Urban Transportation Planning

Introduction to Metropolitan Transportation Planning

Definition of Transportation Planning

Transportation planning provides the information, tools, and public involvement needed for improving transportation system performance Transportation planning is a continuous process that requires monitoring of the systems performance and condition

Transportation Planning Affects

Policies Choices among alternative strategies Priorities Funding allocations

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

Types of Plans

Long-Range Strategic Project/Facility Implementation Improvement (program) Comprehensive Site (TIAs) Statewide

Legislation: SAFETEA-LU

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users Plan Requirements Institutional Structures Funding Conformity

Metropolitan Planning Factors I

(A) Support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency (B) Increase the safety of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users (C) Increase the security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users

Metropolitan Planning Factors II

(D) Increase the accessibility and mobility of people and for freight (E) Protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, improve the quality of life, and promote consistency between transportation improvements and State and local planned growth and economic development patterns

Metropolitan Planning Factors III

(F) Enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight (G) Promote efficient system management and operation (H) emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system

Metropolitan Planning Organization MPO

Has the authority of Federal law (SAFETEA-LU) Is a representative group of local stakeholders Leads the transportation planning process for the metropolitan area Is the regions policymaking organization responsible for prioritizing transportation initiatives Carries out the urban transportation planning process in cooperation with the State DOT(s) and transit operators

MPO Structure

Policy Board (Planning Commission)

Sets regional long-term transportation policy and approves plans Prioritizes and programs specific transportation initiatives for funding

Staff Advisory Committees Examples:

SEWRPC, DRCOG, PSRC, DVRPC, SCAG

Metropolitan Planning 3 Cs

Comprehensive Cooperative Continuing

Scope of Work for MPOs

A Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) or simplified statement of work Public involvement process/plan (PIP) Financial Plan

Principal Products of MPOs

A Long-Range Transportation Plan Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Special Studies

Simplified Statement of Work (Large MPOs)

Planning tasks and studies to be conducted Any transportation-related air quality planning 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

Public Involvement Process

Proactive Early and continuing Open and collaborative A formal Public Involvement Plan (PIP) is required of Large MPOs (TMAs, Transportation Management Areas)

The Long-Range Transportation Plan

Describes vision for the region, and policies, operational strategies, and projects to achieve it Covers at least the next 20 years Leads to an intermodal system Reflects public involvement Contains a financial plan and is fiscally constrained Is updated every 4-5 years

Urban Transportation Planning Process

Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission

[Link]

Holistic Approach

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

A staged, multi-year, intermodal program of prioritized transportation initiatives consistent with Plan Shows annual activity for a 3-year period Projects must be in the TIP for FHWA or FTA funding

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)

Air Quality Conformity

Plans must demonstrate consistency with the emissions budgets needed to satisfy the Clean Air Act Projects cannot move forward without conformity

Air Quality I

Sources

Stationary sources Area sources Mobile sources

Pollutants (NAAQS)

Air Quality II

Nonattainment Areas by Pollutant

Extreme Severe Serious Moderate Marginal Maintenance

Milwaukee is Severe for Ozone

Air Quality III

Transportation plans, TIPs, and projects cannot:

Create new violations of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS); Increase the frequency or severity of existing violations of the standards Delay attainment of the standards.

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, and transportation demand management strategies

Freight I: Process

Define system elements that are critical for efficient movement of freight Identify ways to measure system performance in terms of freight movement Develop freight-oriented data collection and modeling Creating a freight movement advisory committee

Freight II: Policies and Projects

Truck Restrictions

Road Design and Construction

Peak period bans, freeway section bans, route diversions Improved entry/exit ramps and merges, exclusive truck facilities Peak period permits and tolls, freeway permits Voluntary off-peak operations, automatic vehicle location/routing Wider lanes, Speed restrictions, Variable message signs Voluntary off-peak operations, mandatory off-peak operations Automated detection, site and area surveillance/communications Automated surveillance Highway advisory radio, traffic information

Road Pricing

Fleet Management

Traffic Engineering

Shipper/Receiver Actions

Incident Management

Inspection/Enforcement

Information Management

Land Use I: Federal Regs

Transportation planning process should consider "the likely effect of transportation policy decisions on land use and development and the consistency of transportation plans and programs with the provisions of all applicable short- and long-term land use and development plans...."

Land Use II

Transportation/Land Use Interaction

Land use creates trips Transportation facilities create land use

Smart Growth and Economic Development Models

Travel Forecasting Models

A travel forecasting model is the major analysis tool for evaluating urban transportation plans and conducting conformity analysis

Travel Models: Four Steps?

(Activity Allocation) Trip Generation Trip Distribution Mode Split Traffic Assignment (Measures of Effectiveness) (Impact Models)

Performance Measures I

Accessibility

Mobility

Percent population within "x" minutes of "y" percent of employment sites Access by elderly Quality of ADA compliance

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

Performance Measures II

Economic development

Jobs created New housing starts Percent of region's unemployed who cite lack of transportation as principal barrier Economic cost of congestion
Environmental and resource consumption Tons of pollution generated Fuel consumption

Environmental quality of life

Performance Measures III

Sprawl

Change in difference between urban and suburban household densities; decrease in wetlands; changes in air quality, land use, or mobility.
Number of crash incidents or economic costs of crashes

Safety

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)

It is the policy of the US government to protect the environment Environmental Impact Statements

Environmental Assessments (FONSI) Categorical Exclusions

Council on Environmental Quality

Environmental Impact Assessment Process

Public Involvement

Early and continuous involvement Reasonable public availability of technical and other information Collaborative input on alternatives, evaluation criteria, and mitigation needs Open public meetings where matters related to transportation policies, programs, and projects are being considered Open access to the decision making process prior to closure

Transportation System Management

Metropolitan traffic management centers Traffic signal coordination Incident management programs Preferential treatment for transit/rideshares Special event traffic management Emergency management strategies Pricing of transportation services ITS applications for transit Traveler Information

Environmental Justice

Avoiding, minimizing, or mitigating disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental, social or economic effects on minority and lowincome populations Ensuring the full and fair participation in the transportation decision making process by all potentially affected communities Preventing the denial of, reduction in, or significant delay in the receipt of benefits by minority and low-income populations

Discussion: Milwaukee Environmental Justice

Are these strategies environmentally just?

Locating Miller Park at old County Stadium site Widening all Milwaukee freeways by 1 lane Eliminating the park-n-ride lot a Bayshore Mall

Transportation Demand Management

Offering commuters alternative transportation 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 or traffic impact policies into local development decisions

See [Link]

Transportation Decision Making

Vision

What do you want your transportation system to be in 20 years? Coordinate with land use vision Identify current strengths and weaknesses Identify opportunities and threats

Vision Metropolitan Washington DC

In the 21st Century, the Washington metropolitan region remains a vibrant world capital, with a transportation system that provides efficient movement of people and goods. This system promotes the region's economy and environmental quality, and operates in an attractive and safe setting--it is a system that serves everyone. The system is fiscally sustainable, promotes areas of concentrated growth, manages both demand and capacity, employs the best technology, and joins rail, roadway, bus, air, water, pedestrian and bicycle facilities into a fully interconnected network.

Goals and Objectives

Goals

Objectives

Broad General Intangible Abstract Few

Narrow Precise Tangible Concrete Many

Improve transportation safety

Reduce the number of traffic conflict points

Criteria and Standards

Criteria

Standards

Specific numerical expression of an objective

Number of conflict points

Desired level of achievement through plan implementation

10% reduction in conflict points

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

Example: Ann Arbor Goals

1. Provide appropriate access and mobility, with minimal negative impacts, for all people and goods 2. Protect and enhance the natural environment and the human, residential and built environment. 3. Promote a safe and secure transportation system. 4. Invest in transportation infrastructure in a manner consistent with other goals.

Example: Ann Arbor Objectives I

First Goal: Provide appropriate access and mobility, 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 nonmotorized components by facilitating pedestrian and bicycle access on public rightsof-way. Objective D: Improve bicycle access on public roads.

Example: Ann Arbor Objectives II

Objective E: Increase the number of bus centers and commuter lots and improve their distribution and efficiency throughout the SEMCOG region. Objective F: Increase the contiguity among public transportation services and non-motorized transportation modes. Objective G: Implement travel demand management plans to reduce commuter traffic and congestion. Objective H: Increase mode choices and their coordination for the movement of goods and people. Objective I: Encourage the development of commuter rail services, particularly the Detroit/Ann Arbor/Lansing proposal, on the Norfolk Southern and Ann Arbor Railroads.

Inventory and Data

Role of GIS See Course Reader for an long list of items for an inventory

Alternatives/Scenarios

Alternative

A unified set of projects, policies and operational strategies that will meet the community's goals and achieve the vision
A future state of the urban area, independent of any alternatives Futures forecasting/Delphi

Scenario

Delphi

In what year will the following happen?

Gasoline prices reach $5 per gallon Nuclear fusion becomes commercially viable for electric power generation First mag lev system in the US in commercial service

Additional Reading

Edward Weiner, Urban Transportation Planning In the United States: An Historical Overview: Fifth Edition, 1997, [Link] use/docs/utp/