California Department of Transportation Transportation Management Systems (TMS) and their role in addressing congestion Discussion Materials Lake Arrowhead October, 2002 System Metrics Group, Inc.

11 Congestion continues to grow at an alarming rate in California Source: Caltrans, Division of Traffic Operations, 2001 Highway Congestion Monitoring Program Annual Report System Metrics Group, Inc.

22 Congestion has grown almost five times faster than population Population Congestion Build Our Way Out Population Congestion Build Our Way Out Growth Rate: 1.8% Increase: 5 Million Growth Rate: 8.4% Increase: 72 Million Annual Hours 8.4% or 180 centerline miles annually, or doubling the urban highway system in 10 years Growth Rate: 1.7% Projected Increase: 5 Million Sources: Department of Finance and Caltrans Highway Congestion Monitoring Program Report – Recurrent Weekday Commute Delay Only System Metrics Group, Inc.

33 Congestion growth has been attributed to many factors… Land Use/Urban Sprawl More Travel/Population Escalating Infrastructure Expansion Costs Transit Mode Share Increased Goods Movement System Metrics Group, Inc.

44 But, highway productivity loss is a primary reason Pre-Congestion Flow Rate Congestion Flow Rate Productivity Loss 2,000 – 2,400 Vehicles Per Hour Per Lane 1,200 – 1,600 Vehicles Per Hour Per Lane Loss of 1/4 to 1/3 or 500 to 650 Centerline Miles System Metrics Group, Inc.

55 An example on I-405 SB in Los Angeles shows productivity losses of more than 50 percent Source: Performance Measurement System (PeMS) – October 2001 Vphpl: volume per lane per hour System Metrics Group, Inc.

66 SR-22 in the City of Orange also shows an aggregate productivity loss over 50 percent Source: Performance Measurement System (PeMS) – October 2001 System Metrics Group, Inc.

77 Addressing congestion requires a comprehensive system planning approach System Metrics Group, Inc.

88 MTC’s definition of system management is consistent with TOPS Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area) “[System Management] generally implies efforts to make the best use of an existing system over the long run. It encompasses maintenance of existing infrastructure; efficiency improvements such as those achieved through deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies and operating agreements; and strategic capacity expansion on the margin ….. The relevant projects include a range of services and infrastructure such as incident management programs, arterial and freeway operations systems, and traveler information systems. Dahms, Lawrence and Klein, Lisa A., “The San Francisco Bay Area’s Approach to System Management”, ITE Journal, December 1999 System Metrics Group, Inc.

99 SCAG’s RTP Technical Advisory Committee is also placing emphasis on system management  Reviewing RTP Goals and Policies – to potentially include productivity type goals (i.e., getting the most out of the existing system)  Initiating a Highway Task Force – to evaluate highway operations needs (among others)  Updating Performance Measurement – to potentially identify indicators that address productivity goals. System Metrics Group, Inc.

10 Adopting system management principles requires enhancements to the three traditional planning steps  Data collection – rely on real time, more detailed data (e.g., performance measures, traffic flows)  Analysis – use more sophisticated tools (e.g., simulation tools)  Improvements – develop system management plans that address operations, not just expansion and maximize the system’s productivity. System Metrics Group, Inc.

11 System management plans for a given corridor require comprehensive data and analysis  System Monitoring and Evaluation –How is the corridor performing?  Delay, Reliability, Safety, Productivity, Other –What are the major Origin Destination pairs currently using this corridor? Who are the major employers at the destination side? –What modal alternatives currently exist, what percent use transit, what are the limiting factors for transit, how do travel times compare among modes? –Where are the freeway bottlenecks? –What are ramp inflow and outflow rates? –How aggressive are we being with ramp metering? –How aggressive are we with incident management, traveler information systems? –Are there any geometric features that contribute to the productivity losses? System Metrics Group, Inc.

12 System management principles applied to a given corridor require significant analyses … continued  Demand Management –Can we identify the excess demand by location? By time of day? –What are parking prices for the primary destinations? –What are the features of alternative modes (price, headways, travel times)? –Are the regional and local agencies fully involved in addressing the performance problems?  Incident Management –How many incidents does the corridor experience (per week, month, year) –How many did the FSP respond to? –How many did the TMT respond to? –Do we have CMS that alert travelers in route of expected delays? In how many cases did we activate them?  Traveler Information –Does the public know about modal alternatives for pre-trip planning? How? –Does the public know about time of day alternatives for pre-trip planning? How? System Metrics Group, Inc.

13 System management principles applied to a given corridor require significant analyses … continued  Operational Control Strategies –How aggressive do we need to meter our ramps to re-claim lost productivity –What impacts would it have on local streets, congestion duration, transit mode share? –How does the regional agency and local agencies feel about ramp metering?  Operational Improvements –What is programmed in SHOPP for the corridor in terms of operational improvements (e.g., auxiliary lanes, shoulder widening, other)? What are the expected benefits? –What other geometric constraints should we evaluate?  Expansion –Once we implement most of the other strategies, how much excess demand will still exist? System Metrics Group, Inc.