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ATDM Planning Brief: ATM Feasibility and Screening GuidePrintable Version [PDF, 629 KB] ATM Feasibility and Screening Guide
In the context of Active Transportation and Demand Management (ATDM), Active Traffic Management (ATM) strategies focus on influencing travel behavior during a trip with respect to operations and lane and facility choices. ATM is the ability to dynamically manage recurrent and nonrecurrent congestion based on prevailing and predicted traffic conditions. Focusing on trip reliability, ATM maximizes the effectiveness and efficiency of the facility, while also increasing safety and throughput by using integrated systems with new and automated technologies. Additional information on these strategies can be found in the ATM informational brief at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop13003/index.htm. Active Traffic Management (ATM) Strategies
ATM strategies have been receiving significant attention of late given the operational benefits that have and can potentially accrue from deploying these strategies—as summarized in Table 1 below—thereby helping to achieve one or more regional transportation goals, such as safety, mobility, reliability, environmental, improved transit operations, and accessibility. At the same time, implementing ATM strategies can involve significant capital costs, followed by ongoing operations and maintenance requirements. As such, some or all ATM strategies may not be cost effective for certain segments and links of the surface transportation network. FHWA has developed an ATM Feasibility and Screening Guide (the Guide) to assist agencies in making informed investment decisions by determining the feasibility of ATM strategies before committing significant resources. The Guide addresses ATM strategies at the feasibility and screening analyses level, enabling practitioners—be they operators or planners, representing departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, or other transportation entities—to answer the following questions with reasonable confidence:
Benefit information on other strategies, such as ARM, TSP, ATSC, and shoulder lanes reserved for buses ("bus on shoulder") can be found in the Guide and at the USDOT benefits and costs database: http://www.itsknowledgeresources.its.dot.gov/. The Guide presents a recommended process — a series of steps as summarized in Table 2 below — with additional information and examples provided in the Guide for each step and activity. This information includes flowcharts for each step and for most ATM strategies, along with discussions of potential issues, criteria, and available tools. References and links where more detailed information can be obtained are also included. The information and outputs obtained from following this ATM feasibility and screening process will help agencies create ATM deployment programs and strategic plans in their region or on specific corridors that are aligned with their region's needs, goals, objectives, and the overall metropolitan transportation planning process, thereby supporting the identification of ATM projects to include in the transportation improvement program and other funding plans. The outputs from the applying this guidance can also set the stage for performing more detailed analyses in accordance with the principles of systems engineering (e.g., develop a concept of operations). Perhaps most importantly, the outputs from applying this guidance can help an agency (or agencies) make a business case to managers and decision-makers of the value of applying ATM strategies and concepts in their region. ATDM Project Informational Briefs This informational brief is one of the ATDM brief in the “Planning” category of the FHWA ATDM brief series. ATDM briefs are or will be available in the following categories:
ATM Feasibility and Screening GuideThe Guide is available on the Resources page of the FHWA ATDM Program website at: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/atdm/resources/publications.htm. For More InformationThe FHWA ATDM Program website contains more information about ATDM approaches and strategies, all of the ATDM briefs, guidance documents, and resources and links to external stakeholder resources: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/atdm/index.htm.
Jim Hunt
James Colyar
Greg Jones FHWA-HOP-14-018 May 2015 |
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United States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration |