Managing Travel forPlanned Special Events: What, Why, & Benefits

Walt Dunn, P.E.

Dunn Engineering Associates, P.C.

Talking Operations SeminarJanuary 27, 2005

2

http://www.tmcpfs.ops.fhwa.dot.gov

http://www.its.dot.gov

Project Information

Project team:

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

Event Impact Factors

TRAVELDEMAND

EXTERNALFACTORS

ROAD/SITECAPACITY

EVENTOPERATION

AVAILABLERESOURCES

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

• Los Angeles, CA2,650 planned special events each

year

• Milwaukee, WI450 planned special events each year

that influence travel along one downtown segment of I-94

Number of Events within a Region

7

• Discrete/recurring event at a permanent venue

• Continuous event

• Street use event

• Regional/multi-venue event

• Rural event

Planned Special Event Categories

8

• Characteristics

Specific starting & ending timesKnown venue capacityAdvance ticket salesWeekday event occurrences

Discrete/Recurring Eventat a Permanent Venue

9

• CharacteristicsOccurrence often over multiple daysArrival & departure of event patrons

throughout the event dayTypically little or no advance ticket

salesCapacity of venue not always knownOccurrence sometimes at temporary

venues

Continuous Event

10

• CharacteristicsOccurrence on a roadway requiring

temporary closure Specific starting & predicable ending

timesCapacity of spectator viewing area not

knownSpectators not charged or ticketedDedicated parking facilities not available

Street Use Event

11

• CharacteristicsOccurrence of events at multiple

venues & at or near the same timeEvents 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

• CharacteristicsRural or rural/tourist areaHigh attendance events attracting

event patrons from a regional areaLimited roadway capacity serving an

event venueArea lacking regular transit serviceEvents having either a time specific

duration or continuous duration

Rural Event

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

• Regional planning & coordination for all planned special events

• Event-specificEvent-specific operations planning Implementation activitiesDay-of-event activitiesPost-event activities

Phases of Managing Travel for PSEs

15

• Transportation engineer

• Law enforcement officer

• Event organizer

Handbook User Groups

16

17

• Consists of 15 chapters within the following sectionsOverviewAdvance planningDay-of-event activitiesPost-event activitiesEvent profile

Handbook Organization

18

1. Introduction & background2. Characteristics & categories of PSEs3. Overview4. Regional & local coordination5. Event operations planning6. Traffic management plan7. Travel demand management &

traveler information

Handbook Chapters

19

8. Implementation activities9. Day-of-event activities10.Post-event activities11.Discrete/recurring event at a

permanent venue12.Continuous event13.Street use event14.Regional/multi-venue event15.Rural event

Handbook Chapters (cont.)

20

• Advance operations planning, stakeholder coordination & partnerships

• Multi-agency traffic management teamDevelops traffic management planPrepares 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

• Achieving predictability

• Ensuring safety

• Maximizing efficiency

• Meeting public & event patrons expectations

Goals of Managing Travel for PSEs

22

StakeholdersLaw

Enforcement TransportationAgencies

Media

PublicSafety

EventOrganizer

PrivateIndustry

RegionalOrganizations

GovernmentAgencies

PublicElectedOfficials

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

Possible Travel Choices

TransitExpress / Charter

Bus

Automobile(route selection /

parking)

Considerations for pedestrians & other modes

25

• Reduce traffic congestion

• Improve mobility

• Improve travel safety

Benefits

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

• Transportation SystemTravel time & delay (traffic & transit)Arrival & departure service rateNumber & location of traffic incidents

• CommunityEconomicEmergency vehicle accessPublic agency costsTravel demand

Benefit Measures

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

29Expect the Unexpected

30

• Handbook, Managing Travel for Planned Special Events

• Outreach materialFact sheetTri-fold brochureFrequently asked questionsTechnical presentation

• Available at:http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/program_areas/sp-evnts-mgmt.htm

Resources & Tools