This document discusses three questions related to transportation planning and projects. Question 1 asks about required studies and data collection for a university campus transportation plan. Question 2 asks about household travel surveys and data collection. Question 3 asks about California's Interregional Transportation Plan and highlighted projects that could improve transportation goals. The document also provides information on typical transportation problems, solution steps, project topics, concepts, funding sources and expenditures, and future challenges.
This document discusses three questions related to transportation planning and projects. Question 1 asks about required studies and data collection for a university campus transportation plan. Question 2 asks about household travel surveys and data collection. Question 3 asks about California's Interregional Transportation Plan and highlighted projects that could improve transportation goals. The document also provides information on typical transportation problems, solution steps, project topics, concepts, funding sources and expenditures, and future challenges.
This document discusses three questions related to transportation planning and projects. Question 1 asks about required studies and data collection for a university campus transportation plan. Question 2 asks about household travel surveys and data collection. Question 3 asks about California's Interregional Transportation Plan and highlighted projects that could improve transportation goals. The document also provides information on typical transportation problems, solution steps, project topics, concepts, funding sources and expenditures, and future challenges.
This document discusses three questions related to transportation planning and projects. Question 1 asks about required studies and data collection for a university campus transportation plan. Question 2 asks about household travel surveys and data collection. Question 3 asks about California's Interregional Transportation Plan and highlighted projects that could improve transportation goals. The document also provides information on typical transportation problems, solution steps, project topics, concepts, funding sources and expenditures, and future challenges.
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DIS C USS ION ON AS SIGNMENT #1
• Question1. Imagine you are designing a comprehensive transportation plan for a newly
constructed university campus. What kind of travel and modal studies are required? Please enumerate the data items to be collected in each of these surveys/studies and explain the use of each data item in a tabular form.
• Question 2. Household travel surveys (HTS) help Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and state departments of transportation (DOTs) to better understand peoples' travel patterns and use the results to update and/or calibrate their travel demand models. List data collected from California Household Travel Survey and three recent household travel surveys. Summarize the variables/data into a tabular form and discuss the advantages and limitations of each survey briefly.
• Question 3. California Interregional Transportation Strategic Plan 2015 is available at the Caltrans website. What are the different elements of California's Interregional Transportation System? Write a short essay (1-2 page) on different highlighted projects in the plan that would greatly improve the state’s transportation goals. TYPICAL TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM WHAT ARE STEPS TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM? S AMPLE PROJECT TOPICS
• A grant for integrating different last-mile connection modes of
transportation • A business plan for a new transportation mobile application • Analysis of progress of existing regulation of near-term GHG targets • A tool for policy makers to evaluate different mobility options • Evaluate a new policy of banning trucks on 1-5 during morning and evening peak hours TRANSPORTATION FUNDING & FINANCING KEY CONCEPTS
• Capital Expenditure – Expenditure on new infrastructure & equipment
• Operation & Maintenance Expenditure -- Recurring payments to cover the cost of administration, operation, and normal maintenance and repair • Discretionary Grants – Grants from government that are discretionary based on benefits • Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) -- A capital program listing the committed investments for 4 or 5 years • Impact Fees -- Fees charged to developers related to the infrastructure improvements • Public/Private Partnerships -- Formal or informal relationships among government agencies and private entities • Risk Analysis -- A systematic process to understand the nature of and deduce the level of risk • Trust Funds -- An account established by law in a treasury department to hold tax receipts T RA N S P O RTATI O N F U N D S O U RCE S & E X P E N D IT U R E S MOTOR FUEL TAXES
• In the United States, motor fuel taxes are the primary source of funds for transportation investment. • Interstate system was constructed majorly funded with these and they are in place since mid-1950s • Highway Trust Fund: • The gas tax receipts were to be deposited in the U.S. Treasury in a special account • These are dedicated to construction of mostly highways not other modes • For example, the Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF) is contributed by gas tax and vehicle registration fee • These funds are distributed to the Michigan DOT (39.1 percent), counties (39.1 percent), and cities and villages (21.8 percent) • Federal and state gas tax revenues are spent to achieve specific program goals, such as safety, economic development, congestion relief, air quality improvement etc. VMT FEE/MILEAGE BASED FEE
• If the consumption of motor fuel will decline, then
motor fuel tax revenues also diminish • Charging vehicles for the use of the highway network, most often defined as a VMT fee • Use GPS or some other means to identify how vehicles traveled • Pilot studies are conducted in Oregon and other countries like UK esp. trucks • Caveat: People may complain about the privacy issues TOLLS
• High Occupancy Tolls (HOT)
• Single occupant vehicles can use the managed lane during peak periods for a price that often varies by the level of congestion in the lane. • Prices can be variable • Debatable concept as higher income people afford and transportation equity • Express Tolls • Similar to HOT lane concept , whereas this lane can be used by all automobiles • No revenue loss due to violations • Truck Only Tolls (TOT) • Similar to HOT lane concept, but are dedicated to commercial vehicles. • Most proposals have the lanes next to regular freeway lanes, but separated with some form of barrier. • E.g. Port of Long Beach, Port of LA CORDON PRICING & PARKING CHARGES
• Cordon pricing • The basic concept is that vehicles are charged a fee to enter a highly congested area. • London and Singapore has successful cordon pricing models • Requires technical infrastructure • E,g. New York City was considering a congestion charging scheme as part of a federal demonstration program, but political considerations stopped the initiative
• Parking Charges • This helps to reduce congestion in central business district (CBD) • It is easy to implement and can change driving behavior • Different cities use this strategy to reduce congestion E.g. San Francisco adds 25% extra fee for commercial vehicles, Boston freezes parking in certain neighborhoods in CBD, few California cities have “cash out “ program VA LU E C A P T U R E & O T H E R I N C O M E
• Impact Fees—One-time charges collected by local governments from developers to
finance new infrastructure and services associated with the new development. • Special Assessment District—An additional fee assessed on properties near a new highway or transit facility that is expected to benefit from such proximity. • Sales Tax District—Similar in concept to a special assessment district, the sales tax district requires those benefiting from a transportation investment to pay a limited sales tax instead of a property tax. • Land Value Tax—A tax imposed on the value of land benefiting from transportation infrastructure. • Transportation Utility Fees—Utility fees assessed on the basis of characteristics of travel demand, such as traffic volumes. • Negotiated Exaction—A negotiated, one-time charge similar to impact fees, but not determined a priori by a formula or impact ratios. • California is using a carbon-based tax to raise revenues for some transportation projects. • Vehicle license/registration fees, weight fees/taxes, fines and forfeitures, property leases and air rights, advertising (for transit, mainly), and development agreements. TRANSPORTATION FINANCE STRATEGIES
• Transportation Financing • The mechanism by which funds are made available for transportation investment. • It describe the combination of different funding sources that together represent the investment strategy for a region or state.
• Debt financing • Very similar to a homeowner’s mortgage policy. • The government borrows money from the municipal bond market at very low interest rates, and then has to pay back the principal with interest over a set number of years. • The advantage the large investment gaps can filled up with the influx of capital funds • The major disadvantage is, the principal and interest have to be paid back over many years. • Following criteria has to be considered • Debt per capita, Debt as a percent of taxable property, Ratio of debt service expenditures to total revenues. • Ratio of debt service expenditures to all expenditures, Debt service coverage by pledged revenues. • Another strategy being used by state DOTs is advance construction. This allows a state or local agency to initiate a project using nonfederal funds while preserving the eligibility for future federal aid. PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
A public-private partnership is a contractual agreement formed between
public and private sector partners that allows more private sector participation than traditional setup. INVESTMENT PROGRAMMING AND PL ANNING
Transportation Improvement Program (STIP/TIP)
• Serve as a short-range implementation tool to address the goals of the regional long-range transportation plan. • Provide continuity of current transportation improvement projects with those identified in previous TIPs. • Identify transportation projects recommended for implementation by transportation mode, type of improvement, funding source(s), and geographic area. • Estimate the costs of projects proposed for federal funding. • Establish a prioritization of projects to effectively utilize federal funds as they become available. E S T I M AT I N G R E V E N U E S & C O S T S
• Revenues • Planners must know the underlying funding sources and the factors that influence the amount of revenue generated. • Revenues depend upon demographics, vehicle registration, fuel consumption, vehicle sales and retail sales etc. • Forecasting indirect revenues is also important i.e. penalties, tolls, traffic violations, interest on cash balances etc.
• Costs • Capital project costs and O&M costs • Project cost estimation responsibilities vary by agency role in project development • Typically State DOTs are responsible for these costs, not MPOs • Most estimates of future O&M costs are simply escalations of historic trends FUTU RE CHALL ENGES
• The Future of Fuel Taxes – going to be lesser
• Bond Financing – Repayment eats up all the revenue • Reliance on Non-Transportation-Related Tax Sources – Due to uncertainty in economy, may be lesser revenue in future • Geographic Equity for Statewide and Regional Sources --- More funds are spent on bigger cities • Connected and Autonomous Vehicles – Lesser drivers and more infrastructure needs • Cost Burden across User Groups --- Trucks vs Cars, cost burden is not same
