Getting More by Working Together — Opportunities for Linking Planning and Operations

2. Opportunities for Linking Planning and Operations

2.8 Regional Management and Operations Projects

BACKGROUND

Some projects are especially likely to bring together planners and operators. For example, any regional management and operations projects require involvement of State or regional transportation planners. Such planners may be needed to manage regional funding opportunities, to coordinate across jurisdictions and modes, or simply to provide regional leadership. Exhibit 12 lists some examples of such regional M&O projects.

What is Meant by Regional M&O Projects?

Regional management and operations refers to the multimodal, cross-jurisdictional systems, services, and projects that are implemented to optimize the performance of the existing infrastructure. These systems, services, and projects are designed to preserve capacity and improve security, safety, and reliability of transportation systems. Regional M&O projects include a diverse range of activities (as illustrated in the breadth of activities included in Exhibit 12).

How Can Regional M&O Projects Create Linkages?

Regional M&O projects can help to link planning and operations in a number of ways. For example, if an MPO leads an operations-oriented project, MPO planners may work closely with operations agencies, developing a better understanding of operations in the process. When regional planners understand the role of management and operations, there is a greater likelihood that regional M&O projects will be supported in the long-range planning and programming process. From another perspective, as long-range plans increase their focus on regional M&O projects to maximize the efficiency of a mature transportation systems, planners will require more involvement and expertise of operations practitioners. Regional M&O projects can also educate operations managers about broader regional planning and policy objectives that cut across modes and jurisdictions.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF LINKAGE OPPORTUNITIES

This section highlights opportunities to link planning and operations through specific types of regional M&O projects. Nearly every M&O project can strengthen the planning and operations link in some way, so these examples should be considered as illustrative rather than as a comprehensive list. Indeed, the very existence of regional M&O projects may be an indication that a region has developed some coordination between planning and operations. For example, an effective regional incident management program requires input from operations managers as well as some institutional awareness at the State and regional planning level to recognize the need and to fund such a program. Through the ongoing implementation and expansion of regional M&O projects, planning and operations coordination will continue to evolve in a productive manner.

Work Zone Management Programs

The goal of work zone management programs is to reduce the impact of roadway construction and maintenance on mobility and safety. Travelers are often frustrated when they perceive that the impacts of highway construction activities have been poorly managed resulting in congestion and delay. In response to customer concerns and the potential for efficiency gains, work zone management programs have become a focus of regional operations thinking and have gained recognition as an important area for interagency and interjurisdictional coordination.

Work zone management is inherently an operations concern, since it focuses on strategies for minimizing disruption to the roadway system. However, planners can play a significant role in helping to ensure that construction and maintenance projects scheduled for a corridor are considered early in the planning and programming process to minimize the impacts of multiple work zones. Planners can also help to ensure coordination between jurisdictions when scheduling roadwork.

Traditionally, conducting the work during off-peak hours minimized work zone mobility impacts. This has become more difficult as peak-periods are spreading and the time window for conducting work is shrinking, making it critical to plan for work zone impacts early in the project development process. It is also typically more expensive to do work during off peak hours, consuming a larger share of scarce resources. Planners are beginning to get involved in work zone management at the corridor level, including learning the details about the work and exploring regional options to mitigate traffic impacts (e.g., development of service roads or advance preparation of alternate routes). Work zone management issues can even be considered during the regional project prioritization process.

Through involvement in work zone management programs, planners gain exposure to traffic management strategies that may have broader application for addressing short-term regional concerns. Concurrently, planners offer expertise in public information distribution, stakeholder involvement, and transportation system network behavior. For these reasons, the MPO often serves as a good forum for coordinating work zone management between agencies and jurisdictions.

Major transportation construction projects also offer an opportunity to demonstrate the capacity for management and operations strategies to mitigate impacts to the regional traffic network. Such mitigations could include travel demand management services and their promotion, temporary signal timing adjustments on alternate routes, or advanced traveler information strategies (such as variable message signs) to keep travelers apprised of real time conditions before they reach the work zone. Implementation of such strategies can be a way to demonstrate their potential for broader application to address regional traffic disruptions.

Regional Incident Response Programs

Incident management is the process of managing multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional responses to highway traffic disruptions. Efficient and coordinated management of incidents reduces their adverse impacts on public safety, traffic conditions, and the local economy. These programs typically require involvement from a wide range of stakeholders including State and local law enforcement agencies, fire and rescue agencies, HAZMAT clean-up services, towing and recovery companies, and public and private traveler information providers. Due to the wide range of actors involved, these programs provide a mechanism to link operations stakeholders and help to jumpstart other regional operations efforts. Several regions have sponsored conferences to share information and best practices on incident management. Conferences provide opportunities for operations practitioners to work with planners to expand services and discuss facility design issues that affect the efficiency of incident response efforts.

In some regions, MPOs have taken the lead role in advancing coordinated incident response and freeway service patrol programs (see Case 42). Because traffic incidents are responsible for such a large portion of regional congestion, MPOs are becoming more active in incident response. When the MPO takes the lead, it provides an important opportunity for broader involvement by the MPO in thinking about day-to-day management of transportation facilities. In addition, operations managers within the region may come to see the MPO as a more relevant player and, consequently, participate more actively in the MPO's activities.

Special Events Management

Transportation practitioners often comment on the power of major special events to promote unparalleled levels of planning and coordination between otherwise disconnected transportation agencies. This condition is particularly evident for special events that bring broad national or international attention to a particular city, such as major sporting events or high-profile conventions (see Case 43).

A special event can serve as a catalyst for the development of a new model for planning and operations coordination – a model that can potentially continue to function long after the event has occurred. To sustain and build upon the collaborative attitudes that are common during special events, it is important that stakeholders consider in advance how to build from these events. Planners and operations representatives can work together to discuss opportunities to build from successful event coordination.

Regional Signal Coordination

Signal coordination programs, traditionally conducted in isolation by individual cities, are now being conducted across jurisdictions. Interconnecting traffic signals and optimizing signal timing has been shown to reduce travel times by 8 to 25 percent along an arterial or corridor. Some regions are also working to integrate arterial signalization systems with transit operation, emergency operations, and/or freeway management efforts.

Cross-jurisdictional signal coordination is often led by a city, usually a large central city coordinating with smaller surrounding cities. But MPOs and other regional agencies also can lead regional signal coordination efforts, and in the process help to strengthen ties between planners and operators (see Case 44). For example, some MPOs have formed a traffic signal coordination committee made up primarily of local government traffic engineers and public works managers. The committee works together to craft a written agreement on signal timing that is consistent with regional planning objectives and also acceptable to the local jurisdictions. The involvement of the regional planning agency can help to bring all the necessary stakeholders to the table while ensuring that the signal coordination supports regional air quality planning, ITS deployments, transit operations, and other regional initiatives.

HOV Lane Development

Some new transportation infrastructure projects inherently involve consideration of regional M&O issues as well as regional planning and policy issues. HOV lane (or HOT lane) development is a prime example. HOV lane construction involves all of the engineering and operational considerations associated with traditional freeway lane additions plus a range of planning and policy concerns. For example, HOV lane projects must address detailed operational considerations for lane access points as they relate to overall system performance. HOV lanes also require State and regional policy considerations such as hours of operation, vehicle occupancy requirements for access, exceptions to HOV requirements, and policies relating to emergency and special event use of HOV lanes. These are frequently controversial topics related to broader regional demand management efforts. MPOs and State DOT planning agencies are usually more versed in the broader policy considerations, but operations practitioners are needed for the consideration of operations constraints. As a result, HOV projects tend to generate numerous opportunities for new professional connections between planning and operations (see Case 45).

Transportation Emergency Preparedness and Security Planning

Agencies involved with transportation management and operations are increasingly focused on disaster preparedness planning and emergency response coordination – coordination that should take place at the regional scale. A number of regions have established a management and operations committee that focuses on day-to-day operations activities, with a transportation emergency preparedness subcommittee that focuses on longer-range planning and training programs related to emergency management. Arrangements such as these serve to facilitate better coordination between planning and operations.

Recent efforts to model emergency situations have applied traditional planning tools to improve transportation management practices. These models often combine GIS, travel demand forecasting procedures, and simulation of emergency scenarios to assist in emergency response planning (see Case 46). Setting up and running these models may require involvement of both regional transportation planners and system operations experts.

Regional Traffic Management Centers

Regional traffic management centers (TMCs) are typically involved with M&O projects and programs such as those discussed in this section. A TMC may serve as headquarters for incident management activities and is also likely to be an important participant in planning for emergency preparedness and for special events. TMCs can also create additional opportunities for improving planning and operations coordination.

For planning agencies, being involved in the development of a TMC can serve as a unique bridge from a capital project focus to management and operations coordination. Planners familiar with the capital project development process usually lead the process of funding, designing, and constructing a TMC facility. But the TMC development process can also stimulate a broader discussion of what takes place within the traffic management center, such as:

• Who must be involved in its design and management?
• How will the activities be sustained?
• How will it link with other centers?
• What is the ultimate scope of management activities that could occur in the center?

These topics can help engage operations management and planning agencies in a broader discussion of M&O coordination.

A number of regions report that the operation of regional TMCs has helped build broader cooperation in regional M&O efforts (see Case 47). For example, some TMCs are co-managed by the State police. This ensures that this constituency is consistently involved in broader policy considerations about the center's roles and responsibilities. In other regions, emergency management practitioners have witnessed the benefits of operations technologies (e.g., signal priority exemption for emergency vehicles), and as a result become more interested in regional ITS planning and deployment.

As the operations community looks to expand its role in the regional transportation planning process, these multi-agency working relationships can prove to be critical. The ability to bring a multi-agency perspective to the planning table should enhance the decisionmaking process and result with increased system performance as, for example, incidents get cleared in a more timely and effective manner.

Cross-cutting Regional Implementation Actions

While the previous discussion of how to exploit these linkage opportunities referred to particular regional M&O activities, the following short-term actions apply to a wide range of regional M&O programs. These are some examples of how agencies can use existing M&O projects to build a broader regional link between planning and operations.

• Identify multi-jurisdictional M&O programs that should involve the MPO. MPOs have skills that are relevant to integrated management and operations strategies. These skills include experience with bringing together diverse stakeholders, awareness of how to distribute information to the general public, and familiarity with a broad array of funding opportunities. Unfortunately, MPOs are not always well informed about the range of active regional M&O activities. MPO staff should identify management and operations programs within the region and assess the extent of MPO involvement. Consider strategies to increase MPO involvement in programs that are dominated by operations practitioners.
  
• Expand stakeholder participation in existing M&O projects. Many regions have nascent regional M&O projects and programs with involvement from a limited number of regional stakeholders. For example, signal coordination efforts and special event management programs often include no more than a few local governments. Identify opportunities to expand these programs so that they embrace a larger portion of regional stakeholders, becoming true cooperative regional systems management and operations efforts.
  
• Use specific M&O successes to sell new regional coordination efforts. Agencies can identify successful local examples of coordination between regional planning and M&O projects or programs. Examples may include a special event where regional transportation services were particularly well coordinated, a successful interjurisdictional work zone management effort, or a multi-jurisdictional signalization coordination plan that took into account the needs of multiple modes. Identify factors that contributed to the success of such efforts, and work to replicate the success in other regional M&O projects.

LESSONS LEARNED

Implementation of regional M&O projects has exposed numerous challenges and highlighted some promising ways to overcome them. Many of the lessons learned are specific to one type of M&O project or program and are discussed at length in other resources. This section reviews several lessons that apply broadly to regional M&O efforts.

Organizing at Regional Scale May Highlight Differences Between Objectives

Operations practitioners and local decisionmakers are likely to be concerned about centralizing the control of traffic management at the regional scale. These concerns are legitimate – local operators often have vital information about the particular issues in each jurisdiction that cannot be readily communicated to regional agencies. What is best for regional management is not always best for particular local stakeholders. Any regional M&O effort must be open to discussing and accommodating issues related to the authority of existing operating organizations. While it may not eliminate local concerns, a focus on coordination rather than centralization is critical for the success of such regional efforts, and is a prerequisite for engaging operations managers in a broader regional planning dialogue.

Regional M&O Efforts Face Pressure to Expand in Scope

Some regions have faced a situation in which they set out to develop a specific regional M&O program and found that the discussion quickly expanded to cover a broad array of management and operations efforts. Regional coordination, information sharing, and public involvement for one particular program often illuminates needs and opportunities for regional coordination in other operations areas. For example, when work zone management programs are coordinating with regional transit operators, it becomes apparent that incident management programs and regional signal coordination programs should be doing the same thing. Similarly, efforts to establish an incident management program may highlight poor coordination between various jurisdictional traffic management centers.

Successful M&O task forces or consortiums should carefully assess how much responsibility they wish to take on beyond their original focused effort. Some groups have successfully expanded beyond straightforward original goals such as work zone management, taking on broad responsibilities for a range of regional management and operations efforts. Other groups have determined that their institutional arrangement left them best suited to focus on a specific M&O program and concluded that increasing demands called for developing management and operations oversight within the State DOT or MPO.