Improving Business Processes for More Effective Transportation Systems Management and Operations

Chapter 5. Planned Special Events

5.1 Planned Special Events Business Processes

Planned special events (PSEs) can bring rapid fluctuations in roadway demand from what is typically seen in an area; therefore, it can be a challenge when an agency is seeking to maintain or improve travel-time reliability. PSEs can include recurring events, such as seasonal sporting events or concerts, or annual events such as marathons or parades. They can also be one-time specific events, such as political conventions or the Super Bowl. In all cases, PSEs cause areas to experience greater-than-normal traffic flows in and out of the area, potentially during a compressed timeframe. They are often accompanied by lane or road closures, detours, and parking overflow, all of which need to be considered to manage traffic to and from the event and reduce its impacts on local traffic and travel.

Successfully executing PSE traffic management requires extensive planning and coordination in addition to actual day-of execution. Preplanning activities may include multiagency and multijurisdictional coordination for operations involving police and emergency services or transit availability. Preplanning may also include plans to disseminate traveler information through the media or other outlets to inform people about upcoming changes to traffic flow (as seen in Figure 3). Post-event debriefings can provide valuable lessons learned to incorporate into future PSE strategies. For those recurring events, such as those at fixed venues that occur on a fairly regular schedule (for example, sporting events at arenas and annual parades), event planning and day-of-event activities might become somewhat routine. Operational partners will some historical experience and established roles and relationships and 'lessons learned' are typically applied from past events at that location.

Figure 3. Map. Example of planned special event information.
(Source: Kansas Department of Transportation).

A unique kind of special event is a national special security event (NSSE), which is designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security and led by the Secret Service. NSSEs are often characterized by the presence of certain factors, such as anticipated attendance by U.S. officials and foreign dignitaries, and event size and significance.⁷ In the cases of an NSSE, the Secret Service coordinates advance planning and liaison for venue and air space security, training, communications, and security credentialing. They also coordinate and conduct liaisons with other federal, state, and local agencies, primarily law enforcement entities that are relevant for the operations. Examples of NSSEs include presidential nominating conventions, presidential inaugurations, or gatherings of many heads of state (for example, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Group of Twenty, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation).

Business processes for PSEs span each stage of the process, from early planning, coordination, and event management strategy development to day-of-event traffic management and post-event debriefings. Furthermore, these business processes span several different partners, and each partner is responsible for allocating some level of resources to plan for, manage and execute, or follow up on special event traffic management activities.

Key business processes for PSEs include the following:

• Program plan
• Budgeting
• Resource management
• Contracting and procurement for resource needs
• Informed programming and resource needs through lessons learned

The following are some guiding questions that can be used to identify business process issues and potential action items to improve business processes related to PSEs. These questions, based on the PSE business process framework, can apply to several partners involved in planning and managing special event traffic:

• Are mechanisms in place to effectively plan for special events? Do plans correspond to unique event needs?
• Do agency budgets adequately account for resource needs to support PSEs? Are effort levels and resources identified?
• Do strategies require equipment or resources from other departments, and can the needed resources be acquired?
• Is the traffic and guidance information provided to the public consistent among those entities that are disseminating the information? Is there a central resource for traveler information for PSEs? Is there a single public information officer to provide a single, coordinated message to the public?
• Are resources within agency departments responsible for PSE-related transportation operations?
• Do partners have access to real-time operations information to better manage special events in real time?
• Do partners know other partners' roles and responsibilities? Are these roles and responsibilities documented or otherwise agreed to?
• Is formal, multiagency training for PSEs available to key partners?
• Are event metrics tracked and is performance information applied to future event planning?
• Are lessons learned captured and documented through after-action reports and/or post-event debriefings and used to modify or improve traffic management strategies for future events?

Most business process issues affect pre- and post-PSE stages, where stakeholder involvement and up-front planning and strategy development activities occur. Limited or fragmented processes in the early stages of planning can impact day-of operational activities. Potential risks in PSE planning include lack of involvement of the right stakeholders in the event planning process or not providing partners with critical information to support their resource allocation for event traffic management. Another potential risk is having multiple sources of traveler information without a clear plan for consistent messaging disseminated by the media, transportation agencies, or event venues or promoters. Important business process considerations for PSEs include processes for coordination and agreements, preparing clear plans and procedures (including contingencies), and identifying and allocating adequate agency funds for needed equipment and resources. Documenting and applying lessons learned to future events is also an important business process consideration.

Table 4 outlines potential business process challenges for different stages of PSE traffic management. These challenges can be examined during the course of planning for PSEs or after-action reviews to identify potential limitations or issues that can be addressed through improving the corresponding business processes.

Table 4. Planned special event business process challenges.

PSE Elements	PSE Potential Business Processes Challenges
Preplanning	Planning for Planned Special Events (PSEs) does not include all key partners. Roles and responsibilities are not documented and distributed to all partners involved in PSE traffic management. Specific resource, staff, or equipment needed to support a PSE traffic management strategy is not identified or included within agency budgets. Appropriate buy-in from agency managers is not received for required resources to support event traffic management strategies. Impacts (such as work zones) on event route corridors or event adjacent corridors are not forecasted or factored into event traffic management strategies. A consistent motorist information strategy is not developed and shared with all partners. Cost recovery strategies are not discussed or explored to offset agency resource requirements.
Event Strategy Implementation (Event Management)	Roles and responsibilities that were not communicated to all partners lead to miscommunications in the field. Lack of consistent or centralized motorist information messages provides conflicting information to travelers. Local traffic is impacted as a result of event traffic ingress and egress. Partners lacking access to real-time information are not able to effectively respond to traffic needs. Contingency plans were not developed to account for changes in operations as a result of an incident or other unforeseen effects on event routes. Traffic incident management (TIM) plans were not developed for specific PSE phases.
Post-Event Debriefing	Real-time performance information during event ingress and egress was not collected and is not available for post-event analysis. Key partners were not part of a formal post-event debriefing. Lessons learned to incorporate into future events are not captured or documented. Costs for resources and equipment are not tracked and/or documented to be able to better budget resources for future events exists.

5.2 Planned Special Event Business Process Case Studies

5.2.1 Kansas Speedway Special-Event Traffic Management Planning Reduces Patrol Resource Requirements for On-Scene Traffic Management

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

• Planning and program plan
• Resource management
• Lessons learned to inform programing and resource needs

In 2001, the Kansas Speedway opened for its first major NASCAR race. With attendance exceeding 110,000 people, the event set a record as the largest single-day sporting event in the history of Kansas. Attendance has continued to grow and now exceeds 135,000 for most major races. The traffic control strategies to handle these major events were the result of years of planning between the Kansas Speedway, Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP), Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), and the Kansas City Police Department.

By collaborating on improved traffic management and operations processes, KHP and KDOT in partnership with local agencies, were able to implement several operations and coordination improvements that minimized delays during traffic ingress and egress on race days. Both KHP and KDOT have access to cameras to monitor traffic approaching the race and leaving the parking lots. Local agencies were involved in the planning and are part of a real-time communications strategy on event days to share information through the Web Emergency Operations Center.

By developing coordinated plans and implementing connectivity among key agencies, traffic control plans have resulted in reducing the number of KHP troopers required to monitor traffic in the field (from 25 to 14), a significant cost and resource allocation benefit to the KHP.

5.2.2 Special Event Cost Management Strategy Results in Improved Cost Tracking and Asset Allocation in Los Angeles, California

This case study addressed the following PSE business processes:

• Programming and budgeting
• Resource management
• Contracting and procurement for resource needs
• Informed program and resource needs through lessons learned

The City of Los Angeles (City) hosts several major special events each year. With a complex network of freeways, arterials, and event venues, attention to cost and resource requirements with the volume of events hosted in the region is an essential component of the City's business processes. Recognizing that the City was recovering very minimal costs from event organizers, a special task force assessed true costs to the City.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation has a Special Event Traffic Operations Division (the Division) with assigned staff to PSEs; these staff are experienced in cost needs and cost planning requirements. By carefully documenting event costs (including traffic control and traffic management, security, and other elements), the Division was able to justify an increase in the allocated budget to support effective event operations. Further, the Division also develops individual cost estimates for events and completes an after-action review of actual costs. Event planning costs are also are included.

Several permanent venues (such as the Dodger Stadium and Staples Center) have established contracts with the City so that reimbursement costs are handled appropriately for recurring events. This attention to budget detail helps ensure that the required resources to support special events in the City are included in annual budgeting processes.