Keith Nichols, Senior Transportation Engineer

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) has completed the Draft Hampton Roads Regional Travel Time/Speed Study report.

In recent years, new technologies have been created that collect travel time and speed data on a continuous basis.  One source of such data, INRIX, provides real-time and historical travel time and speed data on an extensive statewide roadway network.  HRTPO staff has used this archived data to determine roadway congestion levels based on actual travel times and speeds rather than the current method of estimating congestion levels based on traffic volumes and roadway characteristics.  In addition, HRTPO staff has analyzed the duration of congestion, by roadway segment, with this data. 

This report details HRTPO’s analysis of the travel time and speed data that was collected by INRIX for the year 2010.  This data will help HRTPO with its Congestion Management Process (CMP), which monitors regional roadway congestion and assists with the selection of projects for the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). 

Click Here to view a copy of the draft document.  The appendices for the report are also available here.

All interested parties are encouraged to review the draft report and send comments to Mr. Keith Nichols at knichols@hrpdcva.gov or by mail to 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia 23320. The deadline for comments on this draft report is March 21st, 2012.

By: Sam Belfield
Senior Transportation Engineer

The HRTPO continues to receive input from military commuters since releasing a public transportation survey on November 8, 2011.  As of January 26, 2012, approximately 9,180 survey responses have been received.

The HRTPO is collecting information about the commuting experience of military personnel (active-duty, civilians, contractors, reservists and others) traveling to/from the region’s military bases.  The survey was developed by the HRTPO, in concert with the Commands from the region’s military installations and various transportation stakeholders. It is designed to identify and determine the challenges local military personnel and military-related commuters routinely face during their daily commutes.

The survey will remain open to local military commuters until February 20, 2012.  The survey results will be summarized and reported to the HRTPO board, local transit agencies, local governments, VDOT, and military officials in an effort to improve military travel in our region.

By Benito O. Pérez
HRTPO Transportation Engineer

Many people in Hampton Roads are reliant on the car for their livelihood. Whether it is to go to work, to shop, or to run to the beach in the summer, the majority of people in Hampton Roads rely on the auto to get them there. In fact, in 2010, 80.9% of Hampton Roads residents relied on the auto to get to work. This represents a 2.5% increase since 2000 (Source: US Census Bureau).
 
There are various modes of public transportation available as alternatives to the car in the Hampton Roads region. Public transportation in Hampton Roads includes:

From this array of transit services available in Hampton Roads, there are approximately 1.6 million passenger trips monthly across the regional public transportation system in 2010 (Source: National Transit Database).

As part of a larger national study, Bradley Lane of the University of Texas at El Paso conducted research exploring the relationship between fuel prices and transit ridership. Lane notes in his research, ‘[For] every 10 percent increase in fuel costs led to an increase in bus ridership of up to 4 percent, and a spike in rail travel of up to 8 percent. These results suggest a "significant untapped potential" for transit ridership.’

Evaluating fuel prices and transit ridership trends in Hampton Roads from January 2005 through October 2011, similar results to the Lane study can be found. As fuel prices rose 129% between January 2005 and July 2008, transit ridership increased 50%. Similarly, as fuel prices dropped 60% between July and December 2008, transit ridership decreased 20% in the same period.

Source: Federal Transit Administration National Transit Database
Source: AAA Fuel Gauge Report

As per Eric Jaffe's reporting in The Atlantic, Lane's analysis revealed two key relationships between gas prices and transit ridership. The first is what he calls an elasticity, which is essentially a behavioral response to an event. In this case the event is a change in gas prices, and the response is a shift in transit ridership. The second is what he calls a "lagged effect." That means that some elasticities — such as switching your commute from car to train — don't appear until several months after the initial change in fuel cost.

By: Sam Belfield
Senior Transportation Engineer

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) is seeking the participation of commuters travelling to/from all military installations in Hampton Roads in a transportation survey.

The HRTPO is collecting information about the commuting experience of military personnel (active-duty, civilians, contractors, reservists and others) travelling to/from the region’s military bases.  The survey was developed by the HRTPO, in concert with the Commands from the region’s military installations and various transportation stakeholders. It is designed to identify and determine the challenges local military personnel and military-related commuters routinely face during their daily commutes.

The survey can be found on the homepage of the HRTPO’s website (http://www.hrtpo.org) and takes about 5-10 minutes to complete, depending upon web connection speeds. Click on the HRTPO Military Commuter Survey button below, or visit, http://www.hrtpo.org/MilitaryCommuterSurvey.asp

Survey collection is currently underway and will be open to military commuters from November 8, 2011 until February 20, 2012.  The survey results will be summarized and passed on to the HRTPO board, local transit agencies, local governments, VDOT, and other decision-makers in an effort to improve military travel in our region.

Keith Nichols, Senior Transportation Engineer

The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) at Texas A&M University recently released the 2011 Urban Mobility Report.  This report, which includes data through 2010, details traffic congestion in 101 metropolitan areas throughout the United States including Hampton Roads.
 
According to the Urban Mobility Report, each person who commutes to work by automobile in Hampton Roads spent an average of 34 hours stuck in congestion in 2010.  This is up from 32 hours in 2009 but is down from the middle of the last decade, when Hampton Roads commuters annually spent more than 40 hours stuck in congestion.  According to the report, this decrease is common throughout the country and is largely attributable to the impacts of the economic downturn.

Hampton Roads has a higher level of congestion than many other metropolitan areas according to the report.  Among 31 comparable large metropolitan areas throughout the United States with populations between one and three million people, Hampton Roads had the 10th highest delay per auto commuter in 2010. This delay has a cost in terms of lost time, wasted fuel, and impacts on commercial vehicles.  According to TTI, congestion cost the Hampton Roads region a total of $693 million in 2010, or an average of $654 for each person that commutes to work by automobile.

For more information on the TTI Urban Mobility Report, please visit the Urban Mobility Report website at http://mobility.tamu.edu.

By Jessica M. Banks
Senior Transportation Analyst

The 2011 Association for Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) Annual Conference took place in Dallas, TX from October 25 -28, 2011.  This event brought together policy board members, executive directors, technical staffs, federal and state employees, and consultants to share information on a variety of MPO issues.  The 2011 Conference theme was “Moving America’s Metros.”  Topics of the conference included Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning, Developing Sustainable Communities, Innovative Financing, MPO Operations, Performance Measures, Tolling and Highway Finance, and Transit-Oriented Development. 

On October 26, 2011, the Keynote Address was given by Matthew K. Rose, Chief Executive Officer of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Company.  Headquartered in Fort Worth, TX, BNSF Railway Company operates one of the largest rail systems in North America.  Holding this position since 2000, Mr. Rose is a member of multiple boards including AMR Corporation, AT&T Inc., Association of American Railroads, President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, and US Chamber of Commerce.

An update on the latest transportation policy happenings in Washington, DC was given to conference attendees.  This interactive session reviewed recent legislative actions, current funding issues, reauthorization, and the possible impact of the upcoming elections.

The results of the 2011 AMPO Awards were announced on October 27, 2011.  The 2011 award winners included:
•    National Award for Outstanding Overall Achievement for a TMA MPO: Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
•    National Award for Outstanding Leadership: Michael Skipper, Nashville Area MPO
•    Commemorative Memorial: New York Metropolitan Transportation Council Staff

Joining AMPO, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration representatives held a Q&A town hall discussion on emerging and recent transportation issues on October 28, 2011.

Ms. Camelia Ravanbakht, HRTPO Deputy Executive Director, served on a panel speaking to the topic of Emergency Response and Preparedness.  This discussion-based session highlighted challenges and activities underway that address the issues of security planning for natural and man-made disasters.  Ms. Ravanbakht also attended the AMPO Policy Committee meeting.

For more information about the conference sessions and workshops, please visit: http://www.ampo.org .

By: Sam Belfield, Senior Transportation Engineer

In addition to mandated products (LRTP, TIP, CMP), the HRTPO staff conducts studies and prepares reports for various transportation issues in order to improve safety and mobility, and relieve congestion in the region. Several corridor and local planning studies are completed each year as part of the HRTPO Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). These studies are typically requested by local municipal governments, the HRTPO Board, or the general public and are often considered critical transportation topics. Most studies contain data, analysis, and a set of recommendations that support the goals and objectives established within the Congestion Management Process (CMP) and the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). Many of these studies support one or more of the eight federal planning factors, which are required by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) as part of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). All studies are coordinated with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), local municipalities, and other stakeholders and are made available for public review and input.

The list below shows the HRTPO special studies completed since 2007:

By: Sam Belfield, Senior Transportation Engineer

At the September 2011 TPO meeting, the HRTPO Board approved the Hampton Roads Military Transportation Needs Study: Highway Network Analysis. The HRTPO staff worked with various stakeholders – local military representatives, federal agencies, Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Port Authority and local jurisdictions – to determine transportation concerns and needs of the local military.

Based on stakeholder input, the HRTPO staff identified a roadway network that includes both the Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) and additional roadways that serve the military sites and intermodal facilities not included in the STRAHNET. The HRTPO staff reviewed this “Roadways Serving the Military in Hampton Roads” network to determine deficient locations, such as congested segments, deficient bridges, and inadequate geometrics. Based on stakeholder input and the analysis of deficient locations in this study, the HRTPO staff has recommended several transportation projects that may benefit military travel. The HRTPO staff plans to incorporate this work into future iterations of the Congestion Management Process and the regional Long-Range Transportation Plan Project Prioritization Tool to assist decision makers as they select future transportation projects.

Click HERE to view the final report.