Transportation Planning

Question 1

Accessibility

Answer 1

Ensuring a transportation option is available for each person, without discriminating against any physical or mental disability

Question 2

Mobility

Answer 2

Refers to one’s ability to move around their neighborhood, community, city, and region. Also covers accessibility but focuses broadly on the ease and comfort each person has to walk, bike, drive, use transit, etc.

Question 3

Americans with Disabilities Act

Answer 3

Governs accessibility. Requires all public facilities, like buildings, roads, and sidewalks, to be navigable for people in wheelchairs or those who use other assistive devices.

Question 4

Transportation disadvantaged

Answer 4

Used to describe accessibility planning and programs, a reference to the name of the federal transportation program that oversees paratransit and related activities

Question 5

Parking

Answer 5

refers to the amount of space dedicated to storing vehicles when they are not in use. Broad range of strategies planners can implement to effectively plan and manage the space designated to be used for parking. Strategies include regulations, pricing, financial incentives, and providing real-time information.

Question 6

Parking policies

Answer 6

Often applied at the local government level and established through development regulations. Commonly, these regulations enforce parking minimums, which require a certain number of parking spots per new residential unit of square foot of commercial or retail space.

Question 7

Freight

Answer 7

Catchall term for the goods that we buy, sell, and manufacture

Question 8

Goods movement

Answer 8

How freight moves through ports, roads, and hubs as they go from origin to destination. This requires a significant amount of planning, particularly at the local and regional level.

Question 9

Seaports

Answer 9

Harbors for cargo and container ships to load and unload products for international trade

Question 10

Inland ports

Answer 10

A maritime facility on an inland waterway, or a drylands facility that supports a seaport’s operations through warehousing space and other industrial uses

Question 11

Distribution centers

Answer 11

large warehouse facilities zoned for industrial land use that support goods movement by allowing items to be stored while waiting to go to their next destination. These centers make it easier to transfer good from one type of transport vehicle to another

Question 12

5 main modes of transportation

Answer 12

Car, bicycle, walking, transit, air

Question 13

Car/highway planning

Answer 13

primarily concerns the planning and development of roads and highways, such as limited access roads or arterials

Question 14

bicycle planning

Answer 14

focuses on bike lanes and other types of urban bicycle infrastructure, greenways, and trails

Question 15

pedestrian planning

Answer 15

primarily focuses on the experience of people who walk and the planning and development of sidewalks and other infrastructure that makes it easier to travel on foot

Question 16

transit planning

Answer 16

the practice of planning for mass transit systems, like bus, bus rapid transit, and rail

Question 17

aviation planning

Answer 17

Refers to the planning and development of airports and services related to the movement of people via air

Question 18

intermodal stations or hubs

Answer 18

Where people will transfer from one mode of transportation to another

Question 19

multimodal transportation planning

Answer 19

bicycling and pedestrian is often the main focus

Question 20

Complete street

Answer 20

One that is planned, designed, and maintained to support safe travel for each person and each mode . Governments develop guidelines and funding programs that apply Complete Streets standards to the planning and design phases of a project

Question 21

Level of Service (LOS)

Answer 21

a scale of A - F that describes the efficiency of vehicular traffic flow on a street or road segment. Local governments and state DOTs establish the LOS of each road. Levels C-E are the most commonly applied

Question 22

LOS A

Answer 22

the free flow of traffic for individual cars. The road’s capacity dramatically exceeds the number of cars using the road

Question 23

LOS B

Answer 23

a stable flow of traffic, allowing cars to travel mostly unimpeded by others. A road’s capacity often exceeds the number of cars on the road

Question 24

LOS C

Answer 24

a stable, but slightly restricted traffic flow. More cars are on the road and affect an individual driver’s comfort and convenience

Question 25

LOS D

Answer 25

a significant amount of traffic that restricts the free flow of individual cars, but the overall flow remains relatively stable

Question 26

LOS E

Answer 26

an unstable traffic flow that approaches the street’s established capacity, or the number of cars that the road is expected to handle

Question 27

LOS F

Answer 27

the number of cars on the road exceeds its capacity, creating stop and go traffic and excessive travel times

Question 28

Travel demand model

Answer 28

a formula designed to forecast the numbers of cars that will use a road at a certain time

Question 29

Traffic analysis zone (TAZ)

Answer 29

a geographic area created specifically for the purposes of transportation modeling. Each state DOT establishes the TAZs and transportation demand model for their area.

Question 30

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)

Answer 30

The Federal Highway Administration is responsible for creating, updating, and ensuring compliance with MUTCD. This is the document that identifies all of the standards and specifications for any road sign, streetlight, or pavement markings.

Question 31

Interstate Highway System

Answer 31

The United States’ network of limited access highways, facilitating interstate commerce across state borders. Authorized and funded by the Federal Highway Act of 1956. Complete system is 46,876 miles. First piece was I-70 in Missouri and Kansas. Last was I-95 near Philadelphia.

Question 32

Interstate Highway numbering

Answer 32

Even numbered interstate indicates east-west movement. Numbers start from the south and increase northward. Odd numbered runs north-south. Starts west coast and increases east.

Question 33

Headway

Answer 33

the times between one train or bus and the next train or bus. Transit planning determines what headways are feasible by analyzing several things, including number of potential riders, number of availability vehicles, the cost to operate.

Question 34

high-speed train

Answer 34

travels at speeds greater than 124 mph achieved when the train is moving between cities (ex. Amtrak)

Question 35

Commuter rail

Answer 35

service designed to travel between cities in a single metropolitan area. Speeds of up to 79 mph. (ex. Bay Area Regional Transit)

Question 36

heavy rail

Answer 36

subway-type rapid transit with speeds up to 40 mph. Usually carries more people than other types of urban transit. (Ex. NYC subways)

Question 37

Light rail

Answer 37

Smaller geographic range than heavy. Stops spaced half mile to mile apart. (ex. Los Angeles Metro)