Operations Performance Measurement Program
photos of traffic merging on a multi-level freeway interchange, traffic near a construction zone, variable message sign, train at a crossing, traffic on a river bridge, and a rural highway
21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies

Mobility Monitoring Program

The Mobility Monitoring Program encompasses numerous activities that are designed to advance the implementation and practice of operations performance measurement:

  • Developing mobility and reliability performance measures and the corresponding calculation procedures;
  • Demonstrating and advancing the use of archived traffic operations data in producing performance reports;
  • Producing and distributing monthly and annual mobility performance information on a national basis for various levels of decision-making; and,
  • Providing technical assistance to state and local performance monitoring programs and the supporting data collection and archives.

Available Reports and Products

One of the more widely distributed products from this Program is the monthly Urban Congestion Reports. These monthly reports characterize emerging traffic congestion and reliability trends at the national and city level. The reports utilize archived traffic operations data gathered from state DOTs and a private company. As of late 2007, these monthly reports were being produced for 23 cities. The production of these monthly reports is a cooperative effort between Noblis, Texas Transportation Institute, and Cambridge Systematics.

The Mobility Monitoring Program produced a summary technical report that describes data processing and performance measure calculation procedures. This report may be helpful for those who are interested in the details of using archived traffic operations data for operations performance measures. A brief Lessons Learned report has also been produced to summarize key findings from the Program.

The Program has developed several guidance documents on the need for and use of travel time reliability measures. A brochure (HTML, PDF 2.8MB) was designed to provide a layperson's introduction to travel time reliability concepts. A more extensive guidance document provides implementation details for those agencies that may be considering adoption of reliability measures.

Finally, several technical reports have been developed to communicate recent trends in congestion as well as strategies to manage congestion and improve mobility. The most recent report, Traffic Congestion and Reliability: Trends and Advanced Strategies for Congestion Mitigation was released in September 2005. The previous report, Traffic Congestion and Reliability: Linking Solutions to Problems (released July 2004) is also still available.

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