Performance Measurement and Evaluation of Tolling and Congestion Pricing Projects (2011)

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT This work was sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, and was conducted in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, Transit Development Corporation, or AOC endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. DISCLAIMER The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research. They are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors. The information contained in this document was taken directly from the submission of the author(s). This material has not been edited by TRB.

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Project 08-75: Final Report i Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM STATEMENT ......................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 TYPES OF CONGESTION PRICING ....................................................................................................................... 1-3 1.3 CONTEXT FOR CONGESTION PRICING PROJECTS AND THEIR EVALUATION ................................................................. 1-5 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................................. 2-1 2.1 GENERAL LITERATURE .................................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 DOMESTIC FACILITY DOCUMENTATION .............................................................................................................. 2-5 2.3 FOREIGN FACILITY DOCUMENTATION .............................................................................................................. 2-21 CHAPTER 3 IDENTIFICATION OF INFORMATION GAPS .................................................................................. 3-1 3.1 BACKGROUND: CURRENT STATE OF THE PRACTICE IN WHICH GAPS HAVE OCCURRED ................................................. 3-1 3.2 PRIMARY AREAS WITH INFORMATION GAPS ....................................................................................................... 3-2 CHAPTER 4 DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORK PLAN .......................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 INFORMATION GAPS SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... 4-1 4.2 METHODOLOGY TO ADDRESS INFORMATION GAPS .............................................................................................. 4-1 4.3 UNDERLYING RESEARCH ................................................................................................................................. 4-3 4.4 STATE OF THE PRACTICE AND BEYOND ............................................................................................................... 4-6 CHAPTER 5 GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT OF CONGESTION PRICING PROJECTS ..................................................................................................................... 5-1 5.1 INITIATING PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT PROGRAMS ....................................................................................... 5-1 5.2 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT FOR VARIABLY PRICED MANAGED LANES ................................................................ 5-8 5.3 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT FOR TOLL FACILITIES WITH VARIABLE PRICING ........................................................ 5-25 5.4 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT FOR CORDON AND AREA PRICING PROJECTS .......................................................... 5-36 CHAPTER 6 INTEGRATING PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND MEASUREMENT WITH PUBLIC OUTREACH ................................................................................................................................. 6-1 6.1 ADVANTAGES AND DRAWBACKS OF INCLUDING PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN THE PUBLIC OUTREACH PROCESS AND HOW EXISTING FACILITY CHARACTERISTICS SHAPE A FUTURE FACILITY VISION .................................................... 6-1 6.2 MARKET RESEARCH – PREPARING FOR THE CONGESTION PRICING CONVERSATION .................................................... 6-6 6.3 CONSTITUENCY BUILDING THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH .............................................................. 6-10 CHAPTER 7 SYNTHESIS ................................................................................................................................. 7-1 7.1 PROVIDING A FRAMEWORK TO APPROACH PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT FOR CONGESTION PRICING PROJECTS ............ 7-1 7.2 OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION DAY-OF-OPENING AND BEYOND ....................................................................... 7-3 CONGESTION PRICING CASE STUDIES APPENDIX

Project 08-75: Final Report ii Tables TABLE 4-1: CASE STUDY CONGESTION PRICING PROJECTS BY TYPE ..................................................................................... 4-3 TABLE 4-2: OPERATING AND PIPELINE CONGESTION PRICING PROJECTS IN THE U.S. .............................................................. 4-7 TABLE 5-1: CONGESTION PRICING PERFORMANCE MEASURES IDENTIFIED IN PRACTICE .......................................................... 5-6 TABLE 5-2: TOTAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES BY EVALUATION AREA ............................................................................... 5-11 TABLE 5-3: PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN PRACTICE – VARIABLY PRICED MANAGED LANES (3+ OUT OF 7 FACILITIES EXAMINED) ............................................................................................................................................ 5-12 TABLE 5-4: MOST FREQUENTLY APPLIED PERFORMANCE MEASURES – TRAFFIC PERFORMANCE ............................................ 5-13 TABLE 5-5: MOST FREQUENTLY APPLIED PERFORMANCE MEASURES – PUBLIC PERCEPTION ................................................. 5-16 TABLE 5-6: MOST FREQUENTLY APPLIED PERFORMANCE MEASURES – FACILITY USERS ........................................................ 5-19 TABLE 5-7: MOST FREQUENTLY APPLIED PERFORMANCE MEASURES – SYSTEM OPERATIONS ................................................ 5-21 TABLE 5-8: MOST FREQUENTLY APPLIED PERFORMANCE MEASURES – TRANSIT ................................................................. 5-24 TABLE 5-9: TOTAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES BY EVALUATION AREA ............................................................................... 5-27 TABLE 5-10: PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN PRACTICE – TOLL FACILITIES WITH VARIABLE PRICING (ALL FACILITIES EXAMINED) ....... 5-28 TABLE 5-11: TOTAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES BY EVALUATION AREA ............................................................................... 5-40 TABLE 5-12: PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN PRACTICE – CORDON AND AREA PRICING (2+ OUT OF 3 SCHEMES EXAMINED) ........... 5-40 TABLE 5-13: PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN PRACTICE – CORDON AND AREA PRICING (1 OUT OF 3 SCHEMES EXAMINED) ............. 5-41 TABLE 6-1: CHANGES IN HOV OPERATIONS AFTER HOT CONVERSION ............................................................................... 6-3 TABLE 6-2: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF MARKET RESEARCH TOOLS .................................................................... 6-9 TABLE 6-3: PERFORMANCE MEASURE INTEREST BY MARKET ........................................................................................... 6-12 TABLE 6-4: EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TECHNIQUES ................................................................................................... 6-16 Figure FIGURE 1-1: PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND MEASUREMENT CONTEXT AND ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS ............................................................................................................................ 1-5 FIGURE 4-1: CASE STUDY CONGESTION PRICING PROJECTS BY LOCATION .............................................................................. 4-4

Project 08-75: Final Report iii Key Terms Term Definition Build Scenario A scenario that assumes a specified transportation improvement will be built Congestion Pricing The application of variable fees or tolls on roadways to manage available capacity and user demand Cordon and Area Pricing Traffic management strategies designed to mitigate traffic congestion in dense urban environments—generally city centers and the corridors providing access to them—by charging vehicles during peak periods, either each time they pass a set boundary (cordon) or once during a set period (e.g., 24 hours) as they enter (or travel within) a specified zone (area) Dynamic Pricing Variably priced tolls where toll rates vary in real time based on detected traffic conditions Farebox Term used to refer to transit fares collected from passengers Fixed Variable Pricing Variably priced tolls set according to a fixed schedule that may be determined by such variables as hour of the day, direction of travel, and day of the week General Purpose Lanes Limited access highway lanes available to all vehicles without occupancy restrictions or imposition of a toll or fee Greenfield Toll Facility A new toll highway built in a corridor that was previously without such a facility HOV2+ A policy defining vehicles with two or more passengers as HOVs HOV3+ A policy defining vehicles with three or more passengers as HOVs Level of Service (LOS) A scale ranking (A to F) of the performance of highway facilities calculated by comparing actual traffic volumes to the theoretical carrying capacity of the roadway Managed Lanes Limited access highway lanes where tools such as occupancy requirements, fixed or variably-priced tolls, the use of ETC technology, and physical barriers and striping are used to manage the flow of vehicles in order to achieve a desired level of traffic service Maximum Optimal Capacity The maximum number of vehicles that a managed lane can carry while providing the desired traffic service level measured in vehicles per hour Mode Share The percentage of trips made in a specified travelshed or corridor by a given travel mode (i.e. passenger car, taxi, bus, rail transit, ferry, bicycle, etc.) No Build Scenario A scenario that assumes a given transportation improvement is not built Park-and-Ride A bus or rail station providing parking where drivers may leave their vehicles and continue their journeys by public transit Particulates Solid airborne pollutants

Project 08-75: Final Report iv Key Terms (continued) Term Definition Peak Period Travel periods with the highest traffic volumes usually occurring during weekday mornings and late afternoons Performance Evaluation An assessment of a facility or scheme’s operation relative to expectation or a set of prescribed parameters; a performance evaluation can be used to make set adjustments to a facility or scheme’s operation (e.g. based on an established algorithm) or used to make operational adjustments based on judgment and the weighing of present factors (e.g. costs, benefits, or risks) Performance Measure or Metric Used interchangeably, a quantitative or qualitative characterization of a facility or scheme’s operational properties; performance measures inform a performance evaluation Performance Monitoring The ongoing, structured process of compiling performance measure data; performance monitoring results can be reported and/or retained for historical purposes; performance monitoring is also required to undertake a performance evaluation Sponsoring Agency An agency responsible for developing a transportation improvement Stakeholder Agency A public agency with a vested interest in the development of a transportation improvement required to comment on projects as they are developed, most notably as part of the environmental review process Travelshed An area where trips tend to cluster in a linear pattern with feeder routes leading to larger linear alignments providing access into a metropolitan area Variably Priced Managed Lanes Managed lanes that use variable pricing as a tool to maintain desired traffic service levels

Project 08-75: Final Report v Acronyms ADT Average Daily Traffic ALG Association of London Government ALS Area Licensing System AVO Average Vehicle Occupancy BRT Bus Rapid Transit CBD Central Business District CDOT Colorado Department of Transportation CPTC California Private Transportation Company CRD Congestion Reduction Demonstration CTE Colorado Tolling Enterprise CUTR Center for Urban Transportation Research DOT Department of Transportation DRCOG Denver Regional Council of Governments EPA (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency ERP Electronic Road Pricing ETC Electronic Toll Collection ETCC Electronic Transaction Consultants ETL Express Toll Lanes FDOT Florida Department of Transportation FHWA Federal Highway Administration FTA Federal Transit Administration FTE Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise GHG Greenhouse Gas GPS Global Positioning System HCTRA Harris County Toll Road Authority HOT Lane High Occupancy Toll HOV Lane High Occupancy Vehicle HPTE High Performance Transportation Enterprise ICM Integrated Corridor Management ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 ITS Intelligent Transportation System LOS Level of Service LTA Land Transport Authority of Singapore MDT Miami Dade Transit METRO Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County Mn/DOT Minnesota Department of Transportation