RSTP Planning for Operations

RSTP Planning for Operations Jeffrey D. Ensor Malaysia Transport Group M.I.T. October 1, 2004 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Presentation Outline • Background on Operations • Operations Planning • Current State of Practice • Federal Role • Summary Jeffrey D. Ensor

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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Background on Operations • Examples of transportation operations: • Traveler information systems • Transit scheduling • Traffic management systems • Clearing traffic accidents • Synchronizing traffic signals • Managing weather-related events Jeffrey D. Ensor

Background on Operations • 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) Jeffrey D. Ensor

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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Operations Planning Regional Strategic Transportation Plan Regional Operating Architecture Regional Concept of Operations Overarching Ideas Can you fulfill an expectation with operational improvements alone? Yes No Identify opportunities to fulfill other future potential needs while implementing this project Assess possible operational improvements and infrastructure options Create operational requirements document Identify opportunities to fulfill other future potential needs while implementing this project Project Level Redefine project components based on operations requirements document Create operational requirements document Implement operational improvements Redefine project components based on operations requirements document Meet objectives of the operational requirement document with a combination of operational improvements and infrastructure expansion Implement infrastructure and operational improvements Jeffrey D. Ensor

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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Background on Operations • 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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Operations Planning • Planning for Scenarios: • non-recurring congestion  ½ travel delay Jeffrey D. Ensor

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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Current State of Practice • 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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Current State of Practice • Are operational requirements documents utilized? • Answer: for the most part….No. Jeffrey D. Ensor

Current State of Practice 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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Current State of Practice 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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Current State of Practice 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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Current State of Practice 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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Current State of Practice 3.3 Role of formal coalitions? • Houston TranStar • Benefits: • Improved response times • Centralized fleet dispatch • Improved traveler information dissemination • Reduced data collection costs • BCR = 6.0 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Current State of Practice 3.3 Role of formal coalitions? • TRANSCOM (NYC) • 501(c)3 corporation • Over 100 participating entities • Entirely voluntary • Primary assets: • Information • Cooperation Jeffrey D. Ensor

Current State of Practice 3.3 Role of formal coalitions? • 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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

Federal Role • What is the federal role? • Nothing • Enabling • Mandating Currently Here Jeffrey D. Ensor

Federal Role • Potential enabling role: • Educational programs • Seed or pilot funding for regional operations planning • Flexible agency type Jeffrey D. Ensor

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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

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 Jeffrey D. Ensor

RSTP Planning for Operations