Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Planning Process & Alternatives Analysis Unit 7: Forecasting and Encouraging Ridership

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Outline Objectives of transit planning Planning process Measuring performance

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Consider this Minneapolis Example...

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Which Would You Choose? The New Green Line Shorter distance Runs on existing railways Less expensive Faster service with fewer stops Serves less dense neighborhoods Less walkable stations The New Blue Line Longer distance Requires new railways More expensive Slower service with more stops Serves more dense neighborhoods More walkable stations

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Decisions Made Through the Planning Process Right of way changes Infrastructure changes Operating changes Coverage changes Investment changes Policy changes

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Broad Transit Planning Objectives Develop competitive transit service in the central urban area and along major corridors Provide maximum possible right of way separation Increase ridership and revenue Manage parking to promote transit usage

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Project Justification Mobility improvements Environmental benefits Operating efficiencies Cost effectiveness Transit supportive land use policies Economic Development

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Who’s Involved? Federal Transit Administration Stated Department of Transportation Regional Planning Agencies City Planning Agencies Transit Agencies Citizen Advisory Groups FUNDING APPROVAL

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood What are the Metro Planning Products? Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) – Long range projects to sustain metro area Large transit system changes included Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) – Those projects from the MTP to be accomplished in the next 4 years Specific transit improvements included Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) – Planning activities in the very short term Collecting information and studying transit included

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Transport (& Transit) Planning Process

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Transport (& Transit) Planning Process Regional Vision & Goals – Monitor conditions & identify improvement areas Alternate Improvement Strategies – Forecast future population, land use, and transportation growth – Assess impacts of different transport strategies Evaluation & Prioritization of Strategies – Quantify & compare the impacts/ costs of different transport strategies

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Different Planning Scales Short Range Planning Projects implemented within 3 to 5 years Requires less investment Involves less infrastructure & construction Uses existing modes EXAMPLES: – New service schedules – New vehicles – Rerouting lines Long Range Planning Projects implements within 10 to 25 years Requires larger investments Involves more infrastructure & construction Implements new modes EXAMPLES: – Constructing a new rail line – Building a new terminal – Installing new BRT technology

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Integrating Transit with Regional Planning Within Regional Planning Incorporates transit into region-level alternatives Considers impacts/ evaluation at regional level MPO agency led process Added to Regional Planning Focus on transit at project- level alternatives Considers impacts/ evaluations at project level Transit agency led process

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Step 1: Define Goals & Objectives

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Step 2: Collect Existing Inventories

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Step 3: Forecast Changes & Conditions

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Step 4: Set Evaluation Criteria What’s important to the decision-maker? Passengers – Availability, frequency, reliability, comfort Operator/ Agency – Cycle speed, coverage, safety, costs, capacity Community – System cost, reliability, social impacts, environmental impacts

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Step 5: Design Alternative Plans

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Step 6: Calculate Impact of Designs ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS LAND USE IMPACTSSOCIAL IMPACTS

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Step 7: Evaluate & Select Most Effective Plan Effectiveness – How well alternatives support transport-efficiency goals Impacts – How well alternatives support economic & environment goals Cost-effectiveness (or cost-benefit analysis) – How well alternatives balance capital/ operating costs with benefits Financial feasibility – How well alternatives utilize readily available funding sources Equity – How well alternatives distribute costs and benefits across different population groups

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Measures of Effectiveness Transportation system capacity Number of accidents and incidents Level of service/volumes/trips on key facilities Accessibility measures System redundancy & reliability

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Measures of Impacts Regional economic impacts – Ex: jobs added; redevelopment of distressed areas Effects on the human environment – Ex: change in number of nearby residences/businesses; number of facilities, disruption or barriers Effect on the natural environment – Ex: number, nature, likely impacts, implications for approvals; rare, threatened or endangered species Consistency with local or state plans and policies – Ex: proximity and impact on priority development areas; land use and zoning policies.

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Measures of Cost-Effectiveness User Benefits (Costs) – time-savings; – out-of-pocket cost savings (parking, tolls, fares); – vehicle operating cost savings (fuel, oil, tires, insurance, depreciation); and – safety benefits (reduced accidents, injuries and fatalities) Non-user Benefits (Costs) – environmental benefits (costs); and – resource savings for transportation operations and maintenance (infrastructure unit costs) Net Present Value (NPV) = [PV of Benefits ($) – PV of Costs ($)] Benefit/Cost ratio (B/C) = PV of Benefits ($)/PV of Costs ($)

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Cost-Effectiveness Cost-effectiveness Index = Cost Measure ($)/ Benefit Measure

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Measures of Financial Feasibility Existing sources dedicated to project – Surplus/deficit of projected funds VS projected needs New sources – Steps necessary to develop the source (referenda, legislation) Non-dedicated – Current and projected percentage of the total budget

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Measures of Equity How much does transit investment improve service to transit-dependent population? What are the distribution of costs across population through? What is the incidence of significant environmental impacts?

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Example Trade-Off Analysis

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Reference The materials in this lecture were taken from: FHWA, "The Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program.” FTA, "Evaluation of Alternatives."