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
