Operations Performance Measurement
What's New
NCHRP Special Study 20-7, Guide to Benchmarking Operations Performance Measures, was an opportunity to pilot the operations performance measures developed by the National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC) in 2005. The draft report, including updated measures definitions, can be found on the University of Maryland's Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Web site.
Featured Program
The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, the MPO for the Atlanta metro area, publishes an annual Transportation Metropolitan Atlanta Performance (MAP) Report (PDF 6MB). The 2008 report was the first to feature a travel time reliability measure - the Planning Time Index (the average travel time plus the size of the "buffer" time - the extra time needed by travelers to ensure a predetermined rate of on-time arrival).
Performance measurement is the use of evidence to determine progress toward specific defined organizational objectives. This includes both quantitative evidence (such as the measurement of customer travel times) and qualitative evidence (such as the measurement of customer satisfaction and customer perceptions).
Operations performance measurement, therefore, measures progress toward meeting the objectives of transportation system management and operations. Although the specific objectives of management and operations activities vary among organizations, most relate to the overall goals of transportation mobility, productivity, and safety.
The FHWA Office of Operations is leading numerous activities to advance the implementation and practice of operations performance measurement at the Federal, State, and local level:
- Mobility Monitoring Program
A multi-year program to develop, demonstrate, and implement mobility and reliability performance measures. - Urban Congestion Reports
A quarterly snapshot of traffic congestion and reliability trends at the national and city level, developed using archived traffic operations data. - National Traffic Congestion and Reliability Reports
Technical reports that communicate recent trends in congestion as well as strategies to manage congestion and improve mobility. - Travel Time Reliability Measures
Guidance documents on the need for, calculation of, and implementation of travel time reliability measures.
The following pages provide links to information and resources to assist in implementing operations performance measurement:
- Performance Measurement Fundamentals
- Examples of Performance Measurement Programs
- Operations Performance Measurement Research
- Relevant Resources and Publications
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