Session 6- "Overview of NTPP approach to data collection, evaluation, measurement and related issues" by William Lyons

8/6/2019 Session 6- "Overview of NTPP approach to data collection, evaluation, measurement and related issues" by William Lyons

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TRB Nonmotorized

TransportationPilot Program

Workshop

Planning Session:NTPP Overview

William M. Lyons

January 11, 2009

[email protected]


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Presentations: NTPP Overviews

Planning (Session B)1. Goals of Program

2. Challenges

3. Collaborative Approach4. Program Evaluation

5. Community-level vs. Project Evaluation

Policy (Session C)

1. Congressional reporting requirements2. Policy questions: NTPP focus

3. Challenges: NTPP and Nonmotorized in general


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Nonmotorized Pilot Program

Established under Section 1807, SAFETEA-LU

to demonstrate the extentbicycling and

walking can carry a significant portion of the

transportation load and represent a majorportion of the transportation solution.


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Nonmotorized Pilot Program

Section 1807 calls for the Secretary to:

Develop statistical information on travel

behavior changes

Assess how changes:

Decrease congestion and energy use

Increase frequency in walking and bicycling

Promote better health and cleaner environment.

Report to Congress in 2007 and 2010


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Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program

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Data Required On Motor vehicle usage

Nonmotorized transportation

usage

Public transportation usage Congestion

Energy usage

Frequency: bicycling & walking

Connectivity to community

activity centers Health, and

Environment


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Evaluation Challenges (1)

No program funds for evaluation

FHWA STEP funds + Pilots pooled resources

Broad range of projects: Infrastructure and Non-infrastructure

Short time horizon

Projects dispersed over large study areas. Need for control communities (i.e., role of gas prices)

Difficulty establishing causality

Sample size and confidence intervals

How much effort to identify small changes of small mode share?

Whats feasible for NTPP (and NM in general)?


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Evaluation Challenges (2)

Reliance on avoided VMT for community mode shift Utilitarian vs. recreation

Issue of car ownership

Importance of linked trips

Need to view NM effects within multimodal system

Gold standard trip: Marin gap project => Golden Gate ferry trip to Muni light rail

2 or 100 avoided VMT

Need linked trips NM and transit

Need for tools to evolve: Models, performance measures, external data, counters

Whats feasible for NTPP (and NM in general)?


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NTPP: Cumulative Project Length by Mode and YearCumulative Project Length by Mode for Each Year

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

2008 2009 2010

Miles

Ped

Both

Bi e


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NTPP: Projects by Project TypePercent of Number of Projects by Project Type

Service

1%

Education

2%Planning

7%

Planning and

Outreach

1%

Outreach and

Education

1%

Personal TravelMarketing

1%

Bike

Parking

3%

Outreach

13%

Infrastructure on-street

41%

Infrastructure off-street

20%

Infrastructure on-street

and off street

8%

Infrastructureand Outreach

2%


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What else can we learn?

Collaborative approach: focused and practical

Working Group: Pilots, FHWA, Rails to Trails,

Volpe Center, CDC

Practical additional focus Narrowing broad goals

Environment: Carbon Dioxide emission reductions

Health: Physical activity


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Reporting on the NTPP

Themes of national interest Improving safe access;

Improving health/physicalactivity;

Working with land use policy

and transportation planningprocesses;

Leveraging resources;

Improving connections toother modes as part ofoverall system; emphasis on

transit; Climate Change; and

Raising public awareness.


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Plans for a Project Focus

By Pilots Coordination from Volpe & Working Group

Evaluate selected projects (5+) Innovative, early completion, practical data collection

Multiple applications across communities, e.g.,

Travel Marketing, Bike Boulevards, Bike Sharing, Safe Routes toSchool

CDC physical activity focus (3 + 1)

Baseline/2010 counts and other measures

Project database

Planning & Policy Profiles Role of nonmotorized in planning process

Participation with MPOs, city/counties, other partners

Institutionalized: mainstreamed and sustainable

Establish on-going data collection and evaluation


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Evaluation ActivitiesPHASE 1: BASELINE ASSESSMENT (UMN)

Function: Establish baseline mode split information at community levelin 4 pilots and control.Data collected late 2006/early 2007, reported in 2007.

NTPP

Results

Reported

in Final

Report

PHASE 2: PROJECT EVALUATIONS (Pilots & Volpe)

Function: Track use of nonmotorized facilities, or, participation in non-infrastructure activities atproject level in each community. Describe all projects. Track planning/policy climate atcommunity level. Data collected fall 2007 and 2010 (or annually).

PHASE 3: BOOKEND ASSESSMENT (UMN)

Function: Collect mode split information in all 4 pilots and control at community level. Datato be collected in 2010

PHASE 4: SYNTHESIS & ANALYSIS OF PHASES 1/3 (UMN)

Function: Compare Phase 3 data to Phase 1 data forcommunity leveloutcomes.

PHASE 5: COMMUNITY COUNTS/SURVEYS (Pilots & ALTA)

Function: Gather community- and project-level data. Data collected in 2007 and 2010(or annually starting in 2007).

OTHER (TBD)

Function: Gather anecdotal data, case studies, other NTPP information

COMPREHENSIVE SYNTHESIS AND ANALYSIS

Function: Review and integrate allNTPP evaluation data into comprehensive

report on outcomes and impacts.


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What Have We Reported?

Legislative and general

program information

Community-level profiles

Potential NTPP projects

Baseline mode split and

travel behavior

information

Lessons learned

Documents

Session 6- "Overview of NTPP approach to data collection, evaluation, measurement and related issues" by William Lyons