Office of Operations
21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies
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Making the Connection: Advancing Traffic Incident Management in Transportation Planning

2. Benefits for TIM Professionals and Planners

There are numerous benefits to integrating TIM into the transportation planning process at a State or regional level. Those benefits start with safer, more efficient transportation system performance for the traveling public. With greater regional support, incidents can be cleared safely in less time, minimizing congestion and the impacts of traffic incidents on overall mobility and safety. The figure below gives a sample of benefits that TIM and planning professionals may gain through connecting TIM and planning. The sample focuses on items that help those groups fulfill their missions more effectively or efficiently.

Benefits for TIM Professionals

TIM professionals can open up more opportunities to advance TIM in the region by becoming involved with transportation planning and the leaders of that process at MPOs and State departments of transportation (DOTs). The benefits to TIM may be in the form of increased funding, equipment, or training to support TIM activities. There are many ways to connect to the transportation planning process, as described later in this primer, but one of the most important is to help set specific priorities for transportation in the region in terms of regional objectives and performance measures. These will guide the selection of strategies, programs, and projects for investment. Regional objectives should reflect the interests of all transportation stakeholders in the community, and involvement in the planning process is a good way to elevate the importance of incident management as a tool for improving road safety and reducing congestion in the region.

Figure 1. Benefits of connecting TIM to transportation planning for TIM professionals and planners.
Graphic depicts the benefits from connecting TIM to tranportation planning. Benefits for TIM professionals include opportunities for resources, funding, equipment, etc.; a forum for TIM coordination; input on transportation projects; access to multi-agency training; and elevated visibility among transportation decisionmakers. Benefits for planners include the ability to address major source of congestion, provide lower cost mobility and safety solutions; gain expertise and recommendations on operations priorities and TIM strategies and projects; obtain data to justify investments; and to meet planning regulations.

What Do Transportation Planners Do?

Transportation planners at metropolitan planning organizations, State departments of transportation, and transit agencies lead a cooperative process designed to foster involvement by all users of the system, such as the business community, community groups, environmental organizations, the traveling public, freight operators, and the general public, through a proactive public participation process. The process facilitated by planners includes:

  • "Monitoring existing conditions;
  • Forecasting future population and employment growth, including projected land uses and major growth corridors;
  • Identifying current and projected future transportation problems and needs and analyzing, through detailed planning studies, various transportation improvement strategies to address those needs;
  • Developing long-range plans and short-range programs of alternative capital improvement and operational strategies for moving people and goods;
  • Estimating the impact of recommended future improvements to the transportation system on environmental features, including air quality; and
  • Developing a financial plan for securing sufficient revenues to cover the costs of implementing strategies."

Source: FHWA/FTA, The Transportation Planning Process Key Issues, FHWA-HEP-07-039. Available at: http://www.planning.dot.gov/documents/briefingbook/bbook.htm.

Expanded Access to Resources

TIM professionals can also benefit from connecting with the planning process by coordinating with other TIM stakeholders to propose and support TIM strategies in the metropolitan transportation plan and the funding of TIM needs. TIM professionals may be able to obtain funding for inter-agency field communications systems, training program development, total incident scene investigation stations, variable message signs and other traveler information devices, emergency signal preemption, and other resources that will advance the safety and effectiveness of incident management professionals' efforts. TIM projects may be eligible for several Federal funding programs. See the section – "Regional Investment in TIM"– in Chapter 3 for more information.

Another benefit for TIM professionals includes access to MPO mapping services. MPOs may provide maps for emergency detour routing, water access locations for fire, and door locations in noise walls along highways.

Forum for TIM Coordination

TIM professionals can also benefit from using the planning organization's capability to convene TIM partners from across the region for the purpose of increasing coordination between jurisdictions, modes, and functions in TIM operations. Planning organizations can facilitate a collaborative group for improving TIM that enables TIM professionals to meet the people who they may need to work with in the field and better understand the roles of other responders. Through this collaboration, TIM professionals can also benefit from bringing their staff expertise, data, and other resources together for improved TIM performance.

Input on Transportation Projects

By participating in the transportation planning process, TIM professionals may be able to influence how and where operations devices are deployed and infrastructure is designed so that TIM is facilitated. As one fire chief in Virginia commented, "It is better to be involved before the project is deployed than to have to live with the results afterward." TIM professionals can improve their ability to detect, respond, clear, and manage incidents by assisting transportation engineers, designers, and planners in the placement of signs, signals, cameras, pull-outs, and other operational features of the infrastructure.

For example, in areas near chemical factories or other industrial areas where hazardous materials (HAZMAT) are frequently transported, designing drainage or providing TIM responders with drainage routes and layouts for diking fuels or channeling spills off of the travel lanes can be extremely helpful to responders' ability to safely clear the spilled substance in a HAZMAT incident. The sooner responders can "get in front of" a spill or toxic release, the less harm to the environment and, potentially, to nearby residents.

Additionally, when a construction project is planned, an engineer, or group of engineers, typically puts together the schedule of closures and any necessary plan for rerouting traffic. Giving the TIM community the opportunity to provide their input on this before the project begins can significantly improve response times in construction zones and allow responders to mitigate the scene faster.

Case Study: Genesee Transportation Council Fosters TIM as a Strategic Priority

The Genesee Transportation Council (GTC), the MPO for the Greater Rochester region of New York, is incorporating TIM into its planning efforts by creating an intelligent transportation systems (ITS) strategic plan that recognizes TIM as a means of combatting the region's congestion challenges. The seeds of coordination and adoption of TIM as a strategic priority were planted when New York State DOT Region 4 Operations, Monroe County DOT, and a New York State Police station were co-located in the Regional Traffic Operations Center (RTOC) in 2002. It did not take long for these responder and traffic operations communities to realize that collaboration would result in a complete detection and response capability for both the daily routine of traffic as well as TIM.

As a result of working together, regional stakeholders have identified ways to expand and improve upon their success with the assistance and support of the MPO, which has identified multi-agency training and education targeted to local first responders as a strategic objective. This training will provide them with better information regarding the RTOC and its capabilities, reinforce the Unified Incident Command structure, help local first responders better understand the downstream impacts and safety risks associated with highway incident management activities, and educate responders on ways to minimize unnecessary disruption to the transportation system without compromising safety.

Operators and responders also quickly realized the value of different kinds of technologies. GTC has identified coordinated traffic signal timing adjustments, the installation of new highway advisory radio beacons, the addition of portable dynamic message signs, and further integration with the proposed statewide 511 system as strategic priorities to increase dissemination of traffic incident information to the general public so that drivers can avoid incident-related congestion.

Source: Genesee Transportation Council, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Strategic Plan, February 2011. http://www.gtcmpo.org/Docs/PlansStudies/ITS_StrategicPlanUpdate.pdf. Note that GTC's Long Range Transportation Plan 2035 (http://www.gtcmpo.org/docs/LRTP.htm) is another example of a document that recognize TIM as a means to reduce congestion.

Access to Multi-Agency Training

Metropolitan planning organizations, such as the Genesee Transportation Council (GTC), have helped provide multi-agency, multi-disciplinary TIM groups with national training courses and workshops that promote safe and coordinated incident response. Similarly, the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (NFTPO) spearheaded an effort to create a multi-disciplinary training program for first responders that has been accessed by more than 30,000 responders in Florida (see case study on page 18).

Elevated Visibility Among Transportation Decisionmakers

By participating as a stakeholder group in the planning process and providing input on regional priorities and cost-effective solutions, TIM professionals and their interests gain greater visibility among the transportation decisionmakers who approve the regional transportation plan and make investment decisions.

Benefits for Regional Planners

Address Major Source of Congestion

TIM enables planners to deal with a significant cause of congestion, and incident management can be an important strategy in a region's congestion management process. Planning organizations benefit when TIM professionals know about and actively support all of the region's transportation goals. For example, in circumstances where responder and driver safety will not be compromised, TIM responders may be able to help reduce congestion by closing fewer lanes at an incident scene. Regional benefits also extend to reduced emissions (from less congestion/vehicle idling) and improved safety (from reduced opportunities for secondary incidents, i.e., incidents caused by a previous incident). In addition, as TIM responders learn about the goals for the transportation system, they may become more aware of the impacts that an incident has on areas outside their immediate responsibility.

Planning Basics: What Is an MPO?

Each urbanized area in the United States with a population of 50,000 or more is required by Federal statute to have a metropolitan planning organization (MPO), a transportation policymaking body made up of representatives from local government and transportation agencies with authority and responsibility in metropolitan planning areas. MPOs are required to have a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive transportation planning process, and Federal funding for transportation projects and programs is channeled through this planning process. As a result, MPOs provide a forum for decisionmaking on regional transportation issues. As of 2010, there were 384 MPOs in the United States.

MPOs develop transportation plans and programs for the urbanized area. This cooperative transportation decisionmaking process provides a forum for members to discuss regional transportation issues and plan transportation improvements for the region. The MPO process also provides an open forum for transportation system stakeholders, including first responders, to work together to ensure their needs are addressed – and sometimes funded – through regional transportation plans.

To find the MPO in your region, visit the US Department of Transportation MPO Database at www.planning.dot.gov/mpo.asp.

Lower Cost Mobility and Safety Solutions

TIM strategies such as incident response patrols have tremendous benefit-cost ratios. When funds are scarce, safety/service patrols provide an excellent, high-profile way to improve mobility and safety for motorists and responders. For example, a multijurisdictional arterial incident management patrol in the Phoenix metropolitan area provides services to six cities with a benefit-cost ratio of 6.4:1, offering the added benefits of increasing responder safety by securing incident scenes and reducing the number of law enforcement officers necessary at each crash scene.3

Expertise and Recommendations on Operations Priorities, TIM Strategies and Projects

In addition to improving regional performance outcomes and planning goals, TIM professionals can help planners and planning boards determine the most effective or needed TIM improvements. TIM professionals can supply expert opinions, field knowledge, and data that can help planning officials make smart decisions when funding TIM-related projects.

Data to Justify Investments

Incident management data collected by TIM partners (DOTs, police, etc.) is highly beneficial to planners in helping to make the case for new TIM investments and justify spending when transportation budget reductions are needed. For example, a 2006 study on the outcomes of the Georgia NaviGAtor incident management program found that it reduced annual fuel consumption by 6.83 million gallons and significantly contributed to decreased emissions: 2,457 tons less carbon monoxide, 186 tons less hydrocarbons, and 262 tons less nitrous oxides.4

Who Are TIM Operators?

TIM Operators come from a variety of responder disciplines, and all of them may provide important input to regional planning. Planners should keep in mind that first responders are accustomed to working in a cooperative, "team" environment with members of other disciplines and agencies, and often across jurisdictional boundaries. This gives them a foundation of working with others to achieve their objectives that can be useful for planners wishing to build relationships with the TIM community. Contacts, and potentially champions, may be found throughout the TIM community, which includes:

  • Law enforcement
  • Fire and rescue
  • Emergency medical services (EMS)
  • Towing and recovery
  • Hazardous materials response teams/contractors (in some areas, these professionals can be found in the towing and recovery community)
  • Medical examiners/coroners
  • Emergency dispatchers
  • DOT/traffic management center staff

Meet Planning Regulations

Federal planning regulations require that metropolitan transportation plans include management and operations strategies such as TIM. Strategies such as TIM also support congestion mitigation efforts through the congestion management process (CMP), a systematic approach applied in metropolitan regions to identify congestion and its causes, propose mitigation strategies, and evaluate the effectiveness of implemented strategies. The CMP is federally required in metropolitan areas with populations greater than 200,000. For example, the Madison Area Transportation Planning Board's CMP includes "the development and implementation of an enhanced Regional Incident Management Plan" as one transportation system management strategy recommended to manage congestion in the region.5 The Madison CMP also includes arterial and freeway incident management performance measures and targets.6

TIM Fundamentals:

Effective TIM reduces the duration and impacts of traffic incidents and improves the safety of motorists, crash victims and emergency responders.

TIM activities are typically categorized into the following five functional areas:

  • Detection and verification
  • Traveler information
  • Response
  • Scene management and traffic control
  • Quick clearance and recovery

The National Unified Goal (NUG) is a unified national policy developed and ratified by major national organizations as members of the National Traffic Incident Management Coalition (http://ntimc.transportation.org/Pages/default.aspx) representing traffic incident responders. It consists of three major goals, listed below, supported by 18 strategies for achieving these goals.

  • Responder Safety
  • Safe, Quick Clearance
  • Prompt, Reliable, Interoperable Communications

The NUG represents essential priorities for TIM responders. MPOs could play a valuable role in implementing the NUG, for example by incorporating the goals and strategies in their plans and programs.

Source: FHWA, Best Practices in Traffic Incident Management, September 2010. Available at: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop10050/index.htm




Case Study: Benefits Gained from MPO Reaching out to State Police: TIMe4SAFETY Program – North Florida Transportation Planning Organization

TIM is an important component of ITS. With millions of dollars invested in systems and hardware, the procedures and processes used by the responders on the scene can either maximize its value, or derail its promise. With this in mind, the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (NFTPO) reached out to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) in 2003, inviting the agency to participate in the Regional ITS Coalition shortly after it formed in 2003.

It became increasingly clear to the FHP and the NFTPO that first responders needed a single "playbook" that would detail a common operational approach. The NFTPO initiated the development of a concept of operations that resulted in a set of standard operating guidelines. In October 2008, the NFTPO, in association with FHP, hosted a northeast Florida Traffic Incident Management stakeholders' workshop in Jacksonville, Florida. This workshop attracted multi-disciplinary representatives from law enforcement, fire and rescue, road rangers, towing and recovery, and transportation agencies within northeast Florida. Through discussions and hands-on activities during this four-hour workshop, all attendees were encouraged to comment on the draft guidelines.

Based on comments received during and after the workshop, and after reviewing other nationwide initiatives, the NFTPO, with the full support of the FHP, created the "TIMe4Safety Training Program." This program includes a Traffic Incident Management Handbook and five video modules featuring actual responders, who not only acted in the video, but also wrote the script, creating a feeling of "ownership" and unity in the operations community.

The training program was designed to make responders more aware of their own safety at the scene of traffic incidents as well as to explain to them the roles and responsibilities of other responder groups, giving them insight into the risks their colleagues face and showing them how to work together to clear incidents in a way that maximizes safety for responders and motorists alike.

Since the Fall 2009 release of this training program, it has been viewed by approximately 30,000 responders in Florida and distributed to responder agencies across the U.S., Canada and Australia. The Traffic Incident Management Handbook and five associated video modules are free for download or viewing at http://www.northfloridatpo.com/its_coalition/traffic_incident_management/. Source: North Florida TPO website, and ITS Master Plan Update For North Florida Regional ITS Master Plan - http://www.northfloridatpo.com/images/uploads/general/ITS-Master-Plan-2010Update_finalreport.pdf; email communication with FHP Chief Grady Carrick (ret.), January 2, 2013

3 Battelle Memorial Institute for the Maricopa County Department of Transportation, Regional Emergency Action Coordination Team (REACT) Evaluation, Phoenix, Arizona, 2002. [ Return to note 3. ]

4 URS Corporation for the Georgia DOT, Benefits Analysis for the Georgia Department of Transportation NaviGAtor Program: Final Report, August 2006. Available at: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/travelinfo/gdotbenefit/gdotfinalreport_0806.pdf. [ Return to note 4. ]

5 Madison Area Transportation Planning Board, 2035 Regional Transportation Plan Update, March 2012. Available at: http://www.madisonareampo.org/planning/documents/TransportationSystemPart4_000.pdf. [ Return to note 5. ]

6 Ibid. [ Return to note 6. ]