network, includ- ing providing web-based software that operators can access from any computer to see a map of the whole region showing the current status of all agencies’ field devices, transit vehicles, and current incidents and events, thus providing a common and comprehensive view of current conditions. 2http://www.cdtcmpo.org/rtp2030/materials/wb-doc.pdf

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TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 664: Measuring Transportation Network Performance explores ways to monitor transportation network performance by developing new or integrating existing performance measures from different transportation modes and multiple jurisdictions.

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