Transportation leadership you can trust.

presented to

presented byCambridge Systematics, Inc.

Resource Needs of Transportation Professionals

Transportation Division of the Special Libraries Association

July 15, 2012

Erik Cempel, PE

Agenda

Typical Needs

Examples of Typical Resources

Example Problems and Resources

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Typical Needs

What are YOUR needs?

Who works at a university-affiliated library? State DOT? Others?

In your experience, what folks in the transportation realm are you dealing with the most? Planners or engineers? Agency staff, consultants, or students? Are there specific modes that are more frequently asked about?

Do folks come to you with a specific resource in mind, or with a question they’re hoping you can help them answer? What are some typical questions?

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When will I need to find resources?

Various stages of the planning cycle» Planning framework, policy development» Visioning/long range planning» Corridor planning/alternatives analysis

Various stages of the project delivery lifecycle» Environmental review» Design and engineering» Operations

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Why will I need to find resources?

Different region, state, or country» What planning or design principals do they use?» What are local laws and regulations that may

impact the project?

Unknown approach or question I need to answer» Unknown to me» Generally unknown in the region

Data not readily or obviously available

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Types of Questions I Might Ask

What have other agencies done? Are there examples in practice? Are there before and after data?

How did the other agency get to its final conclusion or result – what was the process?

Any research, papers, presentations that can help formulate an approach?

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General Types of Needed Content

Category Types of InformationProject Information

•Engineering Diagrams•Planning Studies•Materials Research•Environmental Reports

System Condition/ Performance

•Traffic Data•Safety Data•Pavement Condition•Bridge Condition•Performance Reports

Research •Completed Research reports•Proceedings/presentations

Administration

• Financial/Budget•Contact Information•Annual Reports

Socioeconomic Data

•Population, employment•Economic data

Category Types of InformationInventory •GIS Data and Maps

•Asset Inventory Databases•Roadway Log•Classification

Truck Information

•WIM Truck Data•Permit Data•Oversize/Overweight Restricted Roadways and Bridges

Rules and Regulations

• Legislation•Statutes•Final rules/guidance•Public records

Manuals/ Textbooks

•Design manuals•Planning manuals•Subject area textbooks

General Types of Formats and Providers

Format» text reports» photographs and video» plans and drawings» geocoded databases» printed materials » spreadsheets » microfilm» maps» raw data (e.g., traffic

counts)

Providers» TRB (TRR, CRP)» AASHTO» ITE, ASCE» FHWA, EPA, FTA, FRA» state DOTs, MPOs,

county/local » transit agencies» NGOs (CNT) » international:

• foreign agencies• development banks• PIARC• European Commission

(TRIP) 9

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Examples of Typical Resources

Project Information

Useful as:» Examples from other regions» Understand a region’s approach to design,

modeling, etc. for further work in that region» Build on previous work or utilize data and tools

Every project had a unique set of original data, tools, analyses» Not always easy to track down beyond just the

final report

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System Condition + Inventory

Traffic, Safety, Asset Condition Data – Core of Most Analyses

Some data from national level» Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS)» National Bridge Inventory (NBI)

States and regions usually have their own – often more detailed – data as well

Historical data is often important for trends

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System Condition/Performance2007 Annual Attainment ReportMaryland DOT

State of the System 2005Bay Area Transportation

Good to GreatStrategic Plan and Annual ReportNew Mexico DOT

Business Plan 2004 & 2005Ohio Department of

Transportation

DashboardVirginia Department of Transportation

Measures, Markers and MilepostsWashington State Department of Transportation

TrackerMissouri Department of Transportation

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Socioeconomic DataPopulation, Employment – minimum for building a travel model

Economic impacts and freight movement now standard analysis. Need:» Employment by industry» Economic output by industry» Salaries and wages» Commodity flows

Historical and forecasts when available

National sources: Census, BEA, BLS

Some proprietary datasets: Woods & Poole, Global Insight

Many other disparate sources at the state and local level14

Research

National TRB-sponsored research – cooperative research programs

Other research papers from:» AASHTO» ITE, ASCE, other industry

organizations» FHWA, FTA, EPA, and other Federal

agencies» Universities» Research centers, think tanks, and

NGOs (CNT, CNU, BPC, Reason)» TRR» Conference proceedings

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Manuals/Textbooks

National design and planning manuals:» Highway Capacity Manual (HCM)» AASHTO Highway Safety Manual (HSM)» ITE Trip Generation Manual» AASHTO A Policy on Geometric Design of

Highways and Streets (Green Book)» Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices

(MUTCD)» ITE Transportation Planning Handbook

State-specific design manuals

Textbooks on statistics, engineering principals, etc.

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Manuals/TextbooksHighway Capacity Manual

Integrated multimodal approach to the analysis and evaluation of urban streets from the points of view of automobile drivers, transit passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians

Addresses the proper application of micro-simulation analysis and the evaluation of those results

Examines active traffic management in relation to both demand and capacity

Explores specific tools and generalized service volume tables to assist planners in quickly sizing future facilities

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Manuals/TextbooksHighway Safety Manual

Methods for developing an effective roadway safety management program and evaluating its effects: » Identify sites with potential for safety

improvement» Diagnose conditions at the sites » Identify and prioritize potential treatments

A predictive method to estimate crash frequency and severity

A catalog of crash modification factors (CMFs) for a variety of geometric and operational treatment types

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Manuals/TextbooksITE Trip Generation Manual

Two data volumes with » land use descriptions (162)» trip generation rates» equations

Useful for:» site impact studies» determining on-site circulation patterns » performing access management studies » determining traffic signal timing» conducting environmental assessments

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Manuals/TextbooksA Policy on Geometric Design of Highways & Streets

Current design research and practices for highway and street geometric design.

“Provides guidance to highway engineers and designers who strive to make unique design solutions that meet the needs of highway users while maintaining the integrity of the environment.”

Guidelines by functional classification for:» Highway Functions» Design Controls and Criteria» Elements of Design» Cross-Section Elements» Intersections and Interchanges

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Manuals/TextbooksITE/CNU Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares

Illustrates best practices for the creation and implementation of walkable, mixed-use streets, including:» The importance of integrating the principles of

CSS in urban roadway improvement projects» How CSS principles can be used in the

transportation planning and project development processes

» Specific guidance on thoroughfare cross-section and intersection design

Consistent with the Green Book, which identifies design controls and establishes design criteria

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Manuals/TextbooksManual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

“Standards used by road managers nationwide to install and maintain traffic control devices on all public streets, highways, bikeways, and private roads open to public traffic.”» road markings » highway signs» traffic signals

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Manuals/TextbooksITE Transportation Planning Handbook

Basic information » legal framework» urban travel characteristics and modeling» environmental considerations» land use and urban design» evaluation and prioritization methods» asset management

Application in» Statewide, corridor, metropolitan, rural and tribal contexts» activity centers, transportation terminals, and recreational areas.

Strategies for» transit, operations, parking, safety, freight and

pedestrians/bicycles23

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Example Problems and Resources

Types of Questions I Might Ask - Example

FHWA & AASHTO – National Performance-Based Program» Measures and targets» Process and progression (e.g., legislation, rules, timeframe)» Integration into planning and intergovernmental relationship

Necessary information and sources:» Best practices in the US and abroad

• Past FHWA, AASHTO, NCHRP reviews• State/MPO plans and dashboards

» Performance management in other sectors• Reports from other government agencies• Business school literature

» Actual technical implementation in the US• Data from national datasets like HPMS, NBI, FARS, FPMWeb• Information from research papers like NCHRP reports on asset

management or comparative performance measurement 25

Types of Questions I Might Ask - Example

Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority» Develop a new agency, identify structure and

powers» In line with new regional transit plan

Necessary information and sources:» Legislation from IN and other states» Board structure of existing agencies and other

agencies» Newspaper articles or other media to help track

how existing structure came about – e.g., ballot measures

» Population, size, and other data from Census to benchmark regions

» Transit system extent and usage data from NTD

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Questions?