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

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<strong>planned</strong> <strong>special</strong> event impacts operations ona user-defined route.One successful implementation of a website<strong>for</strong> disseminating pre-trip <strong>travel</strong>er in<strong>for</strong>mationwas the Utah DOT’s CommuterLinkWebsite (CLW) used during the 2002 WinterOlympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. (2) TheCLW represented the most highly accessed<strong>travel</strong>er in<strong>for</strong>mation element during theOlympics. It included typical public agencyin<strong>for</strong>mation on traffic conditions includingspeeds and incidents. It also disseminatedin<strong>for</strong>mation on roadway closures, currentroadway construction, weather conditions,and pavement conditions. In addition to thetypical public agency in<strong>for</strong>mation, the CLWprovided Olympics <strong>travel</strong> in<strong>for</strong>mation.In order to assess the usefulness of the CLWduring the Olympics, a survey was conductedof both residents and visitors to theSalt Lake City area. The results of the visitorsurvey showed that 41 percent of visitorsheard of the CLW and 34 percent of visitorsstated they used the CLW. The results ofthe resident survey indicated that 70 percentof residents heard of the CLW while 21 percentused it. Both visitors and residents indicatedthat they used the CLW to obtain:• Traffic in<strong>for</strong>mation• Road conditions• Olympics in<strong>for</strong>mation (e.g., <strong>travel</strong> optionsand event operations in<strong>for</strong>mation)• Weather in<strong>for</strong>mationEvent or Venue WebsiteA typical <strong>planned</strong> <strong>special</strong> event or venuewebsite includes event start times and directionsto the event. The website can alsoprovide in<strong>for</strong>mation on parking area locations,fees, alternate routes, or incentives touse different modes of transportation. Avenue website represents one of the besttechniques to reach the people attending theevent. Successful websites also provide in<strong>for</strong>mationon the availability of public transportationand route maps <strong>for</strong> all publictransportation alternatives. Venue ingressand egress routes can be specified on a websiteto provide valuable advance in<strong>for</strong>mationto the <strong>travel</strong>ing public. Appendix L containsexamples of public agency and <strong>events</strong>pecificwebsites.Telephone In<strong>for</strong>mation SystemsAnother method to disseminate pre-trip<strong>travel</strong>er in<strong>for</strong>mation to the public is by theuse of telephone in<strong>for</strong>mation systems (e.g.,511 service). This system consists of anautomated voice recognition system and/or amenu that can be accessed by using a touchtonephone, and the system provides up-tothe-minute<strong>travel</strong>er in<strong>for</strong>mation. The systemincludes in<strong>for</strong>mation on traffic conditions,public transit in<strong>for</strong>mation, and road conditions.The system can also provide eventrelatedin<strong>for</strong>mation such as times, location,and event descriptions. Parking in<strong>for</strong>mationcan also be provided, such as parking locationsand parking lot status in<strong>for</strong>mation.The system can furnish updated in<strong>for</strong>mationon event <strong>travel</strong> alternatives throughout theevent. Stakeholders should coordinate withtelephone in<strong>for</strong>mation system operators(e.g., state DOT) to ensure that in<strong>for</strong>mationpertaining to a specific <strong>planned</strong> event is includedin the system and updated regularly.Marketing a 511 service <strong>for</strong> a <strong>planned</strong> <strong>special</strong>event includes the following considerations:• Deployment of roadside signs on <strong>travel</strong>routes to the event venue and placed inadvance of the event dates.• Promotion through the media.• Establishment of partnerships between511 service operators and all venue operatorsin a region.7EVENT PROFILE POST-EVENT ACTIVITIES DAY-OF-EVENT ACTIVITIES ADVANCE PLANNINGOVERVIEW7-17

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