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Urban Transportation Planning

Introduction to MetropolitanTransportation Planning

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Definition of Transportation Planning

Transportation planning providesthe information, tools, and publicinvolvement needed for improvingtransportation system performance

Transportation planning is acontinuous process that requires

monitoring of the systemsperformance and condition

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Transportation Planning Affects

Policies

Choices among alternative

strategies Priorities

Funding allocations

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More than Transportation

Land Use

Clean Air Act / Air Quality Standards

National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA)

Americans With Disabilities Act(ADA)

Title VI / Environmental Justice

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Types of Plans

Long-Range

Strategic

Project/Facility Implementation

Improvement (program)

Comprehensive

Site (TIAs)

Statewide

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Legislation: SAFETEA-LU

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, EfficientTransportation Equity Act: A Legacyfor Users

Plan Requirements

Institutional Structures

Funding

Conformity

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Metropolitan Planning Factors I

(A) Support the economic vitality of themetropolitan area, especially by enablingglobal competitiveness, productivity, and

efficiency (B) Increase the safety of the

transportation system for motorized andnonmotorized users

(C) Increase the security of thetransportation system for motorized andnonmotorized users

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Metropolitan Planning Factors II

(D) Increase the accessibility and mobilityof people and for freight

(E) Protect and enhance the environment,

promote energy conservation, improvethe quality of life, and promoteconsistency between transportationimprovements and State and local

planned growth and economicdevelopment patterns

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Metropolitan Planning Factors III

(F) Enhance the integration andconnectivity of the transportationsystem, across and between modes,for people and freight

(G) Promote efficient systemmanagement and operation

(H) emphasize the preservation ofthe existing transportation system

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Metropolitan Planning Organization

MPO

Has the authority of Federal law(SAFETEA-LU)

Is a representative group of localstakeholders

Leads the transportation planning processfor the metropolitan area

Is the regions policymaking organizationresponsible for prioritizing transportation

initiatives Carries out the urban transportation

planning process in cooperation with theState DOT(s) and transit operators

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MPO Structure

Policy Board (Planning Commission)

Sets regional long-term transportation policyand approves plans

Prioritizes and programs specific transportationinitiatives for funding

Staff

Advisory Committees

Examples: SEWRPC, DRCOG, PSRC, DVRPC, SCAG

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Metropolitan Planning 3 Cs

Comprehensive

Cooperative

Continuing

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Scope of Work for MPOs

A Unified Planning Work Program(UPWP) or simplified statement ofwork

Public involvement process/plan(PIP)

Financial Plan

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Principal Products of MPOs

A Long-Range Transportation Plan

Transportation Improvement

Program (TIP) Special Studies

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Simplified Statement of Work (Large

MPOs)

Planning tasks and studies to beconducted

Any transportation-related air qualityplanning tasks

All Federally funded studies State/local planning activities conducted

without Federal funds Funding sources identified for each

project Schedule of activities Agency responsible for each task or study

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Public Involvement Process

Proactive

Early and continuing

Open and collaborative A formal Public Involvement Plan

(PIP) is required of Large MPOs(TMAs, Transportation ManagementAreas)

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Urban Transportation Planning Process

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Southeastern Wisconsin Regional

Planning Commission

http://www.sewrpc.org/

http://www.sewrpc.org/http://www.sewrpc.org/

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Holistic Approach

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Transportation Improvement Program

(TIP)

A staged, multi-year, intermodalprogram of prioritizedtransportation initiatives consistentwith Plan

Shows annual activity for a 3-yearperiod

Projects must be in the TIP forFHWA or FTA funding

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Key Issues

Air Quality

Freight Movement

Land Use and Transportation

Models and Their Use

Performance Measures

Project Development and the NEPA Process

Public Involvement

System Management and Operations (M&O)

Title V1/Environmental Justice Transportation Demand Management (TDM)

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Air Quality Conformity

Plans must demonstrate consistencywith the emissions budgets neededto satisfy the Clean Air Act

Projects cannot move forwardwithout conformity

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Air Quality I

Sources

Stationary sources

Area sources

Mobile sources

Pollutants (NAAQS)

Ozone precursors (VOCs, NOx)

Carbon monoxide (CO)

Particulates (PM-10 or PM-2.5)

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Air Quality II

Nonattainment Areas by Pollutant

Extreme

Severe

Serious

Moderate

Marginal

Maintenance

Milwaukee is Severe for Ozone

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Air Quality III

Transportation plans, TIPs, andprojects cannot:

Create new violations of the NationalAmbient Air Quality Standards(NAAQS);

Increase the frequency or severity ofexisting violations of the standards

Delay attainment of the standards.

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Air Quality IV

State Implementation Plan (SIP)

Conformity

CMAQ Transit improvements, shared-ride

services, traffic flow improvements,pedestrian and bicycle programs,construction of high-occupancy vehicle

(HOV) lanes, I/M programs, andtransportation demand managementstrategies

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Freight I: Process

Define system elements that are criticalfor efficient movement of freight

Identify ways to measure system

performance in terms of freightmovement

Develop freight-oriented data collectionand modeling

Creating a freight movement advisorycommittee

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Freight II: Policies and Projects

Truck Restrictions Peak period bans, freeway section bans, route diversions

Road Design and Construction Improved entry/exit ramps and merges, exclusive truck facilities

Road Pricing Peak period permits and tolls, freeway permits

Fleet Management Voluntary off-peak operations, automatic vehicle location/routing

Traffic Engineering Wider lanes, Speed restrictions, Variable message signs

Shipper/Receiver Actions Voluntary off-peak operations, mandatory off-peak operations

Incident Management Automated detection, site and area surveillance/communications

Inspection/Enforcement Automated surveillance

Information Management Highway advisory radio, traffic information

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Land Use I: Federal Regs

Transportation planning processshould consider "the likely effect oftransportation policy decisions onland use and development and theconsistency of transportation plansand programs with the provisions of

all applicable short- and long-termland use and development plans...."

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Land Use II

Transportation/LandUse Interaction

Land use creates trips

Transportation facilitiescreate land use

Smart Growthand Economic

Development Models

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Travel Forecasting Models

A travel forecasting model is themajor analysis tool for evaluatingurban transportation plans andconducting conformity analysis

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Travel Models: Four Steps?

(Activity Allocation)

Trip Generation

Trip Distribution Mode Split

Traffic Assignment

(Measures of Effectiveness) (Impact Models)

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Performance Measures I

Accessibility Percent population within "x" minutes of "y"

percent of employment sites Access by elderly

Quality of ADA compliance Mobility

Average travel time Change in average travel time Average trip length

Percentage of trips per mode Time lost to congestion Percent on-time transit performance

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Performance Measures II

Economic development

Jobs created

New housing starts

Percent of region's unemployed who cite lackof transportation as principal barrier

Economic cost of congestion

Environmental quality of life

Environmental and resource consumption Tons of pollution generated

Fuel consumption

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Performance Measures III

Sprawl

Change in difference between urbanand suburban household densities;

decrease in wetlands; changes in airquality, land use, or mobility.

Safety

Number of crash incidents or economiccosts of crashes

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National Environmental Policy Act of

1969 (NEPA)

It is the policy of the USgovernment to protect theenvironment

Environmental Impact Statements

Environmental Assessments (FONSI)

Categorical Exclusions

Council on Environmental Quality

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Environmental Impact Assessment

Process

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Transportation System Management

Metropolitan traffic management centers Traffic signal coordination Incident management programs

Preferential treatment fortransit/rideshares Special event traffic management Emergency management strategies Pricing of transportation services ITS applications for transit Traveler Information

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Environmental Justice

Avoiding, minimizing, or mitigatingdisproportionately high and adversehuman health and environmental, socialor economic effects on minority and low-

income populations Ensuring the full and fair participation in

the transportation decision makingprocess by all potentially affectedcommunities

Preventing the denial of, reduction in, orsignificant delay in the receipt of benefitsby minority and low-income populations

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Discussion: Milwaukee Environmental

Justice

Are these strategiesenvironmentally just?

Locating Miller Park at old CountyStadium site

Widening all Milwaukee freeways by 1lane

Eliminating the park-n-ride lot aBayshore Mall

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Transportation Demand Management

Offering commuters alternativetransportation modes and/or services

Providing incentives to travel on these

modes or at non-congested hours Providing opportunities to link or "chain"

trips together

Incorporating growth management ortraffic impact policies into localdevelopment decisions

See www.vtpi.org

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Transportation Decision Making

Vision

What do you want your transportationsystem to be in 20 years?

Coordinate with land use vision

Identify current strengths andweaknesses

Identify opportunities and threats

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Vision Metropolitan Washington DC

In the 21st Century, the Washington metropolitanregion remains a vibrant world capital, with atransportation system that provides efficientmovement of people and goods. This system

promotes the region's economy andenvironmental quality, and operates in anattractive and safe setting--it is a system thatserves everyone. The system is fiscallysustainable, promotes areas of concentratedgrowth, manages both demand and capacity,

employs the best technology, and joins rail,roadway, bus, air, water, pedestrian and bicyclefacilities into a fully interconnected network.

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Goals and Objectives

Goals

Broad

General

Intangible Abstract

Few

Improve

transportationsafety

Objectives

Narrow

Precise

Tangible Concrete

Many

Reduce the

number of trafficconflict points

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Criteria and Standards

Criteria

Specific numericalexpression of anobjective

Number ofconflict points

Standards

Desired level ofachievementthrough planimplementation

10% reduction inconflict points

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Operational Strategies

The how

Linked to objectives

Identify intersections with poor crash

experience; introduce channelization,better signalization and coordination.

The one thing we need to do to solve our transportation problemsis to stop thinking that there is one thing we can do to solve ourtransportation problems.-Robert Liberty, Executive Director, 1000 Friends of Oregon

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Example: Ann Arbor Goals

1. Provide appropriate access andmobility, with minimal negative impacts,for all people and goods

2. Protect and enhance the naturalenvironment and the human, residentialand built environment.

3. Promote a safe and securetransportation system.

4. Invest in transportation infrastructurein a manner consistent with other goals.

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Example: Ann Arbor Objectives I

First Goal: Provide appropriate access andmobility, with minimal negative impacts,for all people and goods. Objective A: Minimize vehicle miles and vehicle

hours spent traveling. Objective B: Increase the occupancy rate for

motorized modes. Objective C: Reduce barriers to the use of the

transportation system, especially its non-motorized components by facilitating

pedestrian and bicycle access on public rights-of-way. Objective D: Improve bicycle access on public

roads.

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Example: Ann Arbor Objectives II

Objective E: Increase the number of bus centersand commuter lots and improve their distributionand efficiency throughout the SEMCOG region.

Objective F: Increase the contiguity among publictransportation services and non-motorized

transportation modes. Objective G: Implement travel demand

management plans to reduce commuter traffic andcongestion.

Objective H: Increase mode choices and theircoordination for the movement of goods andpeople.

Objective I: Encourage the development ofcommuter rail services, particularly the Detroit/AnnArbor/Lansing proposal, on the Norfolk Southernand Ann Arbor Railroads.

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Inventory and Data

Role of GIS

See Course Reader for an long listof items for an inventory

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Alternatives/Scenarios

Alternative

A unified set of projects, policies andoperational strategies that will meet

the community's goals and achieve thevision

Scenario

A future state of the urban area,independent of any alternatives

Futures forecasting/Delphi

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Delphi

In what year will the followinghappen?

Gasoline prices reach $5 per gallon

Nuclear fusion becomes commerciallyviable for electric power generation

First mag lev system in the US incommercial service

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Additional Reading

Edward Weiner, UrbanTransportation Planning In theUnited States: An Historical

Overview: Fifth Edition, 1997,http://tmip.fhwa.dot.gov/clearinghouse/docs/utp/