Transportation Planning Midterm

Automobile

Planners primary aim = to facilitate the movement of automobiles -double-decked, four or six layered downtown streets, automobiles can use the entire width of streets

Urban Transportation Demand Forecasting

Predicting travel behavior and resulting demand for a specific future timeframe, based on assumptions dealing with land use, the number and character of trip makers, and the nature of the trans. system -provides estimates of system usage and performance -how changes in size and character of the population will impact the transportation system

Road Pricing

Prices should vary based off demand balance between affordability and congestion revenue spent on improving transportation

Freeway Revolt

the changing attitudes toward the environment, cities, public interests, and public participation in decision making (1970's)

Transit orridors

the geographic area surrounding the route

Service Span

the hours of the day when transit companies offer service

Service Miles:

the miles of route served

Passenger loads:

the number of people on a vehicle at given time

In Vehicle time

the time a passenger spends riding on vehicles

Density:

-Density bonuses -Inclusionary zoning -Graduated density zoning

Mobility Management

-Improved transport options -Incentives to shift -Land use interventions -Demand management

Active Transport Conditions

-Incorporate active modes in land use plans -Street safety for bikers and pedestrians

Centricity:

-Locating residential and work places near to each other -Street design to encourage active modes

Transportation Planners

-Long range planning of the transportation planning network is the most important role. -forecast future needs and plan improvements accordingly

Parking management

-Parking fee -Bike racks -Unbundling parking from rent

Connectivity:

-Provision for stub streets -Smaller block sizes -Minimize dead end streets -Improve condition of sidewalks

Regional Accessibility:

-Relocate work places -Street design - High density - Mixed land use -Parking management -Active Transport Conditions -Site design -Mobility management

issues with 4 step:

-not representative -unsure of weight distribution -weak link -black box approach

Heavy Rail

Best served for the places within metro regions with high density, TOD, grade separated

Fixed Route

Capacity - Vehicle size, speed, frequency Design - Rights of way, physical space, often grade separation

Transit 1920's

Clarence stein - rapid transit as both a waste of money and an unfortunate distraction from creative thinking about future city building. -subways as symbolizing both outmoded technology and past mistakes in judgement -fixed rail lines: very expensive, inflexible

1991 ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act

Congress commits to a national intermodal transportation system, increased role of MPO in funding decisions and required comprehensive regional and statewide long term transportation plans

1956 Federal-Aid Highway Act:

Congress established Highway Trust Fund. The national Interstate system was born

Travel Demand Forecasting Models

-series of analytical techniques -goal of roadway congestion reduction -forecast whether proposed highways would meet project demand

Site Design

-Street Standards and building regulations -Pedestrians-bikes-public transit-movement of goods

Transit Accessibility

-TOD -Multimodal integration -Improvements in transit stop facilities

Roadway Design:

-Traffic calming - Speed management -Roadside landscape -Safety of pedestrians and bikers

Issues and challenges of transportation planning

-accessibility -opportunities or activity sites -the ease of reaching potential destinations -depends on the # of opportunities available within a certain distance or travel time -mobility -ability to move between different activity sites as distances between activity sites have become longer -accessibility has come to depend increasingly on mobility

land use in transportation planning

-households -employments -land use policies -supply of transportation options -number of intersections

Mix:

-incentives for private developers -amendments in land use regulations

4 step modeling process:

1. Trip generation analysis 2.Trip distribution analysis 3. Modal choice analysis 4. Trip assignment analysis

Four areas of growth and transport development

1. Walking - Horsecar Era (1800 - 1890) 2. Electric Streetcar Era (1800 - 1920) 3. Recreational Automobile Era (1920-1945) 4. Freeway Era (1945 - present)

Transportation Planning

1. a comprehensive consideration of possible strategies 2. an evaluation process that encompasses diverse viewpoints 3. the collaborative participation of relevant transportation related agencies and organizations 4. Open, timely, and meaningful public involevement

Three types of policy

1. restrict auto travel 2. reconstruct the city 3. Balance development

Transportation Process

1.engaging the public and stakeholders 2.monitoring existing conditions 3. forecasting 4. identifying current and projected transportation needs 5. Analyzing various transportation improvement strat. 6. Developing plans 7. Estimating how it will impact the system 8. Develop a financial plan

1998 TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century

Authorization that introduced Seven Planning factors to be included in regional transportation plans

2005 SAFETEA - LU Safe accountable, Flexible, efficient transportation Equity act

A Legacy for users

Mode shift

A change in the percentage of trips between modes

Rural Planning Organization

A collection of jurisdictions, centered around counties that performs transportation planning for rural areas. 19 MPO'S and 19 RPO's in NC

Linked Passenger Trip

A passengers entire trip from origin to destination on the transit system

Garden City - Radburn NJ

A town of the motor age super blocks proved how to best accommodate the automobile

Negative Externalities

Air pollution, increased travel times from congestion

1991 ISTEA

Alternatives to single occupancy lanes utilizing coordinating intermodal systems stronger role for MPO's

TDM:

Encourage people to drive less -incentives

Bus rapid transit

Faster than bus, exclusive rights of way, express or skip-stop services, priority signalization technology

1916 Federal aid Road Act:

Federal-Aid Highway Program began

Buses

Flexible local services cannot be an anchor for developments

Public Transit

Government owed systems

Ways to combat congestion:

HOV Lanes Congestion Charges Transit only lanes Park and Ride Incentive parking EZ-Pass Bus rapid Transit

Performance Based Planning and Programing

MPO's adopt a performance based approach to trans. planning - must support national goals -performance measures and targets -based on data and evidence

Federal Highway act of 1962

Kennedy administration - to ensure that all major investments in transportation facilities be based on broad planning that encompasses all modes as well as interactions between transportation and other activities in metropolitan areas continuing, comprehensive, and cooperative

1995 National Highway System Designation Act

Legislation dedicated 160,00 miles of roadway to the national highway system

Mobility and Land Use

Mobility as the consequence of the spatial separation between different types of land uses in the city

Mass Transit:

Moving large numbers of people in shared vehicles

1944 Federal-Aid Highway Act

National Highway system of interstate and defense highways intended to link economic centers and states together

Fixe Route

Operate on a repetitive, present schedule along a specific route, vehicle stops at designated stops or stations

Light Rail Transit

Operates on Fixed Guideways, surface streets and interact with traffic, smaller cars, costlier to build

Transfers

Passengers disembarking from one vehicle to board another as a part of a single trip

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)

Regional Transportation Planning Organization that provides the regional cooperative planning process that serves as the basis for the expenditure of federal transportation funds in the area for streets, highways, bridges, and other stuff -every urban area of at least 50,000 people -mandated by the federal highway administration

Comprehensive Transportation Plan

Replaces the thoroughfare plan as the official document mutually adopted by local agencies and the DOT. Long term wish list of recommended improvements - no specific timeline, cost, or funding

1962 Federal Aide Act

Required the formation of an MPO for any urbanized area. Long range plan in Metropolitan area -Continuing, Cooperative, and Comprehensive

Reagan administration

Return to pro highway actions and policies decreased transit assistance

1982 Surface Transportation Act

Sought to unify Highway, transit, transportation safety programs under one bill. Congress creates a mass transit account

1991 intermodal surface transportation efficiency act (ISTEA)

Stress the intermodal nature of travel and the need to use each mode most efficiently

More recently transit improvements over new highways

TSM techniques Increase performance traffic demand management

Statewide transportation Improvement program

The STIP is the states four year capital improvement program that includes the MPO and rural TIP's and contains all phases of transportation projects to be built during the four year period

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

The TIP contains all transportation projects programmed for the upcoming seven year period within the MPO boundary

Transportation Improvement Plan

The TIP contains all transportation projects programmed for the upcoming seven-year period, including all regionally significant transportation projects regardless of funding source within the MPO Boundary

Service captive area

The area around a station where transit customers are likely to coming and going

Mode Share

The breakdown of all travel according to mode

Comprehensive Transportation Plan:

The comprehensive transportation plan (ctp) replaces the throughfare plan. long term wish list

Equity

The costs and benefits of transportation systems differ across different groups of people

Vehicle miles:

The number of miles a vehicle travels

Headways

The time between vehicles

Running time

The time that a vehicle operates for services as time per rout

Waiting time

The time that patrons spend at a stop waiting for service

Unlinked Passenger Trips:

The total count of individual vehicle boarding (entering and leaving). Gives equal weight to passengers making short and long trips

Passenger Miles Traveled:

The total number of miles traveled by passengers. Gives more weight to longer trips than shorter trips

Large MPO's (over 200,000 in population) are considered

Transportation Management Areas

Externalities

Transportation creates externalities ('unpriced" costs and benefits)

Mode

Travel by different means

Revenue trip:

Trips when vehicles are out serving customers and generating revenues

Metropolitan Transportation Plan

the MTP is a future vision of the communities transportation needs. updated every 5 years

Urban mass transportation act of 1964

aim at urban public transportation, capital costs, provision for research, develop, and demonstrations pertaining to mass transportation

fEDERAL hIGHWAY ACT OF 1956

authorized a 41,000 mile national system of interstate and defense highways

Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ)

basic spatial units of analysis -represents an area containing similar kinds of land use and commuter travel

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) OF 1969

clean air acts environmental impact statement for any legislation or major action, investment, or project state implementation plan

Performance Parking

curb parking will perform more efficiently same with transportation system and economy

new issues:

environmental justice changes in technology clean air act amendments changing population

ITLUP Practices

factors influencing travel behavior: Regional Accessibility Density Mix Centricity Connectivity Roadway design

Highway Revenue act of 1956

financed the FAHA program through increased fuel taxes on tires and weight taxes on commercial vehicles created highway trust fund

Transportation planning

focuses on the transportation network that supports land uses and how to accommodate development to provide equitable, reliable, and safe level of surface -the planning process usually entails making recommendations based on historic data that is forecasted into future assumptions -importance of public engagement to create the furture vision

Factors determining transit service quality:

frequency, information, geographic placement, route, fares

Metropolitan Transportation Plan

future vision of the community transportation needs. Updated every 5 years to reflect changing interest 20 years

Land Use and Travel Patterns are

interrelated

Trolleys, streetcars, funiculars

investments, anchor place development, can help distinguish a neighborhood within a wider metro region

Transit:

passenger transport where individuals share vehicles at a scale larger than carpooling or ridesharing

Planner myth

planners believed they could control automobile through innovative engineering and proper methods of traffic control

Transportation system management

promoted by the federal government in the late 1960's

MPO's required to hold

public meetings when developing long range plans and transportation improvement plans