transportation planning 3
Page 1: Planning
Definition: Planning is an activity that examines the potential of future actions to guide a situation toward a desired direction (Papacostas & Prevedouros, 2001).
Temporal Orientation: Occurs in the present but is oriented towards the future.
Purpose:
Achieve positive goals.
Avoid negative consequences.
Can aim for both.
Page 2: What is Transportation Planning?
Activities involved in transportation planning include:
Identifying problems and gathering and analyzing data.
Forecasting future traffic demands.
Estimating environmental and social impacts.
Evaluating alternatives to find the one that meets requirements and constraints at the lowest cost.
Page 3: Pitfalls to Avoid in Effective Transportation Planning (The Six Deadly No-Nos)
Transportation planning often works against broader goals of creating better places due to:
Confusion between goals and objectives.
Confusion between development and growth.
Overlooking the broader impacts of transportation plans.
Relying solely on projections of past trends.
Focusing on easy-to-measure issues only.
Emphasizing mobility over accessibility.
Page 4: Don’t Confuse Goals and Objectives
Goals: Desired outcomes like health, equity, and happiness.
Objectives: Means to achieve those goals.
Importance of clarity during planning: ask regularly, "What are we trying to achieve?"
Goals are fundamental and non-substitutable.
Different objectives can achieve the same goal.
Page 5: Plan for Development, not for Growth
Distinction between:
Growth: Increased quantity.
Development: Increased quality.
Example: Zurich in the 1970s focused on development without necessarily increasing growth, prioritizing quality over quantity.
Page 6: Don’t Overlook the Wider Impacts of Transportation Plans
Transportation plans have far-reaching impacts:
Impacts are not just traffic-related but also economic, social, and environmental.
May extend beyond geographical and political boundaries.
Ignoring wider impacts can lead to unintended consequences.
Page 7: Understanding the Wider Impacts of Transportation Planning
Litman defines three levels of impact:
First Level: Direct impacts on travel conditions and costs.
Second Level: Indirect impacts on travel behavior, tax revenues, and externalities.
Third Level: Long-term indirect impacts on land use and economic development.
Page 8: Example of Different Levels of Impact
First-level impact: Increased roadway capacity may initially reduce congestion.
Second-level impact: Attracting additional travel from other routes (Rebound Effects) and creating barriers to walking and cycling.
Third-level impact: Long-term land use changes leading to increased automobile dependency and induced traffic.
Page 9: Different Geographic Scales of Planning
Transportation planning occurs at various geographic scales:
Some reflect natural boundaries; others reflect political jurisdictions.
Plan applicability can be confusing due to overlapping geographic levels and extended impacts beyond jurisdictional boundaries.
Page 10: Do Not Base Plans Simply on Predicting Past Trends
Issue: Current planning often uses past traffic trends to predict future volumes.
Problems arise from:
Assuming past trends will continue (e.g., traffic volume increases).
The fallacy of "Past performance is no guarantee of future results."
Road widening leading to induced traffic which complicates predictions.
Page 11: Traffic Capacity in Kingston, Jamaica
Case Study: Kingston experienced induced traffic due to planning based solely on past performance trends.
Page 12: Traffic Capacity: The Ultimate Solution?
Despite adding lanes, traffic congestion persists.
Page 13: Do Not Focus Only on Measurable Issues
Issue: Focus on vehicle traffic metrics predominates, hindering the evaluation of system quality.
Importance of measuring accessibility impacts (transit service, non-motor transport, land use accessibility) which are often overlooked.
Page 14: Focus on Accessibility, Not Mobility
Key Concepts:
Traffic: Conventional transportation measured by motor vehicle traffic.
Mobility: Personal mobility (person-trips, person-kilometers).
Accessibility: Best definition focusing on the ability to reach goods, services, and activities.
Page 15: Access vs. Mobility
Questions to consider:
Which places provide more access with less mobility?
Where would there be more congestion?
Where would you expect more people?
Page 16: Scope of Transportation Planning
All man-made projects should start with a plan.
Larger projects require more intensive and long-term planning (often begins 20 years before construction).
Page 17: The Planning Process
Steps in the planning process:
Situation Definition
Problem Definition
Search for Solutions
Analysis of Performance
Evaluation of Alternatives
Choice of Projects
Design & Construct
Feedback
Establishing the Purpose & Need
Page 18: The 4-Step Transportation Planning Process
Steps involved:
Trip Generation
Trip Distribution
Mode Choice
Trip/Traffic Assignment
Output: Includes estimated trips, modal shares, travel speeds, and travel delays.
Page 19: Trip Generation
Involves decision to travel for specific purposes (e.g., eating lunch).
Questions answered include how much people use the transport system and why.
Focus on where activities can be satisfied based on transport availability.
Page 20: Trip Distribution
Focus: Choice of destinations.
Identifies where people go to meet demand for various activities.
Determines origins and destinations of trips within the transport network.
Page 21: Mode Choice
Investigates how people use the transportation system.
Examines which modes they choose (e.g., transit, walking, biking).
Analyzes reactions to varying transport service quality.
Page 22: Trip / Traffic Assignment
Focus on path choices between origin and destination.
Includes analysis of routes taken (e.g., specific streets or transit lines used).
Page 23: Demographic Data
Key data for transport planning includes:
Household size
Income level
Autos per household
Page 24: Network Data
Involves assessment of highway and transit networks, and the connections between different roads and facilities.
Page 25: Current State of the Planning Process
Overview of how transportation planning is currently being conducted and its evolution.
Page 26: Planning Studies
Involves participation from various groups:
Elected officials
Public agencies
Citizen advisory committees
Transportation system operators
Individual stakeholders
Challenges include conflicting interests and anticipating future travel demands.
Page 27: Urban Transportation Planning Process
Process phases include zoning, allocation of projections, application of forecasting models, and evaluation of alternatives.
Page 28: Travel Demand Forecasting
Study area divided into zones.
Steps in forecasting:
Trip Generation
Trip Distribution
Mode Choice
Network Assignment
Page 29: Study Area
Clearly define the area for consideration, adhering to natural or political boundaries.
Page 30: Urban Transportation Planning Process (repeat)
Phases should be understood as a continuous process with interrelation.
Page 31: Travel Demand Forecasting (repeat)
Clarifies the stepwise approach to demand forecasting.
Page 32: Study Area (repeat)
Reinforces the importance of clearly defined boundaries.
Page 33: Travel Analysis Zones (TAZs)
Key characteristics of TAZs include:
Homogeneity in urban activities (similar trip types).
Must exclude excessive intrazonal trips.
Can utilize natural boundaries for defining zones.
Page 34: Analysis Zones for Transportation Study
Example of a transportation study area, including boundaries and systems.
Page 35: Study Area Geometry
Definition: Links and nodes represent the geometry of transportation systems, such as roads and intersections.
Page 36: Network Model Representation
Graphical representation of the network for analysis.
Page 37: Trip Generation Overview
Focuses on identifying the number of trips originating from and ending in each TAZ.
Page 38: Trip Generation Factors
Influences on trip numbers:
Land use density.
Socioeconomic characteristics.
Page 39: Influences on Trip Types
Factors influencing the number and type of trips taken include:
Land use density.
Socioeconomic status.
Trip purpose.
Page 40: Trip Generation Variables
Key variables include:
Land use density.
Socioeconomic characteristics of users.
Location-related factors.
Page 41: Trip Purpose
Trips categorized by purpose:
Work, school, shopping, recreational.
Behavior varies based on purpose.
Page 42: Productions & Attractions (P-A)
Defined by land use, differentiating between residential (productions) and nonresidential (attractions) land uses.
Page 43: Understanding Productions and Attractions
Examples of trip ends connected to various land uses.
Page 44: Trip Generation Forecasting
Goal: Estimate the number of trips generated or attracted per TAZ on a typical day.
Influenced by factors such as retail facilities and car ownership.
Page 45: Trip Purpose Categorization
Categorizes trips by their purposes and examines associated travel behavior.
Page 46: Household-Based Approach
Trip analysis based on household characteristics rather than individuals.
Page 47: Trip Generation Analysis Techniques
Techniques include:
Cross-classification.
Multiple regression analysis.
Trip-rate analysis models.
Page 48: Cross-Classification Approach
Focus: Home-based trips classification based on household types.
Page 49: Cross-Classification Steps
Steps include determining total households, income distribution, and car ownership.
Page 50: Cross-Classification Steps Continued
Trip generation estimation based on calculated household data.
Page 51: Trip Production Tables
Example trip generation rates based on household income and auto ownership metrics.
Page 52: Trip Distribution Overview
Emphasizes alignment of productions and attractions in the study area.
Page 53: Trip Distribution Mechanics
Determines trips between zone pairs based on attraction and distance.
Page 54: Gravity Model Overview
Formula outlining trip distribution mechanics based on various factors including impedance.
Page 55: Friction Factor Illustration
Graphical representation showing smoothed and unsmoothed values of travel time related to trip distribution.
Page 56: Mode Choice & Route Choice
Focus on consumer choice regarding modes and routes of transportation.
Page 57: Factors Influencing Mode Choice
Elements affecting choices include:
Availability of parking.
Income levels.
Type of trip.
Page 58: Mode Choice Modeling
Applicable across different regions, reflecting user preferences and trip purposes.
Page 59: Utility and Disutility Functions
Measuring satisfaction and generalized costs associated with transportation choices.
Page 60: Logit Models
Probability calculations for mode selection based on utility outcomes.
Page 61: Trip Assignment Process
Involves estimating traffic volumes based on the choices made between origins and destinations.
Page 62: Person Trips vs. Vehicle Trips
Understanding adjustments necessary for translating person trips into vehicle trips for accurate modeling.
Page 63: Average Occupancy Calculations
Example illustrating how to convert person trips to vehicle equivalents based on average occupancy rates.
Page 64: Time of Day Patterns in Trip Generation
Trip generation analyzed over 24-hour periods with focus on peak and off-peak hours.
Page 65: Time of Day Patterns Continued
Commonly analyzed time periods include morning peak, afternoon peak, and off-peak.
Page 66: Minimum Path Theory
Travelers tend to select the quickest routes available to minimize travel time.
Page 67: Main Survey Types
Types of surveys utilized in transportation planning include:
Household travel/activity surveys.
Vehicle intercept surveys.
Transit on-board surveys.
Parking surveys and others.
Page 68: Minimum Tree Method Description
Starting at a zone, selecting the minimum path to successive nodes until the destination is reached.
Page 69: Minimum Tree Application Example
Specific path examples illustrating route selection based on impedances.
Page 70: Trip Attractions Overview
Highlighting various trip generation rates based on trip purpose and employee categories.
Page 71: Summary of Main Survey Types (repeat)
Reinforces identification of survey types for data collection across transportation settings.
Page 72: Household Travel/Activity Surveys History
Explains the evolution of travel surveys from the 1950s and 1960s to present-day methodologies.
Page 73: Today's Household Travel Surveys
Modern approaches to surveys focusing more on updating trip rates and distributions than just origin/destination matrices.
Page 74: Household Travel Survey Stratification
Survey strata used to align with regional models based on household characteristics.
Page 75: Vehicle Intercept Surveys
Methods aimed at capturing origin/destination data in larger areas using various methods.
Page 76: Roadside Surveys
Examples of roadside origin/destination surveys conducted for data collection.
Page 77: Roadside Origin/Destination Surveys (repeat)
Reinforcement of surveying techniques via roadside methodologies.
Page 78: Roadside Findings
Snapshot summary of data capture methodologies and results from roadside data collection.
Page 79: Transit On-Board Surveys Overview
Combined with market analysis, focused on understanding rider characteristics and behaviors.
Page 80: Transit On-Board Surveys Conduct
Training and union considerations essential for effective survey implementation in transit.
Page 81: Commercial Vehicle Surveys
Highlights challenges and methodologies for surveying commercial vehicle movement.
Page 82: Heavy Duty Vehicle Surveys
Examines survey methodologies with emphasis on weigh stations for data collection.
Page 83: Recruitment for Commercial Vehicle Surveys
Strategies for recruiting various types of commercial vehicle operators for data collection.
Page 84: Workplace and Establishment Surveys
Discusses application methods employed in workplace settings for travel demand analysis.
Page 85: Special Generator and Visitor Surveys
Targeting high-tourist areas and special generators for impactful data collection.
Page 86: Parking Surveys
Analyzing key factors such as quantity, occupancy rates, costs, and duration for parking demand studies.
Page 87: Objectives of Transportation Planning Process
Understand decision-making processes in transportation facility development.
Page 88: Basic Elements of Transportation Planning
Outline of essential steps and procedures within the planning process framework.
Page 89: Example of Planning Process for Road Relocation
Step-by-step overview of a simplified planning process using rural road improvement as an example.
Page 90: Problem Definition in Planning
Explanation of the critical step of translating objectives into actionable criteria for planning.
Page 91: Search for Solutions Illustration
Visual representation of alternative routes and considerations in highway relocation planning.
Page 92: Performance Analysis Steps
Estimating potential performance of proposed solutions under various conditions.
Page 93: Evaluation of Alternatives
Multi-objective evaluation approach for assessing how alternatives measure up against planning criteria.
Page 94: Project Choice in Transportation Planning
Key points regarding final project selection based on evaluations and community response.
Page 95: Specification and Construction Steps
Detailed design phase following project choice to create construction outlines.
Page 96: Urban Transportation Forecasting Process
Technical breakdown of how to analyze the performance and impact of various transportation alternatives.
Page 97: Four Basic Elements of Urban Transportation Forecasting
Overview elements including data collection, analysis, modeling, and evaluation processes.
Page 98: Analysis of Existing Conditions
Steps in analyzing existing transportation conditions to inform future demand forecasting and planning efforts.
Page 99: Transportation Study Analysis Zones Example
Presentation of TAZ boundaries used in the Charlottesville Area Transportation Study.
Page 100: Link-Node Map for Highway System
Basic framework for understanding and initiating the 4-step forecasting process.
Page 101: 4-Step Transportation Demand Forecasting Process
Detailed look into the defined phases of transportation forecasting and their implications.
Page 102: Graphical Understanding of 4-Step Demand Forecasting Process
Visual representation aiding in grasping the flow from trip generation to traffic assignment.