Module 1: Essentials of Transportation Planning Flashcards
What is Transportation?
-Transportation is the movement of goods & people from Point A to Point B, and the various means by which such movement is accomplished.
What is Transportation Engineering?
-Transportation Engineering is the application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, design, operation, maintenance, & management of systems & facilities for any mode of surface transportation in order to provide for the safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally compatibles movement of people & goods.
Goals of Transportation Engineering?
-The principal goal of transportation engineering remains the provision of a safe system for transportation.
-Transportation engineering has other objectives to consider:
-Travel time
-Comfort
-Convenience
-Economy
-Environmental compatibility
Modes of Transportation.
Land: Road & Rail
-Cars, taxi/uber, buses, LRT, subways, bicycles, walk, heavy rail.
Major Disciplines of Transportation Engineering.
Transportation engineering can be broadly consisting of the four major parts:
1. Transportation Planning
2. Geometric Design
3. Pavement Design
4. Traffic Engineering
Transportation Project Phases.
Planning, Design, Construction, Operations, Maintenance
Transportation Planning Process Hierarchy.
Individual Project Initiative, Corridor Improvement, Transportation Master Plan, Official Plan, Policy.
Transportation Policy.
-A high-level direction, plan or vision.
-Tries to make decisions concerning the allocation of transport resources.
-Deals with developing a set of concepts & propositions that are established to achieve specific objectives relating to social, economic, & environmental conditions, & the functioning & performance of the transport system.
Transportation Policy - Roles.
Social:
1. Improves mobility and supports social interactions.
2. Improves quality of life.
Economic:
3. Offers economic opportunities.
4. Spurs economic activities.
Environment:
5. Minimizes environmental impacts.
Transportation Planning.
-Transportation planning is the application of principles & processes to inform decisions on meeting mobility needs through the provision of safe & reliable access to transportation infrastructure, modes, & services. It considers different disciplines & may be applied across geographic scales from local neighbourhoods & corridors, to municipalities, regions, states & provinces, & nations. It may be applied at different time scales from short-term project plans to long-term vision plans. It involves the public, stakeholders, & agencies in the development & evaluation of alternative solutions for the transportation system.
Transportation Planning.
-Transportation planning is the effective implementation of transportation policy.
-Basically, it results in a recommendation of the most optimum solution.
-It involves development, analysis, & evaluation of alternative solutions.
-Its basic considerations include: Efficiency, Quality, & Equity.
-Its planning horizons typically can be categorized into:
-short term (<3-5 years)
-long term (20-25 years)
Transportation Planning Process.
- Determine existing travel demand
a) Origin & destination study: to show the pattern & nature of
daily trips made by residents - Identify future transportation needs
a) Overlay relevant data - Land use, road network, public
transportation system, population projections & development
trends.
b) Detailed assessment & forecasting in terms of population,
employment, economic, social, & land use activities.
Transportation Planning Process.
- Forecast future travel demand
a) Trip generation
b) Trip Distribution
c) Modal split
d) Traffic assignment - Determine transportation requirements
a) Assessment of alternative initiatives
b) Consultation with the public
Transportation System is Diverse & Complex.
- Multi-Modal: Covering all modes of transport; air, land, and sea for both passenger & freight.
- Multi-Sector: Encompassing the problems & viewpoints of government, private industry, & public.
- Multi-Problem: Ranging across a spectrum of issues that includes national & international policy. planning of regional system, the location & design of specific facilities, regulatory, institutional, & financial policies.
- Multi-Objective: Aiming at national & regional economic development, urban development, environment quality, & social quality, as well as service to users & financial & economic feasibility.
- Multi-Disciplinary: Drawing on the theories & methods of engineering, economics, operations research, political science, psychology, other natural, & social sciences, management & law.
Traffic Congestion - What’s at Risk?
-More collisions. Stop & Go traffic increase the number of crashes.
-Increased travel time & hence user cost. It takes longer to get to your destination. People often late to work or medical appointments, etc.
-Worse air quality. Vehicle pollution on congested roadways means worse air quality.
-Increased delivery time for goods. It means cost of goods goes up when food is spoiled, time sensitive items arrive too late, paying more for the drivers & the trucks, businesses need to extend their hours to accept late deliverables, etc.
-Congestion is a critical issue impacting our competitiveness. Today, both goods & people are getting stuck - and it’s stalling our economy and driving away top talent/businesses.
Congestion Ranking in North America.
-Toronto is ranked #1 for congestion in North America, with an average travel time per 10km of 29 minutes.
The Cost of Congestion.
-The federal agency pegged the cost of typical day-to-day congestion, unanticipated delays such as crashes or construction, incrementally wasted fuel & greenhouse gas emissions at a combined $4.4 billion to $6.7 billion.
-$11 billion annual cost to the GTA.
How to Alleviate Congestion?
-Improve other modes.
-Increase capacity.
-Improve traffic flow.
-Traffic demand management - flexihours; work at home; tolling; managed lanes.
-Auto trip reduction - use other modes.
-Parking management.
-Land use strategies.
Example: Low-Cost Transit to Shift Mode.
-Bus, train, ferry, & light rail fares will be dramatically reduced as the Queensland government hopes to “give people a reason to get back to public transport.”
-50 cent fare will apply to all public transport services starting in August 2024.
-Significantly reducing the cost of public transport will encourage more people to leave the car at home, busting road congestion.
Transportation Planning Case Study - The Big Move.
Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area:
-6 million people (8.6 million by 2031)
-4 levels of government
-30 municipalities
-10 transit agencies
The Big Move Regional Transportation Plan:
-A 25-year, $50 billion plan to transform mobility across the region.
The Big Move - Local Challenges.
In addition to congestion:
-Population growth
-Increasing reliance on cars
-A region designed for cars
-Disconnected & varied transit services
-Years of under-investment
-Inefficient use of the existing road & highway system
-Protecting agricultural lands & natural areas
The Big Move - Global Challenges.
-Climate change
-Increasing energy costs
-Urbanization
-Shifting economies
-Aging population
-Public health
The Big Move (2008).
-A long term strategic plan for an integrated, multi-modal, regional transportation system for the GTHA facing a significant transportation challenge.
-As defined by the Act, this is to be a transportation plan that:
-takes into account all modes of transportation;
-makes use of intelligent transportation systems;
-promotes the integration of local transit systems with each other
& with the GO Transit system;
-works toward easing congestion & commute times & reducing
transportation-related emissions of smog & precursors &
greenhouse gases;
-promotes transit-supportive development & the viability & optimization of transit infrastructure.
The Big Move - Goals.
-Transportation choices
-Comfort & convenience
-Active & healthy lifestyles
-Safe & secure mobility
-Fairness & transparency
-Smaller carbon footprint
-Reduced dependence on non-renewable resources
-Foundation of an attractive & well-planned region
-Prosperity & competitiveness
-Multi-modal integration
-Efficiency & effectiveness
-Fiscal sustainability
The Big Move - 10 Strategies.
- Build a comprehensive regional rapid transit network.
- Enhance & expand active transportation.
- Improve the efficiency of the road & highway network.
- Create an ambitious transportation demand management program.
- Create a customer-first transportation system.
- Implement an integrated transit fare system.
- Build communities that are pedestrian, cycling, & transit supportive.
- Plan for universal access.
- Improve goods movement within the GTHA & with adjacent regions.
- Commit to continuous improvement.
The Big Move - What Will be Achieved?
-Increase the percentage of people living within 2 k of rapid transit to 81%.
-Reduce commute times to an average of 77 minutes per person per day.
-Triple the length of rapid transit service in GTHA to 1725 km.
-Decrease greenhouse gas emissions from passenger transportation per person to 29%.
