Improving Business Processes for More Effective Transportation Systems Management and Operations

Chapter 3. Traffic Incident Management

3.1 Traffic Incident Management Business Processes

Figure 1. Photo. Example of incident management activities.
(Source: Florida Department of Transportation).

Traffic Incident Management (TIM) consists of a planned and coordinated multiagency process to detect, respond to, and clear traffic incidents so that traffic flow may be restored as safely and quickly as possible.⁵ TIM includes notifying proper responders to arrive at the scene, assisting involved motorists and conducting necessary investigations, minimize travel disruptions and delays, and restore the roadway to normal conditions (as shown in Figure 1). Effective TIM also involves planning, preparing, and developing procedures to educate and inform motorists of crashes and any associated restrictions. Several regions have active TIM coalitions or programs that bring together a wide range of partners from the TIM community, including law enforcement, transportation officials, emergency responders, towing providers, and information providers and disseminators.

TIM is one of the core strategies within Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) to help preserve capacity and improve the reliability and safety of the transportation system. Established TIM programs, have proven to be low cost and cost effective, produce results in a short amount of time, and result in economic, mobility, reliability, and safety benefits.

The following business processes are integral to the success of TIM programs:

• Establishing strategic goals and objectives
• Funding and programming for program and strategies
• Contracting and procurement processes to support programs and strategies
• Establishing a link between TIM, operations, and the regional and statewide transportation plans
• Measuring performance based on TIM objectives
• Maintaining a relationship of performance management and measures with regional and statewide TSMO performance management programs
• Providing policies to enable program objectives and partnerships

The following are guiding questions that can be used to identify business process issues and potential action items for improving TIM business processes. These questions can apply to several partners involved in TIM:

• On a routine basis, are TIM needs collectively assessed, reviewed, and acted on?
• Are funds available for TIM activities?
• Are multiagency, multidiscipline incident debriefings held?
• Do multiple participating agencies formally plan or participate in the planning and training for TIM activities?
• Do standardized TIM response systems (protocols) exist?
• Is TIM performance measured and then used to influence and/or improve operations?
• Are performance-based contracts, agreements, guidelines, and/or specifications used for TIM? Is there an opportunity to do so?
• Does agency leadership understand TIM, and is leadership aware of the link between TIM and TSMO?
• Is agency leadership actively involved in TIM program decisions?
• Is the TIM program supported by a succession plan, or is it dependent on a limited number of champions?

For example, if responses are inconsistent between partner agencies that are part of the same TIM program, then implementing an interagency training program to give all agencies the same information and training methods would be beneficial. FHWA's National TIM Responder Training Program has helped to standardize multiagency TIM training in areas around the country.

Table 2 outlines potential business process challenges for various elements of TIM. These challenges can be examined during the course of incident management operational discussions that would identify potential limitations or issues that can be addressed through improving corresponding business processes

Table 2. Traffic incident management business process challenges.

Traffic Incident Management Program Elements	Traffic Incident Management Potential Business Processes Challenges
Coordinated Partnership	Consensus on incident management priorities, goals, and objectives is not achieved or documented. Formal agreement for mutual aid or coordinated incident response is not reached. Traffic Incident Management (TIM) partners provide inconsistent or limited participation. Program direction is at risk of being lost if champions leave or transition to different roles. TIM is not integrated into agency core mission. Multiagency incident debriefings are not part of the standard process.
Training	Coordinated training or multiagency training among TIM partners is lacking. TIM training has limited or no funding. No formal training program (such as the FHWA National TIM Responder Training) is in place. New TIM techniques or processes are unable to be integrated into established agency training programs.
Funding	TIM funding is not sustainable. Funding commitments or funding levels vary among incident management partners. Ability to procure needed tools, technologies, or integration for more effective TIM or coordinated communications during TIM are limited.
Response and Management	Interoperable communications among partners are not in place because of funding or policy limitations. Communication processes do not include all required partners. Response and on-scene procedures are not defined, documented, or known by all partners.
Performance Improvements	Goals, objectives, and associated performance measures for incident management are not defined, tracked, or reported. Policies limit effective sharing and reporting of TIM-related data. Performance data needs are not defined or identified. Lack of a coordinated performance monitoring strategy limits effectiveness. Performance data are not used to identify needed process improvements.

3.2 Traffic Incident Management Business Process Case Studies

3.2.1 Joint Operations Policy Statement Encourages Innovative Approaches to Collaborating on Effective Incident Management Strategies in Washington State

This case study addresses the following TIM business processes:

• Policies to enable program objectives and partnerships
• Strategic goals and objectives and corresponding strategies

The State of Washington has developed one of the most comprehensive and effective incident response programs in the United States. Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Washington State Patrol (WSP) are the two primary agencies responsible for incident response on highways in Washington State. WSDOT and WSP have a long history of working together to improve incident response and reduce incident clearance times.

In 2002, WSDOT and WSP developed a Joint Operations Policy Statement (JOPS) Agreement that formalized each agency's roles and responsibilities for freeway operations, including incident response. This document is signed by the Washington State Secretary of Transportation and the Chief of the WSP and is updated each year. It now includes the Washington Fire Chiefs. The JOPS Agreement clearly defines how incident response will be conducted in Washington State, identifies a specific employee from both WSDOT and WSP responsible for each program, and sets program performance measures.

Having this coordinated policy has elevated the importance of collaboration, as well as made each of the partners accountable for achieving a set of standard, consistent objectives. This agreement also provides an important policy to support future programs that help the TIM program. For example, the 'Instant Tow' program is one of the innovative approaches used by Washington State to streamline response to freeway incidents. The Instant Tow program changed WSP's policy for rotational tow dispatch and on-scene verification before calling for tow support. With Instant Tow, agreements are established that outline required timeframes and required equipment for tow operators. It is estimated that the new program saves up to 15 minutes in tow response time. This translates into several million dollars saved in delay and wasted fuel, as well as improves the safety for responders and travelers by reducing clearance time.

3.2.2 Florida Road Ranger Program Expands Using Alternative Funding Sources

TIM business processes addressed in this case study are as follows:

• Funding for program and strategies
• Contracting and procurement processes to support programs and strategies

The Florida Road Ranger program uses private tow vendors and sponsors to deliver a freeway service patrol program throughout the state of Florida. The Road Ranger program includes the participation of Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), private service patrol providers, and private sponsors. The Road Ranger program is coordinated through the FDOT Central Office and operated by the FDOT districts and the Florida Turnpike Enterprise. The program began in 2000 and at that time was completely funded by the State of Florida. Because of budget cuts, FDOT was forced to look for funding or consider reducing the hours and miles of service covered by the Road Ranger program. As a result, FDOT successfully established a sponsorship program to provide supplemental funding to the Road Ranger program through corporate sponsorship. This marked a significant change at FDOT but one that made financial sense in terms of being able to sustain and expand this important incident response program. With the additional sustainable funding from outside sources, the Road Ranger program was able to grow from a local program that was only offered in a few districts into a statewide program with deployments in every district.