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

at the beginning of the event operationsplanning phase.• Public stakeholders can size-up the eventoperations characteristics of a proposedevent in order to schedule adequate personneland equipment resources to accommodatethe event. Resources mayinclude traffic control, security, andmaintenance.• From the event organizer’s perspective,a special event permit application andassociated regulations outlines a generalapproach toward successfully managingtravel for the event, facilitates coordinationwith appropriate stakeholders, andgauges resource requirements on theday-of-event.Permit ProcessInitiation of the permit process for a specificplanned special event begins with the submissionof a completed special event permitapplication by the event organizer. Thepermit application represents a formal proposalby the organizer to stage a plannedspecial event. In some cases, particularlythose where the event organizer requests assistancefrom the jurisdiction in locating asuitable venue location or street use eventroute, the event organizer and pertinent publicstakeholders may interact prior to applicationsubmission to review the proposedevent and permit process.Figure 3-5 presents a flowchart summarizingkey event organizer and public agency actionsthroughout the special event permitprocess, from submitting a permit applicationto conducting the proposed event.The special event permit process serves toscope, schedule, and direct event operationsplanning activities for proposed events.This reduces unnecessary delay in facilitatingstakeholder coordination, developingplanning deliverables (e.g., traffic managementplan, etc.), reviewing mitigation strategies,and mobilizing personnel and equipmentresources required to stage a particularplanned special event. Practitioners mayexpand and contract the process in order tobest fit: (1) the area type and involvedstakeholders, (2) the special guidelines andregulations unique to a particular jurisdiction,(3) the operations characteristics of aparticular event, and (4) the purpose of aparticular event, such as community eventsversus commercial, for-profit events involvingevent organizers from the private sector.Application ComponentsThe special event permit application servesto communicate event operations characteristicsto a jurisdiction, thus permitting it toimpose appropriate impact mitigation requirementsand/or advise the event organizerto change event operation parameters. Keyitems include the event purpose that maysignal the need to develop contingency plansin response to possible security threats ordemonstrations. Information regardingevent history and expected attendance assistsin achieving a more predictable eventtravel forecast. The application shouldprompt the event organizer to indicate traveldemand management initiatives, includinguse of carpools and other modes of travel.Supplemental requirements to a specialevent permit application, required of theevent organizer either at the time of initialapplication submission or after jurisdictionreview of the application questionnaire, include:• Event site plan• Traffic flow plan• Traffic control plan• Parking plan• Emergency evacuation plan3-14