National Academies Press: OpenBook
Page i
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Making Effective Fixed-Guideway Transit Investments: Indicators of Success. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22355.
×
Page R1
Page ii
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Making Effective Fixed-Guideway Transit Investments: Indicators of Success. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22355.
×
Page R2
Page iii
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Making Effective Fixed-Guideway Transit Investments: Indicators of Success. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22355.
×
Page R3
Page iv
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Making Effective Fixed-Guideway Transit Investments: Indicators of Success. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22355.
×
Page R4
Page v
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Making Effective Fixed-Guideway Transit Investments: Indicators of Success. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22355.
×
Page R5
Page vi
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Making Effective Fixed-Guideway Transit Investments: Indicators of Success. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22355.
×
Page R6
Page vii
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2014. Making Effective Fixed-Guideway Transit Investments: Indicators of Success. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22355.
×
Page R7

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

T R A N S I T C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M TCRP REPORT 167 TRANSPORTAT ION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2014 www.TRB.org Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the Transit Development Corporation Making Effective Fixed- Guideway Transit Investments: Indicators of Success Volume 1: Handbook Volume 2: Research Report Daniel G. Chatman Robert Cervero Emily Moylan Ian Carlton Dana Weissman Joe Zissman Erick Guerra Jin Murakami Paolo Ikezoe InstItute of urban and regIonal development unIversIty of CalIfornIa, berkeley Berkeley, CA i n a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h Donald Emerson parsons brInCkerhoff San Francisco, CA w i t h c o n t r i b u t i o n s b y Dan Tischler Daniel Means Sandra Winkler Kevin Sheu Sun Young Kwon unIversIty of CalIfornIa, berkeley Berkeley, CA

TCRP REPORT 167 Project H-42 ISSN 1073-4872 ISBN 978-0-309-28405-9 © 2014 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, or Transit Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Transit Cooperative Research Program, conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The members of the technical panel selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, and the sponsors of the Transit Cooperative Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report. TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to intro- duce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it. The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Admin istration (FTA). A report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem- solving research. TCRP, modeled after the longstanding and success- ful National Cooperative Highway Research Program, undertakes research and other technical activities in response to the needs of tran- sit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes a variety of transit research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices. TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Pro- posed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was autho- rized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement out- lining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooper- ating organizations: FTA, the National Academies, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and the Transit Development Corporation, Inc. (TDC), a nonprofit educational and research orga- nization established by APTA. TDC is responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee. Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the TOPS Committee to formulate the research program by identi- fying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS Committee defines funding levels and expected products. Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel, appointed by the Transportation Research Board. The panels prepare project state- ments (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide techni- cal guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research pro- grams since 1962. As in other TRB activ ities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without com pensation. Because research cannot have the desired impact if products fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on dissemi- nating TCRP results to the intended end users of the research: tran- sit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other support- ing material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry practitioners. The TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively address common operational problems. The TCRP results support and complement other ongoing transit research and training programs. Published reports of the TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transporta- tion Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individu- als interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S CRP STAFF FOR TCRP REPORT 167 Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Lawrence D. Goldstein, Senior Program Officer Anthony Avery, Senior Program Assistant Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications Sharon Lamberton, Editor TCRP PROJECT H-42 PANEL Field of Policy and Planning Sharon Greene, Sharon Greene & Associates, Laguna Beach, CA (Chair) Eric Christian Bruun, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA Ron Fisher, R Fisher Consult, San Francisco, CA Gregory Roman Krykewycz, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Philadelphia, PA Peter C. Martin, CDM Smith, San Francisco, CA Jacob O. Oluwoye, Alabama A&M University, Meridianville, AL Naomi Renek, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York, NY Wendy P. Stern, Port Authority of Allegheny County (PA), Pittsburgh, PA David Vozzolo, HDR Engineering, Inc., Alexandria, VA Stephen Woelfel, Massachusetts DOT, Boston, MA Patrick Centolanzi, FTA Liaison James Garland, FTA Liaison Chris Nutakor, FTA Liaison Dwayne Weeks, FTA Liaison Rich Sampson, Community Transportation Association of America Liaison Richard Weaver, APTA Liaison

F O R E W O R D By Lawrence D. Goldstein Staff Officer Transportation Research Board TCRP Report 167: Making Effective Fixed-Guideway Transit Investments: Indicators of Success provides a data-driven, indicator-based model for predicting the success of a fixed- guideway transit project based on expected project ridership and resulting changes in transit system usage. Applying this analytical model can help local, regional, and state transporta- tion planning agencies determine whether a proposed improvement project merits invest- ment in more detailed planning analysis. The analytical model encompasses a spreadsheet tool and a handbook detailing its application. The handbook and final research report make up Parts 1 and 2 of TCRP Report 167, and the spreadsheet tool is available separately for download from the report web page at www.trb.org by searching for “TCRP Report 167”. An earlier landmark study, titled Urban Rail in America: An Exploration of Criteria for Fixed-Guideway Transit (authored by Boris Pushkarev with assistance from Jeffrey Zupan and Robert Cumella and published by Indiana University Press in 1982), defined corridor- level conditions deemed sufficient to generate threshold levels of passenger volume and therefore able to support different types of fixed-guideway investment. This study also offered an initial assessment of the nationwide potential for fixed-guideway facilities, focus- ing on local planning requirements for promising locations. Since the release of Urban Rail in America, numerous research efforts have continued to assess conditions necessary and sufficient for successful performance of different types of fixed-guideway investments. In addition, new systems have been constructed that were not addressed in the original study and new transit modes, policy issues, and analytical tools have emerged. As a result, it was determined that a fresh look at the concepts and approaches originally addressed in Urban Rail in America and subsequent research would contribute substantially to an informed planning process. The need for this review and re-evaluation provided a framework for identifying effective indicators to support local, regional, and federal decision-making applied to consideration of fixed-guideway transit investment projects. Under TCRP Project H-42, the University of California at Berkeley conducted research to (1) identify conditions and characteristics necessary to support alternative fixed-guideway transit system investments and (2) provide guidance on evaluating proposed investments based on these conditions and characteristics. To meet these objectives, the research team first identified and defined indicators of fixed-guideway transit system success. In support of the indicator-based approach, the research team developed a geographic database of fixed-guideway transit projects built in the United States between 1974 and 2008, collected at the metropolitan, corridor, and station-area levels, as well as details about routes and stops of nearly all fixed-guideway transit systems in the United States. An additional data set used as input contained demographic and physical characteristics of affected communities

and transit projects. Two different sets of statistical models correlated these data to both project-level ridership and to system-wide passenger miles traveled (PMT). A comprehen- sive literature review and a set of detailed case studies were also used to help formulate and test the analytical model. The product of this research includes the handbook, the spreadsheet tool, and a compre- hensive report of the study process. The comprehensive report includes the detailed litera- ture review, a presentation of the conceptual framework for the analytical model, a sum- mary of the quantitative analysis methods and findings, and an overview of the case studies used to formulate and test the analytical model. The final research report also includes a set of appendices that present the data used in the analysis.

C O N T E N T S 1 Summary V O L U M E 1 Handbook 1-1 Section 1 Overview 1-6 Section 2 The Indicator-Based Method 1-23 Section 3 Using the Spreadsheet Tool 1-38 Section 4 Other Factors 1-40 Section 5 What Next? 1-44 References 1-45 Abbreviations and Acronyms 1-46 Appendix Summary of the TCRP Project H-42 Database V O L U M E 2 Research Report 2-1 Chapter 1 Introduction 2-8 Chapter 2 Literature and Data Review 2-12 Chapter 3 Focus Groups: Phase I 2-17 Chapter 4 Conceptual Framework 2-28 Chapter 5 Quantitative Analysis Methods and Findings 2-43 Chapter 6 Case Studies: Overview 2-50 Chapter 7 Spreadsheet Tool: Technical Notes 2-51 Chapter 8 Conclusion 2-52 References A P P E N D I C E S Appendices A–J and Related Material

Next: Summary »
Making Effective Fixed-Guideway Transit Investments: Indicators of Success Get This Book
×
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 167: Making Effective Fixed-Guideway Transit Investments: Indicators of Success provides a data-driven, indicator-based model for predicting the success of a fixed-guideway transit project. The handbook and final research report make up Parts 1 and 2 of TCRP Report 167, and the spreadsheet tool is available separately for download.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!