RSTP Planning for Operations

MIT - October 1, 2004

Jeffrey D. Ensor 1

RSTP Planning for Operations

Jeffrey D. Ensor

Malaysia Transport Group

M.I.T.

October 1, 2004


Jeffrey D. Ensor 2

Presentation Outline

• Background on Operations

• Operations Planning– Current State of Practice– Federal Role

• Summary


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• Summary


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Background on Operations

• Operations are:– Performed by people in the field– 24/7– Most appropriately and effectively considered

at the regional scale– Supported by ITS– Used to improve the system efficiency, safety,

and reliability


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• Examples of transportation operations:– Traveler information systems– Transit scheduling– Traffic management systems– Clearing traffic accidents– Synchronizing traffic signals– Managing weather-related events


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• Increasing focus due to:– Need for customer and market focus– Constraints on building traditional

infrastructure– Desire for sustainable transportation– ITS– ISTEA (1991), TEA-21 (1997)


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• Summary


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Operations Planning

• Regional Concept of Operations (RCO)– Is operations planning– Defines a shared set of expectations for the delivery

of transportation service operations– Describes the physical elements, relationships and

procedures, and resource arrangements necessary to achieve the operational objective

– 3-5 year time frame

• Operations planning ≠ operations– Different stakeholders, time frames, and cultures

• RSTP ROA RCO


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Operations Planning

Can you fulfill an expectation with operational improvements alone?Yes No

Implement operational improvements

Assess possible operational improvements and infrastructure options

Meet objectives of the operational requirement document with a combination of operational improvements and infrastructure expansion

Implement infrastructure and operational improvements

Identify opportunities to fulfill other future potential needs while implementing this project

Redefine project components based on operations requirements document

Redefine project components based on operations requirements document

Regional Strategic Transportation Plan

Regional Operating Architecture

Regional Concept of Operations Overarching Ideas

Identify opportunities to fulfill other future potential needs while implementing this project

Create operational requirements document

Create operational requirements document

Project Level


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Operations Planning

• Operations planning should:– Be intermodal– Be information- and customer-based– Be focused – Be flexible– Allow routine disruptions to be managed in a

routine manner and in real-time– Increase emergency preparedness

Source: Sussman (2001) Transportation Operations: An Organizational and Institutional Perspective


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• Examples of operations planning:– Creating plans for clearing traffic accidents– Planning for special events– Scenario planning– Integrating traffic management systems– Planning for transit operations in the event of

maintenance activities– Coordinating construction zone activities– Considering the infrastructure needs of operations

(e.g., fiber-optic cable) while planning traditional infrastructure projects


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Operations Planning

• Planning for Scenarios:– non-recurring congestion ½ travel delay


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Operations Planning

• Where does ITS fit in?– Link in creating a flexible and information-based

system that can be managed in real-time– Has increased the focus on operations

• ITS architecture has been a catalyst for creating more sophisticated institutional architectures with regional collaboration and coordination

– But not the solution in itself • Need to think about more than just ITS deployment• Tool


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• Summary


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Current State of Practice

1. Order of consideration in the planning process?

– Traditional: Capacity expansion then Operations

– Alternative 1: Operations then capacity expansion

– Alternative 2: Operations and infrastructure planning together


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2. Are operational requirements documents utilized?

– Answer: for the most part….No.


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3.1 What role are MPOs assuming?

– Required to consider projects and strategies that will “promote efficient system management and operations” (U.S. Code, Title 23, Chapter 1, Subchapter I, § 134(f)1(F))

– Evidence from RTPs:– Difficult to tell

– Mixed results

– Many focus on ITS, group maintenance and operations together

– Evidence from interviews:– More than from RTPs

– Still mixed results


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3.2 What role are MPOs assuming? cont.

– MTC (San Francisco) performs far more than other MPOs– Creates operations plans and plays a role in actual operations

– Focus on corridors multimodal

– Examples of ops planning– MTC Trans Response Plan (earthquake)

– Emergency communications, coordination of regional transit services, and a “savings account”

– CLEAR program with CHP– Freeway management strategies for major truck routes– Considers operational improvements before and in coordination with

major capital investments


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3.2 What role should MPOs assume?

– Regional conops should be developed primarily by the transportation system operators, service providers, and public safety officials

– MPOs are not the system operators– MPOs should participate in the development of a

regional conops• Coordination need


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3.3 Role of formal coalitions?

– Houston TranStar– Formal partnership between TxDOT, Harris County, METRO, and

City of Houston

– Constituent agency funding

– Transportation management system

– Traveler information system

– Motorist assistance program

– ITS development & deployment

– Emergency management


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– Houston TranStar– Benefits:

• Improved response times• Centralized fleet dispatch• Improved traveler information

dissemination• Reduced data collection costs• BCR = 6.0


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– TRANSCOM (NYC)– 501(c)3 corporation– Over 100 participating entities– Entirely voluntary– Primary assets:

– Information

– Cooperation


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– TRANSCOM services– Sharing information and resources

– Operations information center

– Regional construction coordination & multi-agency special event planning

– Technology development program– Transportation management system– Traveler information– Additional funding


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• Summary


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Federal Role

4. What is the federal role?1. Nothing

2. Enabling

3. Mandating

Currently Here


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Federal Role

– Potential enabling role:– Educational programs– Seed or pilot funding for regional operations

planning– Flexible agency type


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Federal Role

– Potential mandating role:– Requiring TIPs to document operations

considerations would:– Document best practices– Develop performance measures and ORDs– Allow agencies to identify M&O funding needs earlier in

planning process– Potentially create new funding sources


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• Summary


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Summary

– Role of operations is increasing

– Increasing need for operations planning

– Some operations planning is occurring in different forms

– Barriers still exist– Institutional change is necessary in many

cases

– Debatable federal role

Documents

RSTP Planning for Operations