1. L02 – Establishing Monitoring Programs for Travel Time Reliability SHRP 2 Joint Technical Coordinating Committee Meeting Irvine, CA - April 8, 2010

2. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 2 Purpose and Deliverables Guidebook –Travel time reliability monitoring system –Design, build, integrate, operate, maintain System prototype Efficacy assessment –How well the guidebook and system work –Real-world network and data (primary) –Simulation (if needed)

3. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 3 Research Team Ralph Hessian

4. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 4 In the midst of other SHRP2 projects L02 – Establishing Travel Time Monitoring Systems L13 – Archive for Reliability and Related Data L11 – Evaluating Alternative Operations Strategies to Improve Travel Time Reliability L17 – A Framework for Improving Travel Time Reliability L14 – Traveler Information and Travel Time Reliability L05 – Incorporating Reliability Performance Measures into the Transportation Planning and Programming Processes L03 – Analytic Procedures for Determining the Impacts of Reliability Mitigation Strategies

5. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 5 Guiding Principles Be clear and action oriented Use field-based case studies as much as possible Employ a long-term vision Learn from operational agencies during development Focus on origin-destination travel times Stress the use of probe vehicles Develop clear, concise, and robust metrics tailored for all users

6. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 6 Phase I - Finished System Design Needs: Define user and functional requirements for travel time reliability monitoring systems –Task 1: Inventory and Assess Existing Traffic Monitoring Systems –Task 2: Identify User Needs –Task 3: Characterize User Needs –Task 4: Define Functional Requirements –Task 5: Phase I Interim Report

7. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 7 Phase II – About to Start System Design Completion and Guidebook Preparation –Task 6: Develop Sampling and Data Acquisition Plans –Task 7: Design a Monitoring System –Task 8: Assess the Design Trade-offs for Real-time versus Archived Travel Time Data Collection Systems –Task 9: Phase II Report – Including a Draft of the Guidebook

8. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 8 Phase III – In the Future Validate Monitoring Programs –Task 10: Program Validation Subtask 10.1: Module Development Subtask 10.2: Module Integration Subtask 10.3: Site selection (Five sites) Subtask 10.4: Validate Systems Subtask 10.5: Analyze Results Subtask 10.6: Summarize Results Subtask 10.7: Update Guidebook –Task 11: Final Report

9. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 9 Task 1 – Inventory and Assess Existing Traffic Monitoring Systems Findings based on the 25 largest metropolitan areas Nearly every major metropolitan area has travel time monitoring and reporting capabilities Many areas are served by several information providers, public and private A few providers report travel time reliability information to travelers Several providers contrast current travel times and delays with averages Behind-the-scenes data processing firms are striving to determine how to report and use travel time reliability information

10. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 10 Best Practice Examples

11. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 11 Source: GMC Website

12. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 12

13. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 13 Task 2/3 – User Needs A few agencies are reporting reliability measures Clearly communicating travel time reliability information is a challenge Many agencies strive to use reliability measures in decision-making But how they use the information varies widely: –planning and programming, user cost assessment, performance assessment Reliability measures are used internally to monitor and manage: –peak hour congestion, work zones, incidents, and special events Agencies must understand what users value and what they will listen to and comprehend Most common communication channels are: –media outlets, 511, other internet tools (websites, email distribution lists, twitter) Average travel time is reported most often and is the easiest metric to communicate Most agencies are unsure about using private sector information Agencies need to share information and resources to do an effective monitoring job Communication tools need to be constantly updated to ensure user confidence

14. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 14 Task 2/3 – Passenger Metrics Source: Adapted from SHRP 2 Project L11 Technical Memorandum 1, Exhibits 2 and 4

15. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 15 Freight Metrics Source: Adapted from SHRP 2 Project L11 Technical Memorandum 1, Exhibit 3

16. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 16 CategoryKey QuestionsKey Takeaway Points Relative Amount of Information Received 1. Data Collection Practices and Travel Time Measurement Tools Do you currently use travel time reliability as a performance measure for your system? If so, how do you measure it? Where, when, and for what facilities, areas, corridors, or OD pairs do you measure it? What information is gathered to monitor travel time reliability? How do you obtain travel time information? Are the travel time reliability results archived and/or reported? Many new and emerging data collection technologies exist, but agencies are still using inductive loops as the most common source for travel time and speed data. Quality control and management of tools and data is very time intensive and takes more resources than most agencies have available. Partnerships with other public and private agencies are vital when it comes to assembling the resources necessary to accurately record and archive data. Medium 2. Communication to Users What information is presented to the users of your system and how is it presented? In the future, what reliability information can you envision being delivered to system users and in what forms? Do you provide pre-trip information to users on system conditions? If so, what media is this communicated through? A few agencies are experimenting with reporting reliability measures. Overall, most users seem more interested in knowing travel times rather than travel time variance. Reliability measures seem to be more useful when communicating pre-trip information. Users are demanding travel time information on alternate routes. Providing travel time or arrival information causes users to perceive the system as reliable. With all of the technology available, agencies need to better understand the most effective and efficient means by which to communicate reliability information. High 3. Business Processes and Future Monitoring Plans To what extent do you incorporate information about travel time reliability into day-to-day operations? Do you have quantitative or qualitative goals with respect to reliability? What are the challenges you face with setting reliability goals? Are there gaps in the travel time information you use that need filling? Are there other deficiencies that need improvement? Using reliability measures is a goal of many agencies, but the way they are used varies. Examples are planning and programming, user cost assessments, performance assessments. Need to develop reliability initiatives at the national level and encourage partnerships at the local level to more easily reach goals established by initiatives. Few agencies monitor reliability on roadways other than freeways. High 4. Performance Measures What travel time reliability performance measures or indices do you monitor? Are these measures archived, tracked, or analyzed in any way? Under what system conditions do you monitor travel time reliability (relating to the seven factors influencing reliability)? What spatial and temporal levels of detail do you capture in your existing monitoring system and would you prefer more or less detail? Understanding the “why” behind the variability is important for agencies to mitigate the problem behind the variability. Agencies would like more guidance on evaluating performance measures on a network level. Need to identify measures most clearly portrayed to the public and that are not facility or mode specific. Medium 5. Education and Outreach What resources do you most commonly use to educate your organization on travel time reliability monitoring practices? Does your organization provide public information programs to educate users on how to use travel time reliability monitoring resources? Do users generally feel the system is reliable and, if so, why? If not, what do you think could be implemented to change their perception? The traveling public is intuitively aware of reliability concepts, but this intuition must be enhanced with educational tools that are marketable and easily accessible to the public. It is important to share information among agencies to advance the research and implementation of reliability programs. Effective outreach strategies must be centered on what users perceive and value and what they will listen to and comprehend in regard to reliability reporting. The guidebook ought to: 1) compile best practices, 2) provide specific examples, 3) provide guidance on reporting reliability for all user types, and 4) address integration with the private sector. Low Task 2/3 – Key Take-Away Points

17. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 17 Task 4- System Vision Use Cases for: Passenger travelers Freight movers Policy makers Roadway system managers Transit system managers

18. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 18 Dual-use: Real-time Off-line RTIP Guidelines: Real-Time System Management Information Program

19. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 19 Task 4 - System Capabilities Address both person and freight trips Support computation and estimation of travel time reliability Support prediction algorithms for both real-time and static (e.g. planning) applications Impute data for facilities and areas where data are not available Support aggregation of localized travel time reliability to corridors, subsystems, and systems Monitor long- and short-term changes in the reliability of roadway systems, and compare the findings with peer systems Be able to check for equipment failures in real-time Be compatible with existing (legacy) systems. Receive data from existing and future sensing technologies Disseminate travel time reliability information to users. Use public and private sources of data as appropriate.

20. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 20 Task 4 – System Capabilities (cont) Serve the traffic monitoring needs of the public and, to the extent practical, the private sector. Store travel time and other data concerning reliability in a standard- compliant data base Use appropriate telecommunication technologies

21. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 21 Use Cases – The Building Block

22. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 22 Use Case Processing

23. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 23 Data Needs Example for travelers and freight movers

24. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 24 Data Sources

25. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 25 AVI Sensors in Houston

26. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 26 Data Issues Traffic data collection (infrastructure, vehicle, private) Other data/sources (incidents, weather, other) Storage Validation (infrastructure, vehicle) Imputation Computation Assembly (routes, corridors, areas, etc.) Causal analyses –Incidents, weather, construction, special events, traffic control, fluctuations in demand, inadequate base capacity

27. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 27 Report Generation

28. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 28

29. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 29 Monthly Travel Conditions

30. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 30

31. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 31 System Integration

32. April 8, 2010 SHRP2 L02 32 Questions / Thank you