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

Table 3-25Tactics for Accommodating Background Traffic during Planned Special EventsUSERTACTICBENEFITGROUPRegionalthrough trafficLocal throughtrafficNeighborhoodresidents andbusinesses• Freeway-to-freeway diversionbeginning a significant distanceupstream of an event venue.• Maintains mobility.• Reduces the level of background traffic on corridorflow routes serving the venue.• Arterial-to-arterial diversion • Eliminates non-attendee exposure to venue site area.• Discourages cruising around site area.• Allows public to become familiar with route afterrepeated implementation.• Parking restrictions • Permits resident access to on-street parking spaces.• Permits employee and customer access to publicparking areas.• Traffic control points • Restricts neighborhood area access to residents andbusiness employees.• Signing and alternate routes • Directs customers to businesses and other trafficgenerators.Table 3-26Bus Accommodation TacticsTACTIC• Exclusive bus route• Exclusive/priority bus lane• On-demand communication with TMC orcommand postproduct of strategic route planning involvesinforming event patrons of best accessroutes to and from the planned special event.Stakeholders can communicate preferredroute directions via: (1) event patron ticketmailings, (2) media public information campaigns,and (3) event, venue, or traffic informationwebsites.Table 3-27 contains a traffic flow plan developmentchecklist.Traffic Control PlanFreeways represent corridor flow routesserving event patrons and participants destinedto/from a planned special event fromvarious parts of a region and beyond. Thesecorridor flow routes connect to local, streetlevelflow routes that, in turn, serve eventvenue parking areas. A freeway interchangemarks the point of connection, or targetpoint, between corridor flow routes and localflow routes. Together, the three entitiescomprise the roadway system servicing aplanned special event. The scope of trafficcontrol expands and contracts, proportionallyto system performance, during eventingress and egress.The main objective of freeway managementduring planned special events involvesminimizing freeway mainline congestion.Freeway traffic control tactics implementedin response to local traffic flow or ramp operationdegradation preserve freewaymainline operations. Freeway traffic controland management strategies for planned specialevents include traveler information disseminationand interchange operations.Traveler information disseminated upstreamof freeway interchanges serving an eventvenue effectively: (1) introduces all freewayusers to critical traffic management plancomponents affecting traffic flow in the vicinityof the event venue and (2) facilitatesfreeway lane management as motorists learnof temporary freeway ramp control tactics3-36