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

travel demand) or the rate of arrivals anddepartures at some events. For example:o Event patrons will attend an open-airsporting event in extremely hotweather, but patrons may bypass arrivingat the venue early to tailgate,thus concentrating patron arrivals.o Rain events may flood unpavedparking lots and venue access roads,rendering them impassable and reducingavailable road/site capacity.Rain events may also cause sharp arrivaland departure rates in additionto safety problems.When determining the level of impact eachof the five stated planned special event factorshas on travel, consider each of the followingcomponents:• Duration – temporal impact.• Extent – spatial impact or scope of areaaffected.• Intensity – volume of impact.Planned Special Event Impact ClassificationJurisdictions have established definedplanned special event impact classificationlevels for the purpose of determining: (1)event permit requirements, (2) transportationmanagement plan deployment, and (3) scopeof potential impact on the transportation system.The balance of this section summarizesvarious frameworks, based on a range ofevent impact factors and thresholds, appliedto estimate the severity level of a particularplanned special event for advance planningpurposes.Event Permit RequirementsA number of communities with planned specialevent permit guidelines have also developedcriteria to categorize various sizes ofplanned special events. As a result, oneproposed special event may have to meetmore stringent permitting requirements thanother events based on its severity classification.Decision criteria include expectedattendance and scope of street closure.The following examples summarize thepermit classification standards of severaljurisdictions, and the collective categorythresholds specific to each jurisdiction varyby jurisdiction population:• Alpine County, CA (pop. 1,208) specifiesthree planned special event categorysizes:o Minor event – 75-100 people.o Mid-size event – 101-500 people.o Major Event – 501+ people: requirespublic hearing with the AlpineCounty Planning Commission.• West Sacramento, CA (pop. 31,615)maintains three planned special eventcategory sizes:o Category 1 event – 50 to 499 people.o Category 2 event – 500 to 2,999 people.o Category 3 event – 3,000 or morepeople: requires major police supportand traffic control.• Louisville, KY (pop. 256,231) specifiesthree planned special event categorysizes:o Small Event – maximum peak attendanceof 500 people or less.o Special Event – maximum peak attendanceof more than 500 and lessthan 5,000 people.o Major Event – maximum peak attendanceof 5,000 or more people.2EVENT PROFILE POST-EVENT ACTIVITIES DAY-OF-EVENT ACTIVITIES ADVANCE PLANNINGOVERVIEW• Clarksville, TN (pop. 103,455) states a“minor event” must meet the following2-11