Post on 25-Feb-2016
description
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?