Transportation Planning

Alex Bond, AICPMarch 27, 2010

Transportation Planning: Art or Science?

ART

• Decision-making

• Partnerships

• Community vision

• Public Involvement

• Politics

SCIENCE

• Data collection

• Forecasting

• Traffic counts

• Level of service

• Modeling

Federal/State/Local Federal/State/Local PartnershipPartnershipFEDERAL

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

• Federal Railway Administration (FRA)

• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

STATEDepartments of Transportation

• LOCAL• Metropolitan Planning Organizations

(MPOs) in urban areas for Federal $$

• Cities and counties for local funds

HISTORY OF MODERN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING

Federal-Aid Highway Act – 1956

aka Interstate Highway Act

• Created National System of Interstate and Defense Highways – master plan

• Policy to link all cities greater than 50,000

• 41,000 mile system approved

• Created the Federal Highway Trust Fund

• Gas taxes went into fund

• Excise taxes from 1932 went into general fund

The Interstate Highways Program

•Choice of routes was left to the states•State highway depts flush with cash

•Coordinated planning required for first time•States pay 10%

Problems with Top-down Planning

• Conflicts arise between states and local government

– Cities were bypassed

– Communities bulldozed or divided

– Underrepresented people bear burdens

Cities (and counties) sought a voice in route choiceMorphed existing regional bodies into early MPOs

The Creation of MPOs: The 1973 Highway Act

• Mandated MPOs for urban areas of over 50,000 in population

• Required MPOs to approach transportation planning in a multi-modal manner

Surface Transportation Act – 1982

• Some of the federal gas tax money goes to transit

• 80/20 split roads to transit

• Separation of politics from transportation

• Moves non-Interstates to 80-20 split

ISTEA: Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991

• Changed the lines of authority and responsibility for transportation planning

– Allowed for flexibility of Federal dollars by mode

– Established more stringent guidelines for the planning process: 3-C process

– Funded MPO operation with 1% off-the-top takedown (PL Funds)

• Creates a mass transit account of the HTF. Transit moved from HUD to DOT

• “TEA” bills must be reauthorized every 7 years

TEA-21 (1998) and SAFETEA-LU (2005)

• Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century

• Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act- a Legacy for Users

• Generally preserved the planning and funding system established under ISTEA

• Modest changes to law, big increases in spending

• SAFETEA: $256 Billion

Public Transit Legislative History

• Prior to 1960: Most transit is privately owned

• First federal planning and capital support for transit comes in the 1961 Housing Act

• Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 creates Urban Mass Transit Administration within HUD

• Transit moved to USDOT in 1982

• Transit included in MPO plans by ISTEA, Made FTA by TEA-21

Civil Rights and Environmental Protection Reforms

• Civil Rights Act of 1964– Mandated

nondiscriminatory conduct in all federally-supported programs

– Environmental Justice

• The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969– Mandated

consideration of environmental impacts

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU)Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU)

CORE PROGRAMS

• National Highway System (NHS)Interstate Maintenance Program (IM)Bridge ProgramSurface Transportation Program (STP)Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ)

• Transit Capital Grants

• Transit Operating Assistance

104 other minor programs! http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/safetealu/index.htm

http://www.apta.com/government_affairs/safetea_lu/documents/brochure.pdf

Funding Sources Federal FY 2009: $70.3 BillionFederal FY 2009: $70.3 Billion

•FHWA Funding - $42.2 Billion FHWA Funding - $42.2 Billion

•Transit (FTA) Funding - $9.4 BillionTransit (FTA) Funding - $9.4 Billion

•18.4 cents/gallon fuel tax 18.4 cents/gallon fuel tax

•General fund revenues now requiredGeneral fund revenues now required

•Private funds leveragingPrivate funds leveraging

Florida DOT Annual Budget- $6.2 BillionFlorida DOT Annual Budget- $6.2 Billion•22 cents/gallon fuel tax22 cents/gallon fuel tax

Local sources of funding:Local sources of funding:•Local Option Gas Taxes (6-14 cents)Local Option Gas Taxes (6-14 cents)•Impact FeesImpact Fees

Federal Planning Factors

Air Quality Air Quality • Attainment

• Non-Attainment

• Maintenance

Pollutants tracked: Ozone, CO, PB, Particulate

Non-attaiment/Maintenance = CMAQ money

Ozone standards are tightening and 70% of the US will fall into non-attainment

•Arterial

•Local Road

Roadway Classifications•Limited Access Highway

•Collector

Level-of-Service

•Free-flow •Reasonably Free-flow •Stable Operation

•Borderline Unstable •Breakdown•Extremely Unstable

•Prepared for the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics by the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning

Peak Hour DemandPeak Hour Demand

Travel Demand ModelingTravel Demand Modeling

• “4-Step Modeling Process”•Generation

•Distribution

•Mode

•Assignment

• Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ)- geographic areasfor analysis purposes

Metropolitan Planning Organizations

• A regional transportation planning agency

• Plans and prioritizestransportation improvements

• Performs 3-C Planning– Coordinated

– Continuing

– Comprehensive

• Must exist to receive Federal money in areas with more than 50,000 people

Documents Adopted by MPOs Prepare a Long Range

Transportation Plan (LRTP)

– At least 20 years in length

– Cost Feasible

Prepare a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Four to five years in length

List of projects to be built

Draws from LRTP pool

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Budget and workflow document

Consultant vs. In-house work balance

Narrowing the Project Pool

All projects

20 years

5 years

State vs. MPO

Frequently Encountered Frequently Encountered TermsTerms

• State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)- The four-to-five year work program for the state DOT. Urban areas programmed by MPO, rural by DOT, toll roads by toll authorities

• Capital Improvement Program (CIP) – Local government transportation plan. No federal, minimal state money involved

• State Implementation Plan (SIP) – Air quality document for entire state

Frequently Encountered AcronymsFrequently Encountered Acronyms

MPO- Metropolitan Planning Organization

NAAQS- National Ambient Air Quality Standards

VMT- Vehicle Miles Travelled

ITS- Intelligent Transportation Systems

TDM- Transportation Demand Management

LOS- Level of Service

PD&E- Project Development & Environmental

Current TrendsCurrent Trends

• Public Private Partnerships

• Congestion Pricing/Tolling

• Intelligent Transportation Systems

• Transportation Demand Management

• Freight and goods movement

• VMT-based Taxation

Important Historic Moments

• Grand Central Station: Built 1903-1913

• Boston builds first subway: 1897

• Off-street parking regulation: Columbus, OH 1923

• Limited Access Freeway: Bronx River Parkway, Westchester, NY built by Robert Moses in 1926

• Los Angeles County Freeway Plan (1943)

• Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) 1955• Divides city into TAZs

• First to use 4-step model

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Question 1Question 1

Which of the following refers to the estimation of the number of vehicles that will travel from one particular place to another place?

A. Trip Distribution

B. Trip Generation

C. Trip Assignment

D. Modal-split

Answer 1Answer 1Answer: B.

Estimating the number of trips that will originate in a particular residential area is called trip generation. A modal-split estimates the number of automobile, bus, train, and bicycle trips in a particular area. Trip assignment predicts how trips will be distributed among alternate routes.

Question 2Question 2

LOS C at a signalized intersection means:

A. Mostly stable flow, but speeds and maneuverability are somewhat constricted by the volume.

B. Free flow, with low volumes and high speeds.

C. Unstable flow, near roadway capacity, limited speed, very long delays.

D. Very low speeds, volumes greater than capacity, frequent stoppages.

Answer 2Answer 2

Answer: A.

Answer B describes LOS A. Answer C describes LOS E. Answer D describes LOS F. LOS B is described as having stable flow, speed somewhat restricted, short delays, and LOS D is described as unstable flow, tolerable but fluctuating operating speed, long delays.

Question 3Each of the following arguments is used in favor

of increased funding for public transit EXCEPT:

A. Air quality will improve.

B. Traffic congestion will decrease.

C. Public transit systems will become self-sustaining.

D. It will lead to more compact land-use patterns.

Answer 3Answer: C.

Public transit systems, like most transportation systems including road networks, are rarely self-sustaining and are generally heavily subsidized by government.

Question 4

This identifies the proportion of trips in an area that will occur by automobile, transit or bicycle.

A. Trip Distribution

B. ISTEA

C. 3-C Planning Process

D. Modal Split

Answer 4

Answer: D.

In transportation planning, the mode refers to the type of vehicle used for conveyance.

Question 5

Which of the following is a geographic unit used in travel demand modeling?

A. Urbanized area

B. County

C. MPO

D. Traffic Analysis Zones

Answer 5

Answer: D

Traffic analysis zones are geographic units that divide a planning region into similar areas of land use. The other options are all geographic subunits, but are not used in travel demand modeling.

Question 6The Federal Highway Act of 1956 :

I) Included funding for scenic byways and historic preservation

II) Was the largest U.S. public works program ever undertaken at the time

III) Established a 41,000 mile limited-access road network

IV) Required that infrastructure should not cause unnecessary destruction to the environment

A.A. I and IVI and IV

B.B. II onlyII only

C.C. II and IIIII and III

D.D. I, II, III, and IVI, II, III, and IV

Answer 6Answer: C. The Federal Highway Act of 1956, also known as the National Defense Highway Act, resulted in the interstate highway system.

Historic and scenic roadways were not considered until the 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. ISTEA included funding for scenic byways and historic preservation.

Environmental laws began with the 1969 National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). Stronger environmental reviews stem from NEPA and ISTEA.

Alex Bond, AICPCenter for Urban Transportation ResearchUniversity of South Florida

CUTR Room 130ALBond@cutr.usf.edu (813) 974-9779