a collage of eight photos showing a stakeholder meeting, people boarding a bus, a changeable message sign displaying the message race traffic, cars traversing a roadway where barricades delineate travel lanes, a closed-circuit television camera, a crowd of people standing near a train and traversing a pedestrian overpass, two implementation plans, and three traffic management team personnel gathered around a laptop computer

Managing Travel for Planned Special Events

Table of Contents

Chapter Three. Overview
Page 8 of 8

Post-Event Activities  handbook section pertains to transportation engineer, law enforcement officer, and event planning user groups

Post-event activities range from informal debriefings between agencies comprising the traffic management team to the development of a detailed evaluation report. Qualitative evaluation techniques include individual debriefings of traffic management team members, patron surveys, and public surveys. Quantitative evaluation techniques include performing an operational cost analysis and analyzing performance evaluation data collected during the traffic monitoring process. Evaluation results, identifying needs and successes, represent valuable input toward planning for future planned special events and creates an iterative process.

Evaluation Framework

The first steps in the evaluation of the traffic management plan implemented for the planned special event take place during the event operations planning phase. Knowing ahead of time that a post-event evaluation will occur allows participants to make provisions for the review. In particular, this means collecting data during the event, which can be used as part of the review process. At a minimum, this would include data indicating how the system performed and a log of what took place during the event.

Measures of Effectiveness

Measures of effectiveness represent quantitative measures that give some insight into how effectively a unit is performing. MOEs are measures of activity that, while not reflecting performance directly, show workload and trends. To evaluate how well the traffic management plan worked, some form of measurement is necessary. In addition to telling stakeholders how effective their plan was, the measurements provide transportation professionals the means to demonstrate to others, including the media and elected officials, how well the plan may have worked.

There are two areas of effectiveness that should be measured, internal and external. Table 3-40 indicates examples of internal measures. Table 3-41 presents a list of external measures.

Table 3-40. Internal Measures of Effectiveness
Measure
  • Number of messages displayed on changeable message signs
  • Number of messages broadcast on highway advisory radio
  • Number of traffic incidents handled
  • Number of messages transmitted between stakeholders
  • Number of traffic signal timing changes
  • Number of times a ramp(s) was closed and time/duration of closure(s)

Table 3-41. External Measures of Effectiveness
Measure
  • Volume of traffic on major routes
  • Volume of traffic on alternate routes
  • Volume of traffic entering and exiting the site and parking areas
  • Hours of delay
  • Number of event patrons and participants utilizing transit to and from the event
  • Travel times
  • Modal split
  • Average vehicle occupancy
Application to Future Events

Whether the event is a one-time only happening or an annual occurrence, what has been learned through the evaluation can contribute toward proactively improving travel management for all planned special events occurring in a region.

To be beneficial for future planned special events, the results of the evaluation should be documented and made accessible. In the case of a one-time only event, the evaluation may show both general and specific insights, which can be used for other future planned special events. These could include areas such as traveler information, interagency communications, and the planning process itself.

For recurring events, a file providing the cumulative benefit of lessons learned will help sharpen the traffic management plan developed for each new occurrence. It is also important to remember that with recurring events, slight changes in circumstances will require modifications to the plan.

Participant Evaluation

Participant evaluation includes: (1) stakeholder debriefing, (2) patron survey, and (3) public survey.

Stakeholder Debriefing

At the conclusion of the planned special event, a debriefing session should be held. The stakeholder debriefing is an opportunity to bring together those involved and impacted by the planned special event. In it, these individuals, and the groups they represent, can compare what the plan called for and what actually took place. They can also examine areas the plan may not have addressed but turned out to be issues in hindsight. All of those who were involved in creating the traffic management plan, as well as key people who played a role during the event itself, should be present for this session. This includes stakeholders forming the event planning team and traffic management team. Table 3-42 lists elements of a stakeholder debriefing.

Table 3-42. Elements of a Stakeholder Debriefing
Element
  • Introductions of individuals and the roles they played (if not obvious)
  • Explanation that the debriefing is not designed to find blame for anything which may have gone wrong, but to identify areas of improvement for future planned special events
  • Distribution of a chronology of the special event, preferably one which melds individual agencies' own chronologies
  • Review of the timeline of events
  • Discussion of other areas of concern
  • Next steps to incorporate lessons learned
Patron Survey

Although the goal is to keep traffic moving on all of the transportation facilities, the patrons are the ultimate customers of everyone involved in the traffic management of the planned special event. It is largely for their benefit the traffic management plan was created in the first place, and they are the ones likely to suffer the greatest consequences if the plan does not work. Therefore, the viewpoint of event patrons is needed if a credible evaluation of the plan is to be done.

Sample questions for possible inclusion in a patron survey include:

  • Were you aware of any special travel information before the event?
  • Did you find information provided en-route to the event (e.g., via signs, radio) helpful?
  • Did you experience any unexpected problems approaching the venue?
  • Do you have any suggestions or other comments you wish to offer?
Public Survey

The public survey takes in a wider audience than the patrons. This includes those who may have been impacted by the planned special event even though they did not attend the event. Since this is a larger and more diverse group of stakeholders, it may be more difficult to identify and survey them.

Sample questions for possible inclusion in public survey include:

  • Were you aware of the event before it took place?
  • If you were aware of the event beforehand, would you have altered your plans based on that information?
  • Did you change your plans or schedule as a result of the event?
  • How would you evaluate the effectiveness of traffic management efforts for this event (poor, good, excellent)?
  • Do you have any additional comments or suggestions based on your experience?

Post-Event Debriefing

A post-event debriefing should be held to review what took place. The purpose of the debriefing is to: (1) examine what took place, (2) compare it to what was expected to happen, (3) identify what worked well, and (4) determine areas of improvement for future planned special events.

It is important to remember that the post-event debriefing is not designed to be a time to blame individuals or agencies for what took place during the event.

Table 3-43 lists the broad topic areas that should be covered in the post-event debriefing.

Table 3-43. Post-Event Debriefing Meeting Agenda Topics
Topic Area
  • Purpose of meeting
  • The planning process
  • Interagency communications
  • Traffic management in and around the venue
  • Traffic management outside of the event site
  • Traveler information, including media
  • Lessons learned

The purpose of the post-event debriefing is not to just identify what could have been done better but to note what was successful. The successes and lessons learned must be chronicled so that those stakeholders who are responsible for planning the next planned special event will be able to tap the wisdom of those who have done this before.

Post-Event Report

Table 3-44 presents an outline of a typical post-event report.

Table 3-44a. Outline of Post-Event Report
Report Organization
  • Outline report topics
  • Document products of the event operations planning phase
  • Identify key successes
  • Present lessons learned
  • Identify improvements for future events
  • Configure to serve as a working document for future special event planning
  • Review chronologically what took place
  • Summarize both positive and negative aspects
  • Include all stakeholder viewpoints

Table 3-44b. Outline of Post-Event Report
Operational Cost Analysis
  • Examine operational costs
  • Include staffing, overtime, and equipment for each involved agency
  • Identify potential cost savings
    • Reallocation of personnel
    • Division of responsibilities
    • Use of technology
  • Include total staffing, overtime, and equipment for all agencies

Table 3-44c. Outline of Post-Event Report
Qualitative Evaluation
  • Include survey of stakeholders
  • Include survey of event patrons
  • Include survey of public

Table 3-44d. Outline of Post-Event Report
Quantitative Evaluation
  • Provide numerical picture of the event
    • Costs
    • Hours saved
    • Traffic incidents handled
    • Passengers carried on various modes
  • Present cost/benefit analysis

Since the process of handling the planned special event follows a timeline, the easiest way to organize the report may involve reviewing what took place chronologically. An alternative method of organizing the report concerns dividing it by subject areas such as traffic management, traveler information, command center operation, and communications.

The report should summarize both positive and negative aspects. Remember, this is not designed to be a public relations piece to promote the handling of the planned special event but a working document to assist future special event planning.