Transportation Demand Management Project Evaluation and Funding Methods in the Denver Region Review and Recommendations
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Transportation Demand Management Project Evaluation and Funding Methods in the Denver Region Review and Recommendations final report prepared for Colorado Department of Transportation prepared by Cambridge Systematics, Inc. with Sprinkle Consulting, Inc. February 2010 www.camsys.com final report Transportation Demand Management Project Evaluation and Funding Methods in the Denver Region Review and Recommendations prepared for Colorado Department of Transportation prepared by Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 100 CambridgePark Drive, Suite 400 Cambridge, MA 02140 with Sprinkle Consulting, Inc. date February 2010 Transportation Demand Management Project Evaluation and Funding Methods in the Denver Region Table of Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 1 1.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1-1 2.0 Review of Peer Region Practices in Project Evaluation, Selection, and Funding Allocation ............................................................................................. 2-1 2.1 CMAQ Funding Allocation and Evaluation Methods (General) ......... 2-1 2.2 TDM Funding Allocation and Evaluation Methods (General) ............ 2-3 2.3 Existing DRCOG TDM Funding Allocation Method ............................ 2-4 2.4 TDM Allocation Methods (Peer Regions) ............................................... 2-7 Atlanta, Georgia .......................................................................................... 2-8 Phoenix, Arizona ...................................................................................... 2-13 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ..................................................................... 2-15 San Francisco, California ......................................................................... 2-17 Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas ......................................................................... 2-19 Washington, D.C. ...................................................................................... 2-21 2.5 TDM Fund Distribution – Comparative Table ....................................... 2-25 2.6 Summary of Peer Region Review ........................................................... 2-27 3.0 TDM Project Evaluation Methods in the Denver Region ........................... 3-1 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 3-1 3.2 Methods Used for Projecting Cost-Effectiveness of Projects Applying for Funding ................................................................................ 3-1 3.3 Methods Used for Post-Project Effectiveness Evaluation ..................... 3-2 3.4 Interview Findings ..................................................................................... 3-3 Evaluation Methods ................................................................................... 3-3 Survey Challenges ...................................................................................... 3-3 Limitations of Existing Evaluation Tools ................................................ 3-3 Data Issues ................................................................................................... 3-4 Inter-Agency Relationships and Program Balance ................................ 3-4 Project Selection Process ............................................................................ 3-4 3.5 Recommendations ...................................................................................... 3-5 4.0 Cost-Effectiveness of TDM Projects ............................................................... 4-1 4.1 Range of Cost-Effectiveness Reported for Denver Region Projects .... 4-1 Cambridge Systematics, Inc. i 8148.001 Table of Contents, continued 4.2 Range of Cost-effectiveness Reported from Elsewhere......................... 4-4 CMAQ Evaluations .................................................................................... 4-4 Washington, D.C. – Commuter Connections Program ......................... 4-6 Other Estimates in Literature .................................................................... 4-7 4.3 Summary ...................................................................................................... 4-8 5.0 Recommendations for TDM Pool Project Scoring and Selection Process ................................................................................................................... 5-1 5.1 Recommendations ...................................................................................... 5-1 5.2 Example for Revised Scoring and Selection Process ............................. 5-3 6.0 Funding Allocation Recommendations .......................................................... 6-1 6.1 Overview ...................................................................................................... 6-1 6.2 Recommended Approach for Developing TDM Program Funding Levels ............................................................................................ 6-2 6.3 Summary of Funding Allocation Recommendations ............................ 6-6 Appendix A – Recommendations for the CMAQ Reporter Appendix B – Framework Agreement from Atlanta ii Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 8148.001 Transportation Demand Management Project Evaluation and Funding Methods in the Denver Region List of Tables Table 2.1 FY 2009 Funding Levels for Atlanta Regional TDM Programs ........ 2-13 Table 2.2 FY 2010 Funding Levels for Metro Washington TDM Programs ..... 2-23 Table 2.3 Comparative Analysis Table .................................................................. 2-25 Table 4.1 Range of Cost-Effectiveness CMAQ of TDM-Funded Projects Nationwide ................................................................................................. 4-6 Table 5.1 Current Evaluation Factors Used in Project Scoring and Ranking .... 5-2 Cambridge Systematics, Inc. iii Transportation Demand Management Project Evaluation and Funding Methods in the Denver Region List of Figures Figure 2.1 FY 2009 Allocation of DRCOG CMAQ Funding .................................. 2-6 Figure 2.2 Relationship of TDM Projects and Roles in Atlanta ........................... 2-11 Figure 2.3 Commuter Connections Structure ........................................................ 2-22 Figure 4.1 Projected Cost-Effectiveness for FY 2008-2009 DRCOG-Funded TDM Pool Projects ..................................................................................... 4-2 Figure 4.2 Cost-Effectiveness Estimated from Denver Region TDM Post- Project Evaluations (Pool Projects and RideArrangers) ....................... 4-3 Figure 4.3 Median Cost-Effectiveness of CMAQ TDM-Funded Projects Nationwide ................................................................................................. 4-5 Figure 4.4 Cost-Effectiveness for MWCOG Commuter Connections Program Elements ..................................................................................... 4-7 Figure 5.1 Concept for Scoring Projects .................................................................... 5-5 Cambridge Systematics, Inc. v Transportation Demand Management Project Evaluation and Funding Methods in the Denver Region Executive Summary This study was undertaken to assess the current approach to funding and eval- uating transportation demand management (TDM) projects funded in the Denver region, and to recommend changes to project selection processes, funding, and evaluation procedures that could improve the cost-effectiveness of the region’s TDM projects. The study included the following activities which are summarized in this report: • A review of TDM evaluation methods and funding procedures used around the country; • Interviews with TDM service providers regarding evaluation approaches and methods; • A review of pre- and post-project evaluation data for previous DRCOG area regionally funded TDM programs/projects; and • Recommendation of TDM evaluation and funding methods and concepts for DRCOG’s project selection and monitoring processes. Discussion of Key Issues CDOT and DRCOG asked the study team to consider whether the region is spending its TDM dollars effectively. DRCOG currently funds TDM through the region’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) funds. In FY 2009, a total of just over $3 million (12 percent of CMAQ funds) was allocated to TDM activities. A TDM Pool that funds local projects received $1.0 million, or 32 percent, while the regional RideArrangers program run by DRCOG received $2.1 million, or 68 percent. The TDM Pool funds individual projects sponsored by local and regional TDM service providers on a biannual basis, through a competitive application process. All TDM Pool project applications must submit projections of cost-effectiveness (cost per vehicle-mile of travel reduced), as part of their application, and some sponsors have conducted post- project evaluations. The RideArrangers program is also routinely evaluated for cost-effectiveness. Based on a review of estimates provided by project sponsors for projects funded in FY 2008-2009, pre-project estimates of cost-effectiveness generally perform favorably on DRCOG’s scoring system and fall within the range of what might be expected based on a review of other TDM projects nationwide. However, good post-project evaluation data is not available for most of the TDM Pool projects, and therefore it is difficult to assess actual performance