Transportation

Question 1

Trip generation

Answer 1

Deals with the number of trips that a particular site is likely to generate. Thus, it is a byproduct of land use and intensity of use, factors which “induce” people to travel. The propensity to make trips is also dependent on the characteristics of the journey, trip purpose, and socioeconomic characteristics of the person making the trip (income, age, auto ownership).

Question 2

Origin-Destination Survey

Answer 2

This survey requires that roadblocks be set up along major routes. The imaginary line that denotes the boundary of the study area is known as the cordon line. Motorists within the cordon area can then be sampled and asked questions on where they are coming from (address or point of origin) and where they are going (destination). That questionnaire is generally mailed back by the respondent.

Question 3

Cross tabulation models

Answer 3

They allow for estimates of trip generation rates based on land use type, purpose, or socioeconomic characteristics. Trip generation models, tables, and surveys all have their own sources of error and should only be seen as estimates.

Question 4

Typical Trip Generation Rates

Answer 4

11 daily trip ends for every 1,000 square feet of general office space 9.6 daily trip ends per single family residential dwelling 6.6 daily trip ends per apartment unit 43 daily trip ends per 1,000 square feet of shopping center space 7 daily trip ends per 1,000 square feet of light industrial development

Question 5

Trip Distribution

Answer 5

Examines where people are going. Provides info on # of people going between zones. Also looks at distances, time, cost, nature of trip, socio-econ characteristics, and transpo systems.

Question 6

Gravity Model

Answer 6

Estimates # of trips based on attractiveness of a spot compared to trip length to get there

Question 7

Seasonal Hour Volume

Answer 7

the peak hour volume during different seasons;

Question 8

Design Hour Volume (DHV)

Answer 8

the capacity of the roadway to handle traffic.

Question 9

Traffic assignment

Answer 9

AKA trip assignment. allows us to use network models to predict the distribution of traffic for each roadway (the routes that will be used), by the hour. Peak volumes can then be compared with DHV to see which, if any, roadways are going to experience traffic over their design capacity; i.e., where the congestion is going to be.

Question 10

Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)

Answer 10

a measure of vehicular mobility obtained from travel inventories. Vehicle miles of travel is a function of many factors, including topography, population density, travel distances between home and other daily destinations (such as work, shopping, and recreation), and the availability of mass transit.

Question 11

High VMT

Answer 11

indicates that more vehicles are on the road to meet growing employment, errand, and other travel demands. It can also mean that the trip origins and destinations are getting further apart and travel times are becoming longer.

Question 12

Functional Classification

Answer 12

Criticized because it doesn’t account for context of the area. Local - serves local land uses Collectors- collect traffic from locals and funnel to arterials Arterials- major through roads can be major or minor and urban or rural

Question 13

Roadways standards from FHWA

Answer 13

are traced to post WWII studies where standards are based on subdivision design.

Question 14

Street Patterns

Answer 14

• Grid, a street pattern common in ancient cities and often advocated by New Urbanist planners for facilitating pedestrian access; variants of the classic grid include the block grid, curved block grid, and curved grid;
• Loop streets with minimum and maximum depth standards;
• Cul-de-sacs with maximum length and minimum radius standards of 400-450 feet long and 40-foot turn-around radius;
• Plaza and hammerhead street style, usually insufficient for vehicular turn-around.

Question 15

Highway Capacity Manual

Answer 15

published by the Transportation Research Board, provides concepts, guidelines, and procedures for computing highway capacity and quality of service based on road type.

Question 16

Levels of Service (LOS)

Answer 16

range from A to F. A LOS of A means there is free-flowing traffic and F means heavy traffic congestion with severely reduced traffic speeds.

Question 17

1939, FDR

Answer 17

proposed a 43,000-km system of highways

Question 18

1944 Federal Highway Act

Answer 18

was passed, designating 65,000 km of interstate highways. These highways, to be selected by state highway departments, authorized the highway system but did not provide funding.

Question 19

Public Roads Administration (PRA)

Answer 19

was responsible for implementing the highway system, and in 1947 designated 60,640 km of interstate highways.

Question 20

1952 Federal Aid Highway Act

Answer 20

authorized $25 million for the construction of interstate highways and another $175 million two years later.

Question 21

1956 Federal Aid Highway Act

Answer 21

which authorized $25 billion between 1957 and 1969

Question 22

Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962

Answer 22

created the federal mandate for urban transportation planning in the U.S. It was passed at a time when urban areas were beginning to plan Interstate highway routes. The Act required that transportation projects in urbanized areas with a population of 50,000 or more be based on an urban transportation planning process. The Act called for a “continuing, comprehensive, and cooperative” (3 C’s) planning process.

Question 23

Recent acts the focus on roads but also bike/ped and transit $

Answer 23

• The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) was the first of these acts.
• Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21)
• Transportation Equity Act 3 (TEA3)
• Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA)
• Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) act.

Question 24

The most recent act looking at roads with bike/ped and transit

Answer 24

Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST, passed in 2015). It’s the first long-term transportation funding bill passed since 2005. While it allows city planners to set their own street design standards for local federally funded projects, it did not raise the gas tax to fund improvements (the gas tax was last raised in 1993).

Question 25

Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)

Answer 25

are created to meet federal requirements for urban transportation planning. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962 required that urbanized areas with populations of 50,000 or more develop comprehensive urban transportation plans in order to receive federal financial assistance for road construction projects.

Question 26

Bureau of Public Roads

Answer 26

1965.

required the creation of planning agencies that would be responsible for carrying out the required transportation planning processes and as a result, MPOs were established. Initially, these organizations were primarily regional councils, but today less than half are housed within regional councils (instead, they are housed inside another governmental agency).

Question 27

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

Answer 27

• FHWA mandated, usually prepared by the MPO
• list all federal funded projects
• TIP = transportation priorities of the region and is multimodal
• includes estimated costs by project phase

Question 28

Transportation Demand Management

Answer 28

is a general term used to describe strategies for the efficient use of transportation. Examples of TDM strategies include:

• Car Sharing
• Flextime
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Public Transit
• Park-and-Ride
• HOV Lanes
• Telecommuting
• Commute Trip Reduction
• Transit Oriented Development

Question 29

Flextime

Answer 29

allows employees to work at different times beyond the regular 8 to 5 workday. Individuals can choose to work a four-day workweek, come in earlier, or stay later. Flextime reduces congestion on roadways during peak commute times.

Question 30

Commute trip reduction (CTR)

Answer 30

is one of the tools of a transportation demand management plan. CTR programs provide commuters with resources and incentives to reduce their vehicle trips, particularly during peak commute hours.

Question 31

Chicane

Answer 31

a series of staggered curb extensions on alternating sides of the roadway. Motorists reduce their speed by having to maneuver along the roadway.

Question 32

Choker

Answer 32

a curb extension in the middle of a block, which narrows the street width to restrict the speed of traffic in each direction.

Question 33

Full or partial closure

Answer 33

does not allow traffic beyond a certain point in the roadway. For example, a partial closure could change the traffic from two-way to one-way at a point on the road.

Question 34

Realigned intersections

Answer 34

change the alignment of roadways near an intersection. This causes traffic to slow prior to entering the intersection. The approach to the intersection is not straight and requires the driver to move into a curve before approaching the intersection.

Question 35

Speed humps

Answer 35

are raised areas placed across a road and are 3 to 4 inches tall. They reduce traffic speed by causing uncomfortable driving conditions if the driver goes too fast.

Question 36

Speed table

Answer 36

is larger than a speed hump. It has a flat-top and may have brick or another textured material on the flat surface. A speed table is long enough for the entire vehicle to rest on the flat section of the table.

Question 37

complete street

Answer 37

s a safe, accessible, and convenient street that everyone can use regardless of age, ability or mode of transportation. This means that motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders have sufficient infrastructure for safe access.