Conference Proceedings 26 - Transportation Research Board

124 PERFORMANCE MEASURES TO IMPROVE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AND AGENCY OPERATIONSFIGURE 6System performance measurement based on outcomes.data collected at the operations level can be consideredimportant surrogates for some societal outcomes(perhaps for economic development). Similarly, performancemeasures founded on planning data can beused in the strategic decision-making process (perhapsfor quality of life). Even with these types ofmeasures, there might be other performance measures,such as ecosystem health and sustainability,that decision makers desire for consideration.As transportation policy and planning continues tobe viewed as an enabler of important functions andoutcomes in society, we in the profession must givemore thought to how we can show the level of accomplishmentassociated with transportation investmentdecisions. Not only does that make sense froman investment perspective, but I believe that it will beincreasingly important for establishing accountabilityand credibility in our planning processes.REFERENCESAmerican Society of Civil Engineers. Sustainability Criteriafor Water Resource Systems. Reston, Va., 1998.Armstrong, R. Economic and Social Relevance of CentralCities in the Nation’s 12 Largest Urban Regions. In ConferenceProceedings 18: Transportation Issues in LargeU.S. Cities. TRB, National Research Council, Washington,D.C., 1999, pp. 126–142.Bell, S., and S. Morse. Sustainability Indicators. Earthscan,London, 1999.Brown, L., M. Renner, and B. Halweil. Vital Signs 1999.Worldwatch Institute, New York, 1999.Cambridge Systematics et al. NCHRP Report 8–32(2):Performance-Based Planning Manual. TRB, NationalResearch Council, Washington, D.C., 2000.Cape Cod Commission. Regional Policy Plan for BarnstableCounty. Barnstable, Mass., Sept. 1991.Delucchi, M. The Annualized Social Cost of Motor VehicleUse in the U.S. Based on 1990–1991 Data: Summary ofTheory, Data, Methods, and Results. In Social Costs andSustainability (O. Hohmeyer et al., eds.), Springer, NewYork, 1997.Florida Department of Transportation. The Florida ReliabilityMethod. Office of State Transportation Planner,Tallahassee, 2000.Gordon, P., and H. Richardson. Geographic Factors ExplainingWork Trip Length Changes: 1990 NationwidePersonal Transportation Survey: Special Reports on Tripand Vehicle Attributes, Chapter 2. FHWA, Washington,D.C., 1995.Goudie, A. The Human Impact on the Natural Environment,5th ed. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 2000.Hohmeyer, O., R. Ottinger, and K. Rennings (eds.). SocialCosts and Sustainability. Springer, New York, 1997.Leitman, J. Sustaining Cities. McGraw-Hill, New York,1999.Lewis, D. NCHRP Report 342: Primer on TransportationProductivity and Economic Development. TRB, NationalResearch Council, Washington, D.C., 1991.Lindley, J. Urban Freeway Congestion: Quantification ofthe Problem and Effectiveness of Potential Solutions.ITE Journal, January 1987.Maser, C. Sustainable Community Development. St. LuciePress, Delray Beach, Fla., 1997.Meyer, M. Special Report 192: Monitoring System Performance:A Foundation for TSM Planning. TRB, NationalResearch Council, Washington, D.C., 1980.