Long Description: Traffic Management Plan Checklist - Step 1
Step 1. Traffic Flow Route Planning
Assessment: Freeway/ arterial traffic flow routes
If Assessment applies:
- Determine recommended freeway ramps, by route direction, to/from event venue or specific parking area
- Determine interchanges / intersections representing a connection to local (street) flow routes
- Determine freeway or arterial lane assignments for event traffic (e.g., event traffic two right-lanes)
- Determine modified ramp control tactics (e.g., closures / additional lanes) as necessary
Tips/Examples:
- Focus on all freeways and major arterial roadways serving the planned special event venue
- Focus on ingress and egress operations separately
Assessment: Local traffic flow routes
If Assessment applies:- Determine local streets that connect to freeway entrance/exit ramps and/or arterial intersections
- Determine recommended flow routes to/from general and reserved parking areas (minimum) or individual parking plus pick-up / drop-off areas (recommended)
- Determine event participant / VIP access routes
Tips/Examples:
- Focus on local streets adjacent to the event venue and servicing a particular parking area or pick-up/drop-off point
- Focus on ingress and egress operations separately
- Avoid left-turn movements across traffic flow
- Divert traffic flow routes from critical locations (e.g., other flow routes) that could create congestion
- Develop multiple local flow routes, connected to one freeway/arterial flow route, as necessary to achieve optimum traffic distribution on the roadway system
- Assign local flow routes to contingency overflow parking areas identified in the site access and parking plan
Assessment: Alternate routes
If Assessment applies:
- Identify mainline bottleneck or problem locations
- Evaluate proposed alternate routes
- Determine appropriate criteria for plan deployment
- Achieve participating agency agreement on roles and responsibilities
- Identify equipment and personnel resources required to deploy an alternate route plan
- Establish guidelines for plan evaluation and updating
Tips/Examples:
- Consider a contingency plan for minimizing the effect of non- recurring congestion, caused by a traffic incident or event-generated traffic demand, on traffic flow
- Promote travel choice alternatives, such as using other travel modes, as an option to driving alternate routes
- Ensure diverted traffic encounters an equal or higher level of service on the alternate route compared with that on the mainline
Assessment: Emergency access routes
If Assessment applies:
- Evaluate necessary street closures within the venue site area to connect to some or all of the following termini: (1) public safety headquarters, (2) local hospital, (3) freeway or arterial serving a regional hospital, and (4) location of staged ambulances and first-aid stations for on-site medical treatment
- Evaluate need for emergency access lanes along streets closed for event staging to allow unimpeded emergency vehicle access throughout the entire local street network impacted by the event
Tips/Examples:
- For large-scale planned special events, emergency access routes may remain closed to all non-emergency vehicles. Traffic control officers staff each intersection along the route and permit side street traffic to cross the route when conditions permit
- For smaller-scale special events, an emergency access route denotes a local flow route for emergency vehicles that may be utilized by general traffic under non-emergency conditions
- Typical specifications for an emergency access lane involve delineating a 20 foot wide, paved curb lane within the existing roadbed (e.g., shoulder plus traveled-way)
Assessment: Background traffic accommodation
If Assessment applies:
- Identify user groups potentially impacted by event ingress/egress traffic: (1) regional through traffic - truckers and other intra-/interstate travelers, (2) local through traffic - commuters and area residents, and (3) neighborhood residents and businesses
- Review applicable passive (e.g., traveler information dissemination only) and aggressive (e.g., physical traffic control) operations strategies
Tips/Examples:
- Operations strategies for accommodating background traffic include: (1) freeway-to-freeway diversion beginning a significant distance upstream of an event venue, (2) arterial-to-arterial diversion, which also minimizes cruising in the area, (3) parking restrictions, (4) traffic control points, and (5) signing and alternate routes
Assessment: Transit accommodation
If Assessment applies:
- Evaluate operations strategies for accommodating scheduled and event-generated bus service
Tips/Examples:
- Bus accommodation tactics include: (1) exclusive bus route, (2) exclusive / priority bus lane, and (3) on-demand communication between bus driver and event command center.
