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TEXAS TRANSPORTATION A Publication of the Texas Transportation Institute • Member of The Texas A&M University System • Vol. 38 • No. 2 • 2002 VARIOUS LANES CLOSED 9AM – 3:30PM The Urban Mobility Challenge: Creating, Operating and Understanding the System Annual Mobility Study Results Managed Lanes Research Air Quality Campaign Launch Texas Transportation Researcher 1 Improving our urban transportation systems TTI research plays an important role hree Texas urban areas grew enough from 1990 to provement of new technologies and methodologies. It also facilitates T2000 to rank in the nation’s top twenty population growth cities. technology transfer of research fi ndings directly to the practitioners Urban areas are centers of industry, fi nance and manufacturing and within the various agencies. hubs of interchange for commerce and tourism. The dynamic growth These offi ces are also benefi cial to the education of the many of Texas cities testifi es to their strength, vitality and contribution to students who work within the TTI research program, as well as to de- our state’s economic health. velopment of the transportation workforce. For instance, through its It is in these areas, however, where many of the most serious trans- Texas Summer Transportation Institute, TTI provides summer train- portation problems exist. Based on Texas Transportation Institute ing to help university partners in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio (TTI) estimates developed as part of its research program, the annual attract new students to the transportation profession. cost of congestion in Texas cities exceeds $6 billion. Congestion, with Since 1950, TTI researchers have helped develop tools and method- its associated motorist delay, disruptions due to traffi c incidents, and ologies that enable transportation professionals in Texas’ cities to ef- air pollution can lessen the quality of life enjoyed by Texans and the fectively address the mobility challenge. The Institute’s pioneering re- economic competitiveness of urban regions throughout the state. search on freeway operations and automated traffi c signal technology TTI maintains urban offi ces in Arlington, Austin, Dallas, Houston during the last half of the twentieth century led to the implementation and San Antonio. In these urban laboratories, researchers have the op- of solutions such as freeway surveillance and control, high-occupancy portunity to work on a daily basis with those responsible for address- vehicle (HOV) lanes, automatic vehicle identifi cation technology, sig- ing the challenges. This interaction is essential to an applied program nal timing software, and many of the other intelligent transportation of research, development and technology transfer. A presence in the system (ITS) technologies used in today’s traffi c management centers. urban setting—where many of TTI’s research fi ndings are being As we move into the 21st century, TTI research will become increas- implemented—enhances the overall research program by facilitat- ingly essential in addressing the wide-range of transportation-related ing defi nition of research topics, data collection, evaluation and im- problems confronting Texas. Five Texas cities are among the 20 fastest growing cities in the nation 130% 125% 120% % change in 110% population growth 1 (1990 – 2000) 100% 100% 90% % growth in time penalty for peak 83% period trips 80% 2 (1990 – 2000) 70% 60% 48.5% 47.7% 50% 44.9% Percent Growth 40% 29.3% 30% 25.2% 23% 20% 10% N/A 0% McAllen Austin Laredo Dallas Houston 1. U.S. Census Bureau 2. Urban Mobility Study (Texas Transportation Institute) 2 Texas Transportation Researcher Texas Transportation Researcher 3 Urban Mobility Study Sponsors • California Department of Transportation • Colorado Department of Transportation Annual study • Florida Department of Transportation 2002 Urban • Kentucky Transportation Cabinet shows traffic jams • Maryland State Highway Administration Mobility • Minnesota Department of Transportation • New York State Department of Transportation Study as a growing • Oregon Department of Transportation • Texas Department of Transportation triple threat • Virginia Department of Transportation. he nation’s longest-running study of traffi c jams the plight faced by those who use major roadways during “rush hours.” Tthis year shows urban congestion growing in three increasingly Lomax and Schrank say the new measure provides a more relevant il- visible ways. lustration of the extra time spent traveling when roadway demand is at its highest. The new measure was made possible this year by a more The time penalty for making “rush-hours” trips is greater. thorough and comprehensive database of roadway and travel informa- The period of time that travelers might encounter traffi c congestion tion drawn from several sources, as well as ongoing refi nements in the is longer. annual study’s methodology. The percentage of streets and freeways that are congested is higher. Averages in the 75 study areas illustrate the growing severity of the triple threat faced by America’s travelers. Upon examination, the annual report from the Texas Transporta- tion Institute (TTI) refl ects a classic good news / bad news scenario. The annual time penalty has jumped from 16 hours in 1982 to 62 The good news is that there are solutions—more roadways and hours per peak period traveler in 2000. transit, ramp metering, HOV lanes, incentives to make trips at differ- The period of time when travelers might experience congestion has ent times and better incident management (clearing accident scenes increased from 4.5 hours in 1982 to 7 hours in 2000. more quickly, etc.)—that can make a positive difference in address- The volume of roadways where travel is congested has grown from 34 ing the problem. The bad news, researchers Tim Lomax and David percent in 1982 to 58 percent in 2000. Schrank say, is that even if transportation offi cials do all the right things, the likely effect is that congestion will continue to grow, even The Urban Mobility Report is produced annually by TTI and funded if more slowly, because not enough is being done. by a consortium of 10 state transportation agency sponsors. An important part of controlling that congestion growth, they say, has to do with making roadway systems more reliable—a quality that For more information, contact Tim Lomax at leads to a more consistent commuting experience for travelers. Pre- (979) 845-9960 or [email protected], or dictable and regular travel times have a growing value for businesses David Schrank at (979) 845-7323 or and urban travelers. Crashes, vehicle breakdowns, weather, special [email protected] events and ever-present road work can have a dramatic effect on the Related Publication: 2002 Urban Mobility Report reliability of transportation systems. The researchers point out that while ramp signals, carpool lanes and other oper- ational strategies may produce a modest decrease in congestion, they can also signifi cantly reduce The ramp meter system clearly improved variations in how roadways operate, and reduce transportation service in Minneapolis–St.Paul traveler frustration in the process. “Its also impo- rant to create more travel options, such as ways to 3.00 pay to avoid congestion, and to apply a broader set Travel Time Index Buffer Time Index of urban development strategies,” says Lomax. To 2.50 Congestion implement these improvements, regions need to gain a consensus plan, agree on a funding pack- 2.00 age and implement the strategies in the plan. Even the best effi ciency-boosting ideas can’t 1.50 entirely take the place of new roads, however. “The few cities that have added roads at the same IndexValue 1.00 rate that they’ve added car travel have seen slower congestion growth,” Lomax says. “The important Unreliability 0.50 thing to remember, however, is that roadway ex- Ramp meters pansion isn’t a ‘wonder drug.’ It is very diffi cult to shut down 0.00 sustain the funding and approval that is required to use that as the only strategy.” Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. This year’s annual report also introduces “de- Day of Year lay per peak period traveler” to better illustrate (average weekdays only) 2 Texas Transportation Researcher Texas Transportation Researcher 3 Mobility research presented at U.S. and Texas Senate Committee Hearings urban. The fi gure shows that the percentage is about the same for “First, a truth. Road construction can help reduce the growth of all four urban population ranges tracked in the study. “Whether the traffi c congestion. Second, a myth. We should invest all our money city is small or large, lack of funding, land, public support, and envi- and effort in adding roadways.” ronmentally supportable alternatives make it impossible to add roads —Tim Lomax quickly enough,” says Lomax. So where do we look for solutions? According to Lomax, even if road construction can’t keep pace with annual traffi c growth, adding roadways is part of the solution. However, there is a range of several xplaining the research that supports the above realities alternatives that can slow the growth of congestion and make travel Ewas the focus of testimony given by Texas Transportation Insti- conditions more reliable. “Our studies show it will take a set of alter- tute Research Engineer Dr. Tim Lomax to the United States Senate natives including construction, operational improvements, transit and Committee on Environment and Public Works in March, and then to carpool enhancements, incident managements programs, and demand the Texas Senate Affairs Committee in April. management.” Establishing the severity of the growing traffi c congestion problem across the country was an important element of the explanation. Lo- Percent of Roadway Added max pointed out that in the 75 urban areas studied over the last 19 years, the travel time penalty has increased 180% since 1982, with that 100 number jumping to over 250% in areas with populations of 500,000 to 3 million.