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

The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) includesprocedures for computing capacityand level of service for various types of pedestrianroutes and crossings, summarized inTable 6-16. (9) With regard to capacity, aLevel of Service E indicates design volumesapproach the limit of facility capacity. TheHCM also discusses characteristics of pedestrianflow and various performancemeasures.Table 6-16Pedestrian Facilities Covered in theHighway Capacity ManualFACILITY TYPE• Walkways and sidewalks• Pedestrian queuing areas (e.g., transit/shuttlestations and street crossing areas)• Pedestrian crosswalks at signalized and unsignalizedintersections• Pedestrian facilities along urban streets (e.g.,extended pedestrian facilities with both interruptedand uninterrupted flows)gates. This does not apply for temporaryvenues or locations of street use events.Disabled parking spaces at municipal andprivate parking areas serving continuousevents and street use events may be locatedtoo far a distance from venue gates or eventviewing areas. Each individual specialevent parking area includes a minimumnumber of disabled parking spaces to meetADA regulations, thus rendering an ondemand,accessible shuttle operation fromthe lot impractical. As a result, the eventplanning team should sign and staff oneparking area, nearest to venue gates or primeevent viewing areas, for disabled parking.Figure 6-26 shows an access point to a municipallot designated a disabled parkingarea for a downtown planned special eventat a temporary venue.Disabled AccessibilityThe pedestrian access plan must accommodatedisabled event patrons arriving via alltravel modes serving a planned specialevent. This involves examining all routesthat a disabled event patron may traverseand, in turn, ensuring the patron has an unimpededpath from mode transfer point tovenue seat. Accessible pedestrian routesmust: (1) maintain a minimum path width,(2) include curb cuts and temporary rampsfor negotiating grade separations, and (3)conform to local Americans with DisabilitiesAct (ADA) regulations. If a particularroute (e.g., from express/charter bus stationor transit station) does not meet accessibilityrequirements, then accessible shuttles mustoperate between affected mode transferpoints and accessible pick-up/drop-off areas.Permanent venue parking areas have designatedaccessible parking and pick-up/dropoffareas that provide disabled event patronswith unobstructed access to event venueFigure 6-26Special Event Disabled Parking Area AccessPointShuttle Bus ServiceA shuttle bus service should be operatedcontinuously within the venue site area duringevent ingress and egress, with the serviceschedule revolving around event patronarrivals and departures. Common shuttleservice to/from a planned special eventvenue include: (1) satellite parking area service,(2) transit station service, and (3) employeeparking area service. A particularplanned special event may involve multipleprivate and public (e.g., transit agency) shuttleservice operators, all of whom must co-6-32