Using Innovative Data Analysis Methods to Facilitate Communication and Transit Investment

Decision Making in Montgomery County, MD

U.S.DOT Transportation Data Palooza Workshop May 9, 2013

Eric Graye, AICP, PTP Montgomery County Planning Department

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Montgomery County, MDGeographical Orientation

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Transportation Policy Area Review (TPAR)Transit Adequacy Component

Discussion Outline

• Background and TPAR Overview • Transit Analysis Approach• Transit Adequacy Measures • Transit Adequacy Solutions• Next Steps - Potential Refinements

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TPAR Background

• The Subdivision Staging Policy is a growth management tool which is an element of the County’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (has evolved during the past 3 decades)

• TPAR is the County’s area-wide transportation adequacy test introduced as an element of the 2012 Subdivision Staging Policy

• Independently evaluates the adequacy of roadways and transit performance for more in-depth analysis and staging of improvements of these two types of transportation service

• Ten (10) year analysis time horizon

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TPAR Overview

• Transit adequacy based on the evaluation of current local/regional bus and rail service

• Adequacy standards categorized (urban, suburban & rural)

• Roadway adequacy based on the evaluation of future arterial travel speeds in the peak direction (averaged for 19 policy areas in the County)

• At the request of FHWA staff, the focus of this presentation is directed to the transit adequacy component of TPAR

• A detailed discussion and description of the TPAR process found at … http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/research/growth_policy/subdivision_staging_policy/2012/documents/SSPappendix2TPAR.pdf

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Results of TPAR Transit Service Adequacy Analysis

• Policy area transit adequacy evaluation based on three metrics: coverage, headway and span

• Headway found to be the most pervasive inadequacy

• Policy area fails adequacy test if found inadequate for any of the three metrics

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Transit Quality of Service Standards

• Process not used to assess mode share of transit service

• Mode share estimated in the context of the application of the region travel demand model

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General Solutions to Achieve Transit Adequacy

Transit Inadequacy Related to:

General Solutions to Achieve Transit Service Adequacy

Coverage Implement more bus routes serving more areas closer to the population or employment areas within the Policy Area

Peak Headway Add more frequent bus service during the peak periods to reduce the time between the arrival of buses (headway) serving the Policy Area

Span of Service Increase the number of hours the bus service is provided for selected routes serving the Policy Area

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Transit Adequacy Analysis - Germantown West Geographical Orientation

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Transit Adequacy Analysis - Germantown West

Ride On Route and # Metrobus Route and #Ride On Route and # Metrobus Route and #Ride On Route and # Metrobus Route and #

Coverage Headway & Span of Service

Route-by-Route and Average Adequacy: Germantown West (GTW) in 2010

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

0:00 6:00 12:00 18:00 0:00

Span (hours)

PM P

eak

Hea

dway

(min

)

Ride-On RoutesMetrobus Routes

71

78

74

14.0 Hours

Adequate Average PM Peak Headway for all Routes

21.8 Minutes All Routes

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes

Route-by-Route and Average Adequacy: Germantown West (GTW) in 2010

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

0:00 6:00 12:00 18:00 0:00

Span (hours)

PM P

eak

Hea

dway

(min

)

Ride-On RoutesMetrobus Routes

71

78

74

14.0 Hours

Adequate Average PM Peak Headway for all Routes

21.8 Minutes All Routes

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes

Legend Peak Only All-DayRide-On RoutesMetrobus Routes

2012Route-by-Route and Average Adequacy:

Germantown West (GTW) in 2010

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

0:00 6:00 12:00 18:00 0:00

Span (hours)

PM P

eak

Hea

dway

(min

)

Ride-On RoutesMetrobus Routes

71

78

74

14.0 Hours

Adequate Average PM Peak Headway for all Routes

21.8 Minutes All Routes

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes

Route-by-Route and Average Adequacy: Germantown West (GTW) in 2010

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

0:00 6:00 12:00 18:00 0:00

Span (hours)

PM P

eak

Hea

dway

(min

)

Ride-On RoutesMetrobus Routes

71

78

74

14.0 Hours

Adequate Average PM Peak Headway for all Routes

21.8 Minutes All Routes

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes

Legend Peak Only All-DayRide-On RoutesMetrobus Routes

Route-by-Route and Average Adequacy: Germantown West (GTW) in 2010

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

0:00 6:00 12:00 18:00 0:00

Span (hours)

PM P

eak

Hea

dway

(min

)

Ride-On RoutesMetrobus Routes

71

78

74

14.0 Hours

Adequate Average PM Peak Headway for all Routes

21.8 Minutes All Routes

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes

Route-by-Route and Average Adequacy: Germantown West (GTW) in 2010

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

0:00 6:00 12:00 18:00 0:00

Span (hours)

PM P

eak

Hea

dway

(min

)

Ride-On RoutesMetrobus Routes

71

78

74

14.0 Hours

Adequate Average PM Peak Headway for all Routes

21.8 Minutes All Routes

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

24:00

100

98

61

5597

83

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

Adequate Average Span for just All-Day-Routes

18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes18.6 Hours just All-Day Routes

Legend Peak Only All-DayRide-On RoutesMetrobus Routes

2012

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Transit Adequacy Solution Conditional Bus Project to Increase Peak Headways

• Transit service improvement on 13 routes serving 9 policy areas

• Addition of 32 buses, plus 15% for spares (roughly 11% of current Ride-On fleet)

• Level of service improvements determined in collaboration with MCDOT

• Service improved to residential & employment centers

• Route-level ridership not forecasted

• Transit service improvement reflected in mode share results derived from regional travel demand model

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TPAR Refinements/Next Steps?

• Potential to use archived Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) data provided by local bus service operators to test the ability to measure average route speeds

• Currently, AVL data not sufficiently disaggregated to be used in a consistent fashion

• Potential to develop independent transit performance measure

based on bus speed travel on arterials

• Potential to contrast AVL data with Vehicle Probe Project (VPP) data (provided by INRIX) for similar time periods