1. Jeffrey F. Paniati Associate Administrator for Operations Federal Highway Administration US Department of Transportation Looking Forward to a High Performance Highway System ITS America’s Annual Meeting & Exposition Palm Springs Convention Center Palm Springs, California Educational Session #13 June 4, 2007

2. 2 Outline Challenge Drivers of Change The Path Forward

3. 3 Congestion on I-95 in Northern Virginia Crisis of Congestion Commuting costs: Each motorist stuck in traffic wastes on average 47 hours and 30 gallons of fuel every year – at a cost of $800 per person annually. Quality of life: Reduced air quality, less time with family and friends. Productivity: Delays to trucks and unreliability of delivery times increase costs for businesses and reduce economic competitiveness.

4. 4 Congestion has increased dramatically over the past 20 years in the 85 largest U.S. cities. During this time the number of hours lost each year by an average driver to congestion increased from 17 to almost 50.* In the 13 largest cities, drivers now spend the equivalent of almost 8 work days each year stuck in traffic.* Annual Hours Lost to Congestion Per Peak Hour Driver Very Large Metro Areas, 1983 v. 2003* Philadelphia Hours 100 80 60 40 20 0 1983 2003 Atlanta Washington Dallas LA/Long Beach Chicago San Francisco Detroit Miami Boston New York Phoenix Houston City Average * Texas Transportation Institute, 2005 Urban Mobility Report Wasted Hours Across America

5. 5 National Highway System Estimated Peak Period Congestion: 2002

6. 6 National Highway System Estimated Peak Period Congestion: 2035

7. 7 Drivers for Change toward a Higher Performance Highway System Real-time System Information Performance-based Decisionmaking Widespread Application of Congestion Pricing

8. 8 Real-Time System Information The Customer’s Perspective – Ubiquitous information on travel conditions All modes All major facilities All unexpected events – Wide Range of delivery mechanisms Phone Web In-vehicle – Supports individual choice Mode Route Time The Vision

9. 9 Real-Time System Information The Agency’s Perspective – Supports active management. – Provides system view. – Moves from reactive to proactive. – Creates focus on performance. The Vision

10. 10 Real-Time System Information Today – Limited coverage. – Limited distribution channels. – Limited management tools. – Emerging data marketplace. The Path

11. 11 Real-Time System Information Near-Term – Customer expectations for information will continue to increase. – Data marketplace will continue to grow. – Federal rulemaking will provide push for national consistency. – Decision-support tools will continue to emerge. The Path

12. 12 Real-Time System Information Longer-Term – Widespread collection of data via probes. – Full situational awareness and predictive information available to traveler. – Sophisticated decision support tools used by system managers. The Path

13. 13 Performance-Based Decisionmaking The Customer’s Perspective – High-Performance Highway System Less delay. More reliability. More choice. – Accountability by Government The Vision

14. 14 Performance-Based Decisionmaking The Agency’s Perspective –Value of management and operations investment is clearly evident. –Management and operations strategies become first option rather than last resort. –More efficient and effective uses of resources--staff and equipment. –Shared performance measures provide opportunity for cross-agency and cross-jurisdictional communication and coordination. The Vision

15. 15 Performance-Based Decisionmaking Today –Inconsistent data sources and quality. –Little agreement on appropriate measures. –More focus on infrastructure than customer. –National discussion to promote use of performance measures (NTOC/NCHRP). –Significant SHRP II effort underway to improve data collection mechanisms and use in planning process. The Path

16. 16 Performance-Based Decisionmaking Near-Term –Improved data sources, quality, and applications will bring performance-based management into the realm of the possible. –New Congestion Management Process will drive objectives driven performance-based planning for operations. –Increased public demand for accountability will result in increased interest in performance-based decisionmaking/resource allocation. –SAFETEA-LU reauthorization will introduce performance focus for Federal funding. The Path

17. 17 Performance-Based Decisionmaking Longer-Term –Operations effectively integrated into the planning/resource allocation process. –Simulation and visualization applied to agency resource allocation process. –Routine and effective regional collaboration and coordination in major metro areas The Path

18. 18 Congestion Pricing The Customer’s Perspective –A choice of better highway service. Essential for just-in-time delivery. Important option for personal travel. –A more reliable, dependable trip (on priced and un-priced facilities). –Better transit service. The Vision

19. 19 Performance-Based Decisionmaking The Agency’s Perspective – Effective tool to manage demand. – Signals where investment is needed. – Added source of revenue. – Increased potential for public-private partnerships. The Vision

20. 20 Congestion Pricing Today –Beginning of a national discussion. –Education of decisionmakers and the public. –Facility specific examples (e.g., HOV to HOT lanes). –Exploring technical issues (particularly related to making the case). The Path

21. 21 Congestion Pricing Near-Term –Demonstration of the possible through urban partnerships (Congestion Initiative). –More HOV to HOT lane conversions (for congestion reduction and to demonstrate variable pricing). –Continue to develop next generation of urban partners. –Specific cases of pricing existing “free” lanes. –More State legislatures granting authority to toll. The Path

22. 22 Congestion Pricing Longer-Term –Cordon pricing in very large cities. –HOT/managed large networks in many large cities. –Parking pricing widely used to influence mode choice. –Truck only toll lanes along major freight corridors. Very long-term –Network wide pricing. The Path

23. 23 Conclusion We have all the elements necessary for aggressive system operations: –Compelling reason. –Clear strategies. –Demonstrated benefits. –Technological underpinning. Getting there has and will be elusive because of: –Institutional inertia. –Insufficient champions among elected/appointed officials. –Insufficient organizational capacity—structure and personnel. –Lack of “WOW.” It will happen eventually because forces are moving slowly in that direction—question is how can we make it happen faster, and more comprehensively.