Evaluating Alternative Operations Strategies to Improve Travel Time Reliability

 

External link: http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/168142.aspx

Publication date: January 3, 2013

Capsule summary: This research seeks to present the benefits with improving travel time reliability by balancing the travel demands and actual capacity.

Author(s): Kittelson and Associates, Incorporated

Publisher(s): TRB


Definition: Modeling travel demand
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Definition: The maintenance and advancement of traffic operation systems
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Definition: Planning practices for pedestrians, bikes and transit
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Definition: Studying the movement of goods or commodities
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Definition: Financial strategies and techniques for transportation planning
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Definitions: The movement of goods or commodities
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Definition: A public agency that operates and maintains passenger transportation services
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Definition: A federally funded transportation policy-making organization, comprised of local government representatives and transportation authorities
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Definition: Governmental agency focused on transportation
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Definition: Administrative subdivision of a state
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Definition: A large urban area
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Definition: A written or printed work.
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Description: In an attempt to better manage the flow of traffic on the roads; these researchers investigated potential improvements to the reliability of traffic on the roads. The variabilities largely stem from an imbalance in the demand and roadway capacity. Through their research sought techniques to find the natural balance of roadway demand and capacity to improve roadway flow for all users.

Objectives: This research is searching for techniques that State and local agencies can use to improve the travel time reliability on their roads. Additionally, this research hopes to encourage a standardized way to collect and process data related to travel time reliability to allow different agencies across the US work together.

Findings: Overall, the researchers found that using market forces as an indicator results in the best decisions to ensure travel time reliability. Naturally, the decision-maker can only moderate the supply to meet the changing traffic demands. Decisions can be improved both through technical advancements and insurance that institution and costumer follow any changes.

Recommendations: The researchers had 3 main recommendations to ensure that there is travel time reliability for all type of vehicles. The first is to balance supply and demand through changes and tracking various performance measures. The next is to strength relationships with other agencies and other forms of transportation. This means that all agencies across the US have similar practices related to travel time reliability and that all the agencies and modes of transportation communicate. Finally, the researchers recommend that continued maintenance so that infrastructure has no effect on travel time reliability.

Research Theme: Financial Strategies, Freight and Logistics, Planning for Pedestrians, Bikes, and Transit, Traffic Operations, Travel Demand Modeling

Community Type: Rural

Transportation Mode: Freight

Planning Scope: Regional or Metro Area, Single State, State Level

Organization Type: City, County, DOT, MPO or RPO, Transit

Planning Subject: Analysis, Evaluation and Assessment, Forecasting, Performance Management, Planning Methods, Strategic Planning