managing travel for planned special events - FHWA Operations ...

The feasibility study gauges the impact aproposed event has on traffic and parkingoperations in the vicinity of the venue. Itdetermines if a particular planned specialevent will cause travel problems, where andwhen the problems will occur, and the magnitudeof each identified problem usingvarious MOEs. Initially, the study is conductedwithout roadway capacity improvementsor initiatives to reduce travel demand.Once the feasibility study identifies eventtravel problems, practitioners can take stepsto mitigate transportation system deficiencies.These results define the scope of thetraffic management plan required to successfullymanage travel for a planned specialevent.Data RequirementsFeasibility study input data requirementsreflect measures of the three core factorsthat determine the impact of the event:travel demand, road/site capacity, and eventoperation. Table 5-11 summarizes varioustypes of input data to consider in a feasibilitystudy. This includes transportation systeminfrastructure, background traffic, andarea data and information. With the assistanceof other event planning team stakeholdersmost data types are accessible.Travel demand data is used to develop theevent travel forecast and to determine theevent area of impact. Background trafficdata describes the scope of available roadwayand parking capacity for event patrontraffic. Information regarding the venuearea assists in identifying possible event patrontrip origins. For example, a venue locatedin a downtown area may attract a significantnumber of patrons arriving fromwork, thus possibly reducing the number oftransit or vehicular trips generated. Eventshaving a regional or greater scope may involvea significant number of patrons stayingat area hotels. To increase travel forecastaccuracy and meet the goal of achievingpredictability, practitioners should researchappropriate historical data.The identification and quantification of siteand transportation system capacity involvesperforming a full inventory of the transportationsystem infrastructure serving theevent venue. This includes obtaining dataon roadway geometrics and associated regulations(e.g., speed limits and travel restrictions).An inventory of freeway facilitiesshould include the capacity of such freewaycomponents as ramp junctions and weavingsections. In addition, street traffic controldevices and signal timing plans must beidentified and saturation flow rates determined.Event operation characteristics impact bothtravel demand and available capacity. Theknowledge of certain event logistics, combinedwith available historical data, can helppredict the rate of event patron arrivals anddepartures over time. Practitioners, in tandemwith the event organizer, must alsoidentify the scope of road closures and parkingarea needed just to stage the event (e.g.,parade/race route, hospitality areas, etc.).This does not include the roadway capacityand parking needed to accommodate eventpatron traffic.Travel ForecastTravel forecast analysis involves estimating:(1) modal split, (2) event traffic generation,and (3) traffic arrival rate. Event planningteam stakeholders that typically collaborateon this analysis include a traffic operationsagency, traffic engineering consultant, transitagency, and event organizer. The eventorganizer supplies key input data regardingevent operation. The transit agency assists5-18