Comprehensive Evaluation Tool for Intelligent Transportation Systems in Regional Demand Modeling Environment

1. An Intelligent Transportation System Evaluation Tool in the FSUTMS Regional Demand Modeling Environment By Mohammed Hadi, Florida International University and Vidya Mysore, FL. Department of Transportation 12th Conference on Transportation Planning Applications May 17-21, 2009 Houston, Texas

2. Value and Impacts of ITS • Important element of the decision making process • ITS planning and programming • Choice between ITS and other alternatives • Understanding the impacts/quantifying the benefits • Optimizing existing system operation and design

3. Evaluation Tool Purpose • Provides assessment of the benefits and costs associated with implementing ITS in a region • Allows the users to assess deployment options within the framework of the MPO adopted FSUTMS models • Accumulates the benefits and costs over the life-cycle duration of each of the improvement types selected by the user • Allows ranking of alternative improvements

4. Evaluation Approaches • “Goal‑based” approach • Does not compare expected benefit to the expected cost dollar values • “Economic approach” • Does not account for non-quantifiable measures • Combination of approaches

5. IDAS • Powerful tool and used as a basis and a starting point for this development • Evaluate a large number of ITS deployments • Limitations • Not consistent with the Florida calibrated models • Requires manipulation of FSUTMS output files for use as inputs to the tool • Software design and GUI needs improvements • Methods and some parameters need to be updated • Not flexible to allow evaluating new ITS elements and components, performance measures, etc.

6. FDOT Project • Develop a tool and methods to perform ITS sketch planning evaluations as part of the FSUTMS/Cube environment • No need for file conversion • Use calibrated regional models • Flexible and extendable evaluation environment • Up to date methods and parameters • Powerful data handling and modeling capabilities. State-of-the-art user interface • A joint FDOT System Planning Office and FDOT ITS Section effort.

7. Evaluated ITS Deployment • Ramp Metering • Incident Management Systems • Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) and Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) • Advanced Travel Information Systems • HOT Lanes • Signal Control • Transit Vehicle Signal Priority • Emergency Vehicle Signal Priority • Monitoring and Management of Fixed Route Transit • Transit Information Systems • Transit Security systems • Transit electronic payment systems • Smart work zones • Road Weather Information Systems

8. Evaluation Tool

9. Performance Measures • Vehicle miles of travel (VMT); • Vehicle hours of travel (VHT); • Average speed; • Number of accidents • Fatality • Injury • Property damage only • Fuel Consumption (gallons) • Monetary benefits to users and/or agency, as appropriate • Emission (gm) • Hydrocarbon • Carbon monoxide • Oxides of Nitrogen

10. Assessment Elements • Performance modules (emission, fuel consumption, safety, TT) • ITS impacts • ITS costs • Dollar values of benefits

11. ITS Benefit Evaluation • A method developed for each component • Review and assessment of methods used in evaluation tools • Review of literature • Default ITS impact parameters derived based on a review of previous evaluation studies, USDOT benefit database and the values used in existing ITS sketch planning tools. • The user is able to change the default ITS impact parameters and perform sensitivity analysis.

12. ITS Cost Evaluation • The cost information includes the number and types of equipment required for each type of evaluated ITS deployment • The cost information includes initial costs, operation and maintenance costs, estimated interest rate, and life time of each equipment • Based on information from ITS agencies collected in a previous FDOT effort and information collected in this study • User can change the defaults and is encouraged to do this based on projects at hand

13. Example • Combined Incident Management and DMS/HAR Evaluation

14. IM Evaluation • Queuing analysis is used to calculate incident delays; taking incident frequency, duration, lane blockage, and traffic demand variations into consideration • Queuing theory equations implemented for different periods of the day • Shift of fatalities to injuries as well as secondary incident savings • Evaluation of emission and fuel consumption benefits based on saving in vehicle-miles traveled in queues rather than on default reduction factors

15. DMS/HAR Evaluation • The evaluation of DMS and HAR is combined with incident management instead of evaluating them separately • The activation of DMS and HAR causes route diversions, which reduces the traffic volume on mainline • The increase in travel time for diverted vehicles is determined by the difference in average travel time along the mainline and that on alternative route(s) taking into consideration the average v/c ratio on alternative route and type of alternative route

16. Diversion Rate • Diversion Rate Studies • Diversion Rate Used in Evaluation • Stated preference up to 60 percent of the freeway traffic to exit the freeway ahead of the bottleneck • Lower values for revealed preference • Function of a number of factors • “Boundedly Rational” switching behavior • Relationship used by Huchingson and Dudek 4-16

17. Evaluation Methodology • Road Ranger Service Patrol • The savings are total annual costs of the services provided by road ranger service patrol

18. Tool Input Form 4-18

19. Case Study

20. Case Study Results

21. Next Steps • The tool and methods developed in this study will be implemented in MPO approved regional demand models • Outreach activities continue to provide information about project deliverables to the planning and ITS communities • Presentations has been made at the statewide, regional, and local FSUTMS model user groups in addition to ITS working group • Further enhancements being planned