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

that surface prior to the planned specialevent.Table 3-19 lists the various groups that eitherattend or have a direct interest in aplanned special event. Throughout the trafficmanagement plan development process,the event planning team must regularlymonitor and communicate any special considerationsthat arise in conjunction with theneeds of the groups attending the event.Table 3-19Groups Attending a Planned Special EventGROUP• Participants• Spectators• Event sponsor• Dignitaries• Media• Non-ticketed visitors• Street vendorsContingency PlanningContingency planning represents event insurance.While stakeholders may consumeadditional time and resources during advanceplanning for a planned special event,the availability of contingency plans helpsmitigate a potential systemic breakdown ofthe transportation system during an unexpectedevent occurring at or near the sametime as the planned special event. Key stepsin contingency planning include:• Develop a traffic management plan thatis scenario-based.• Consider and plan for a range of possibleunplanned scenarios. Table 3-20 providesa contingency plan checklist forplanned special events.• Determine changes in operation due tounplanned scenarios.Table 3-20Contingency Plan ChecklistCONTINGENCY• Weathero Severe weather outbreako Flooding on event site access routeso Flooding in event parking areaso Parking during wet weather• Security threat• Major traffic incident• Delayed event• Event cancellation• Absence of trained personnel and volunteerson the day-of-event• Equipment breakdown• Demonstration or protest• Unruly spectator behavior• Overcrowding• Event patron violenceSite Access and Parking PlanA site access and parking plan contains operationsstrategies for managing automobile,bus, taxi, and limousine traffic destined toand from the following areas in the vicinityof a planned special event venue: (1) publicparking area, (2) reserved (permit) parkingarea, (3) overflow parking area, and (4)pick-up/drop-off area. The event planningteam must create a flexible plan that containsproactive strategies for responding toreal-time event patron travel patterns drivenby their choice of public parking areas, especiallyif parking fees vary from lot to lot.Traffic destined to the three other site areashas a fixed ingress and egress pattern asspecified in the plan through lot assignmentsand permitted movements.Site access and parking plan developmentinvolves a three-step process: (1) access, (2)process, and (3) park:• Access refers to getting event trafficfrom the adjacent street system to theirdestination, such as a parking area or3EVENT PROFILE POST-EVENT ACTIVITIES DAY-OF-EVENT ACTIVITIES ADVANCE PLANNINGOVERVIEW3-29