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the National Ambient Air Quality Standards must be completed on projects. There are sanctions for failure to meet the requirements. A variety of transportation control measures (TCMs) may be considered to help areas meet the conformity requirements. These measures include public transit improvements, traffic flow improvements, high- occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, and shared- ride ser- vices. Other TCMs include bicycle and pedestrian facilities and flexible work schedules. Restrictions on roads for use by buses or HOVs, restrictions on con- struction of roads for single- occupant vehicles, and trip- reduction ordinances may also be considered. There are specific U.S. Environmental Protection Agency modeling requirements for MPOs in areas over 200,000 in population and for transportation manage- ment agencies (TMAs). These areas must use network- based travel models, validated against peak and off- peak counts. The model must be analyzed for reasonableness and must use the best available land use, population, and network assumptions. Future land uses must be consis- tent with the transportation system. In addition, emis- sions estimates must be based on peak and off- peak volumes and speeds. Zone- to- zone travel impedances must be used for distribution based on final assignment. The network models must be sensitive to time, cost, and other relevant factors. Finally, all assumptions and results must be documented. These programs cover the basic requirements. There are other requirements depending on the type of trans- portation or transit improvement being considered and the federal funding category. The Transit New Starts pro- gram provides one example of additional requirements associated with a specific funding source. The Transit New Starts program is a discretionary grant program. FTA must make choices among competing projects from various urban areas. Consequently, FTA has emphasized the need for consistency across urban areas and the need for consistency in analytical approaches. The evaluation criteria for the New Starts program includes mobility improvements, environmental benefits, operating effi- ciencies, cost- effectiveness, land use impacts, and a finan- cial commitment on the part of the area. Environmental justice represents another area that requires special consideration. Environmental justice requires an analysis of the impacts of a project or plan on minority and low- income communities and populations. This analysis is needed to ensure that minority and low- income groups do not receive a disproportionate per- centage of the negative impacts from a project. These analyses require the ability to assess the impacts of trans- portation improvements on specific minority and low- income populations. MPOs in areas with populations over 200,000 and MPOs classified as TMAs must have a congestion man- agement system (CMS). Additionally, in air quality nonattainment areas and TMAs, federal funds cannot be used for projects that increase single- occupant vehicle capacities unless the project is part of a CMS. Strategies to address congestion must be incorporated into plans and TIPs. A wide variety of congestion management strategies may be considered and incorporated into a CMS. These strategies include travel demand management measures, traffic operational improvements, the use of HOV lanes, and public transportation improvements. Other tech- niques include the use of nonmotorized modes, conges- tion pricing, growth management strategies, and access management techniques. Still other strategies include incident management techniques, ITS applications, and the possible addition of general- purpose lanes. There are also a number of new and emerging empha- sis areas that may require special treatment in the mod- eling process. Examples of these emerging emphasis areas include environmental streamlining, nonmotorized transportation, ITS, private financing, pricing, and secu- rity. It is important to integrate the transportation and environmental planning processes to provide more accu- rate and more detailed forecasts. Consideration of nonmotorized transportation is intended to better integrate bicycling and walking into the transportation planning and project development mainstream. The Safe Routes to Schools program pro- vides one example of this approach. ITS are becoming more widely deployed in metropolitan areas of all sizes. It is important to be able to model the travel demand effects of freeway management systems, arterial manage- ment systems, and traveler information systems. Private financing of different elements of the trans- portation infrastructure and transportation operations is being considered in many areas. Private investment firms and banks have requirements for accurate travel demand forecasts and accurate revenue forecasts. Value pricing, high- occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, and managed lanes are also being considered and implemented in some areas. The ability to model the effects of highway tolls, transit fares, HOT lanes, and variable or dynamic tolls on travel demand is needed in these areas. Transportation security is also a critical issue facing metropolitan areas today. Elements of transportation security include prevention, protection, response, and recovery. Examples of major federally directed studies include evacuation planning for natural and man- made disasters and flu pandemic planning. The ability to model evacuation routes, as well as sheltering in place, is needed. Obtaining and maintaining the data needed for accu- rate travel demand forecasting continues to be an issue in all urban areas. Much of the data used in travel demand forecasting is old and outdated. Further, much 7OVERVIEW OF THE POLICY ISSUES
