Travel Time Performance Measures (Blended)

Description

The Travel Time Performance Measures course reflects the evolution of transportation system management and planning over the past 10 to 15 years, which was spurred by the growing availability of rich sources of transportation data to state and local DOTs. Previously, the performance of roads and highways, with respect to slowdowns and congestion, was presented as a level of service (LOS) grading scheme (A, B, C ….), based largely on infrequent observations and professional judgement. Today performance metrics are based on constantly flowing sources of travel time information gained directly from travelers and vehicles.

Through online lessons, workshops, and live, interactive webinars, this course provides an overview of how travel time measures have usurped LOS, the difference between recurring and non-recurring congestion, as well travel time and travel time reliability which is key to understanding our system.  The course also gives an overview of the many sources of travel time data that are available to roadway authorities from which to make informed operations and planning decisions.

By the end of the course, you will have a firm grasp on how travel time measures are used in various contexts to plan and manage our roadway systems, an understanding of the various applications that use travel time data, standard performance monitoring metrics associated with travel time, and where to obtain such data from modern sources.

Objectives

In this course you will learn:

• How modern roadway management defines, describes, and quantifies Travel Time and Travel Time Reliability using Delay, Travel Time Index, Buffer Time, and Planning Time
• How to calculate basic Travel Time and Travel Time Reliability measures based on available Travel Time Data
• The differences between indirect and direct measurement of travel time, and the various technologies and techniques available to the practitioner
• About the fidelity, cost, and spatial coverage of various travel time devices, industry sources, and techniques, with respect to available travel time data
• About the use of Travel Time for transportation activities such as incident management, traffic signal monitoring, performance management, and trend monitoring