1. Managing Travel for Planned Special Events: What, Why, & Benefits Walt Dunn, P.E. Dunn Engineering Associates, P.C. Talking Operations Seminar January 27, 2005

2. 2 http://www.tmcpfs.ops.fhwa.dot.gov http://www.its.dot.gov Project Information Project team:

3. 3 A planned special event is a public activity with a scheduled time, location & duration that may impact the normal operation of the surface transportation system due to increased travel demand &/or reduced capacity attributed to event staging. Definition

4. 4 Event Impact Factors TRAVEL DEMAND EXTERNAL FACTORS ROAD/SITE CAPACITY EVENT OPERATION AVAILABLE RESOURCES

5. 5 Travel demand magnitude, rate & modal split Background traffic, transit & parking capacity Event market area & staging requirements Available personnel & equipment resources for planning & day-of-event operations Weather, security & other contingencies Other concurrent events Issues & Characteristics

6. 6 Los Angeles, CA  2,650 planned special events each year Milwaukee, WI  450 planned special events each year that influence travel along one downtown segment of I-94 Number of Events within a Region

7. 7 Discrete/recurring event at a permanent venue Continuous event Street use event Regional/multi-venue event Rural event Planned Special Event Categories

8. 8 Characteristics  Specific starting & ending times  Known venue capacity  Advance ticket sales  Weekday event occurrences Discrete/Recurring Event at a Permanent Venue

9. 9 Characteristics  Occurrence often over multiple days  Arrival & departure of event patrons throughout the event day  Typically little or no advance ticket sales  Capacity of venue not always known  Occurrence sometimes at temporary venues Continuous Event

10. 10 Characteristics  Occurrence on a roadway requiring temporary closure  Specific starting & predicable ending times  Capacity of spectator viewing area not known  Spectators not charged or ticketed  Dedicated parking facilities not available Street Use Event

11. 11 Characteristics  Occurrence of events at multiple venues & at or near the same time  Events having a time specific duration, a continuous duration, or both  Overall capacity generally not known if continuous events or street use events are involved Regional/Multi-Venue Event

12. 12 Characteristics  Rural or rural/tourist area  High attendance events attracting event patrons from a regional area  Limited roadway capacity serving an event venue  Area lacking regular transit service  Events having either a time specific duration or continuous duration Rural Event

13. 13 Bridge the gap between the state-of-the- practice & state-of-the-art Provide a framework for establishing an integrated & stakeholder coordinated practice Recommend proven & innovative strategies & techniques Profile successful practices Handbook Purpose

14. 14 Regional planning & coordination for all planned special events Event-specific  Event-specific operations planning  Implementation activities  Day-of-event activities  Post-event activities Phases of Managing Travel for PSEs

15. 15 Transportation engineer Law enforcement officer Event organizer Handbook User Groups

16. 16

17. 17 Consists of 15 chapters within the following sections  Overview  Advance planning  Day-of-event activities  Post-event activities  Event profile Handbook Organization

18. 18 1.Introduction & background 2.Characteristics & categories of PSEs 3.Overview 4.Regional & local coordination 5.Event operations planning 6.Traffic management plan 7.Travel demand management & traveler information Handbook Chapters

19. 19 8.Implementation activities 9.Day-of-event activities 10.Post-event activities 11.Discrete/recurring event at a permanent venue 12.Continuous event 13.Street use event 14.Regional/multi-venue event 15.Rural event Handbook Chapters (cont.)

20. 20 Advance operations planning, stakeholder coordination & partnerships Multi-agency traffic management team  Develops traffic management plan  Prepares procedures & protocol  Day-of-event traffic control & coordination Raise awareness of potential travel impacts Coordinate agency services & resource sharing Managing Travel for PSEs Involves:

21. 21 Achieving predictability Ensuring safety Maximizing efficiency Meeting public & event patrons expectations Goals of Managing Travel for PSEs

22. 22 Stakeholders Law Enforcement Transportation Agencies Media Public Safety Event Organizer Private Industry Regional Organizations Government Agencies Public Elected Officials

23. 23 Mitigate impacts of event-generated traffic Potential for heavy volume of transit vehicles & pedestrian flows Coordinate travel management activities with event operator & overall planning team Available staff resources & support services Infrastructure lacking at event site to manage traffic & provide support services Stakeholder Challenges

24. 24 Possible Travel Choices Transit Express / Charter Bus Automobile (route selection / parking) Considerations for pedestrians & other modes

25. 25 Reduce traffic congestion Improve mobility Improve travel safety Benefits

26. 26 Form partnerships & build trust Promote interagency coordination, resource utilization & sharing Incorporate new procedures, plans, & practices into day-to-day operation of agencies Benefits (cont.)

27. 27 Transportation System  Travel time & delay (traffic & transit)  Arrival & departure service rate  Number & location of traffic incidents Community  Economic  Emergency vehicle access  Public agency costs  Travel demand Benefit Measures

28. 28 Development of a good traffic management & parking plan Input & participation of involved agencies Implementation of plan On-site traffic management Ability to modify the plan & accommodate real-time traffic Keys to Success

29. 29 Expect the Unexpected

30. 30 Handbook, Managing Travel for Planned Special Events Outreach material  Fact sheet  Tri-fold brochure  Frequently asked questions  Technical presentation Available at: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/program_areas/sp-evnts-mgmt.htm Resources & Tools