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Another trend is that the states with the most mature and · Define criteria for selecting new measures,
expansive performance reporting produced interpretive · Identify additional candidate measures, and
reports to accompany the published metrics. The Washing- · Select a set of measures from the list of candidates for fur-
ton State DOT's Grey Book includes more than 100 pages ther design and implementation.
of metrics quarterly. In addition, the DOT accountability
website includes links to other department reports of their Integrate Performance Measures into the Organization
performance.
The Missouri DOT's Tracker includes more than 100 mea- ·Engage internal and external stakeholders to achieve
sures, and its monthly report includes more than 220 pages buy-in,
of data and interpretation. The Minnesota DOT's Annual · Identify the different decision contexts in which perfor-
Transportation Performance Report tracks 16 basic areas of mance measures are to be used (project, corridor, and net-
performance and includes 38 pages of explanatory material. work levels and for short- or long-range decisions) and
Commonly used metrics address infrastructure condition, refine measures so that they are at the appropriate level of
highway safety, project delivery, budgeting, personnel goals, sensitivity,
and progress toward specific programs. Less common are · Identify opportunities for using measures that are consis-
mobility measures and freight measures. NCHRP Synthesis tent across different organizational units responsible for
311 reviewed the use of performance measures for the moni- various asset classes, modes, or work types,
toring and operational management of highway segments · Identify needs for additional data collection, data manage-
and systems.3 An assessment of the relative strengths and ment, and analytic tools to support the selected measures,
weaknesses of over 70 performance measures in use then was · Design communication devices with formats appropriate
performed. The survey of DOTs and metropolitan planning to the target audiences, and
organizations (MPOs) yielded the list of performance mea- · Document measure definitions and procedures.
sures shown on Table 3.1. The Responses column shows how
many responding agencies use the measure. Note that freight Establish Performance Targets
performance measure use is low, as is the use of measures that
capture real-time highway operations. · Define the context for target setting and establish time
Measures of the number of persons or vehicles served horizon(s),
were most commonly reported as the most important mea- · Determine which measures should have targets,
sures, including volume, vehicle-miles traveled (VMT), · Develop long-term goals based on consideration of techni-
persons served expressed in person-miles traveled, and cal and economic factors,
freight-volume served expressed in truck-miles traveled. · Consider current and future funding availability,
With respect to freight, the synthesis suggests that measures · Analyze resource allocation scenarios and tradeoffs,
could be developed to reflect the freight system and could use · Consider policy and public-input implications for target
data such as vehicle length, height, and weight, the number setting, and
of axles, safety inspection statistics, truck crashes, commer- · Establish targets and track progress.
cial vehicle enforcement/inspection times and costs, railroad
crossing protection, and weigh-in-motion information.
States Use Only a Handful
Public-Sector Logic for of Freight Measures
Selecting Measures
Although the research literature identified hundreds of
NCHRP Report 5514 recommends a step-by-step process potential freight performance measures, in practice the
specifically for developing asset management measures, but minority of states that have freight performance measures
the process can be applied to most categories of measures: use only a handful. Mature performance measurement states
such as Washington, Missouri, and Minnesota use between
Identify Performance Measures 5 and 10 measures. It was noticeable that no two states had
the same measures, and in most cases there were wide differ-
· Inventory existing performance measures and identify ences in the metrics. Although states reported freight perfor-
how they are being used, mance metrics, most of the metrics were not used to calibrate
· Identify gaps to be addressed based on coverage of critical performance of specific state programs. Exceptions were for
outcome areas for agency goals and objectives and support Missouri's customer satisfaction with its motor carrier office.
for the asset-management best practices, Generic measures such as travel time in freight-significant
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Table
Table3.1.Examined performance
3.1. Examined measures.
performance measures.
Performance Measure Typical Definition Responses
Qualitative assessment of highway point, segment, or system
Level of Service (LOS) 11
using A (best) to F (worst) based on measures of effectiveness
Annual average daily traffic, peak-hour traffic, or peak-period
Traffic Volume 11
traffic
Vehicle-Miles Traveled Volume times length 10
Travel Time Distance divided by speed 8
Speed Distance divided by travel time 7
Incidents Traffic interruption caused by crash or other unscheduled event 6
Duration of Congestion Period of congestion 5
Percent of System Percent of miles congested (usually defined based on LOS E
5
Congested or F)
Vehicle Occupancy Persons per vehicle 5
Percent of Travel
Percent of vehicle-miles or person-miles traveled 4
Congested
Delay Caused by
Increase in travel time caused by an incident 3
Incidents
Density Vehicles per lane, per period 3
Rail Crossing Incidents Traffic crashes that occur at highway-rail grade crossings 3
Travel time increases from congestion; this measure does not
Recurring Delay 3
consider incidents
Value of driver's time during a trip and any expenses incurred
Travel Costs during the trip (vehicle ownership and operating expenses or 3
tolls or traffic)
Weather-related
Traffic interruption caused by inclement weather 3
Incidents
Period required for an incident to be identified, to be verified,
Response Times to
and for an appropriate action to alleviate the interruption to 2
Incidents
traffic to arrive at the scene
Commercial Vehicle Number of violations issued by law enforcement based on
1
Safety Violations vehicle weight, size, or safety
Evacuation Clearance
Reaction and travel time for evacuees to leave an area at risk 1
Time
Response Time to Period required for an incident to be identified, to be verified,
Weather-related and for an appropriate action to alleviate the interruption to 1
Incidents traffic to arrive at the scene
Security for Highway and Number of violations issued by law enforcement for acts of
1
Transit violence against travelers
Toll Revenue Dollars generated from tolls 1
Travel Time Reliability Several definitions are used 1
Source: PBS&J. NCHRP Synthesis 311: Operational Effectiveness for Highway Segments and Systems. Transportation Research Board of the National
Academies, Washington, D.C., 2003, Table 6, p. 22.
1
