A Primer

The Role of Transportation Systems

Management & Operations in

Supporting Livability and Sustainability
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FHWA-HOP-12-004

The Role of Transportation Systems Management & Operations in Supporting Livability and Sustainability: A Primer

Mr. Wayne Berman, Federal Highway Administration, COTM

This primer describes the role of transportation systems management and operations (M&O) in advancing livability 

and sustainability. The document highlights the connections between M&O and livability and sustainability objectives 

and the importance of a balanced, comprehensive approach to M&O in order to support those objectives. The document describes nine key elements for managing and operating transportation systems in ways that support livability 

and sustainability. The document also provides a vision of how the regional transportation system could look in the 

future if M&O strategies were comprehensively implemented to advance livability and sustainability goals. Case 

examples throughout and a section on implementation will help practitioners to get started on implementing M&O to 

support livability and sustainability in their communities. 

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)

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Michael Grant (ICF), Harrison Rue (ICF), Stephanie Trainor (ICF), Jocelyn Bauer (SAIC), Jamie 

Parks (KAI), Mary Raulerson (KAI), Kathleen Rooney (ICF), Sonya Suter (ICF)

Management and operations, livability, sustainability, 

operational strategies, transit, bicycle, pedestrian, 

arterial, transportation planning, pricing, demand 

management

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ii | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

Acknowledgements

This document was developed with input from many practitioners across the country. The Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA)and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) would specifically like to thank the following individuals who helped shape this document through participation in peer exchanges in December 2010 

and January 2011 and through subsequent reviews of the document during its development:

Ron Achelpohl, Mid-America Regional Council

Allen Biehler, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Fred Dock, City of Pasadena, California

Sheryl Gross-Glaser, Community Transportation Association of America

Matthew Hardy, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

Julie Hershorn, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Andrew Hume, Las Cruces Metropolitan Planning Organization

Tom Kern, ITS America

Peter Koonce, City of Portland, Oregon

Dennis Leach, Arlington County, Virginia

Anthony May, University of Leeds, England

Barbara McCann, National Complete Streets Coalition

Peter McCombs, Traffic Design Group, New Zealand

Andrew Meese, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

Doug Noble, Institute of Transportation Engineers

Kathy Nothstine, National Association of Development Organizations

Gzim Ocakoglu, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission

Chris O’Neill, Capital District Transportation Committee

Enrique Peñalosa, former Mayor of Bogota, Columbia

Kate Rube, Smart Growth America

Charles Thomas, District of Columbia Department of Transportation

Gary Toth, Project for Public Spaces

Owen Waygood, University of Western England

Rich Weaver, American Public Transportation Association
Dear Colleague,

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Office of Operations and Office of Planning, 

Environment, and Realty, in partnership with the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Office 

of Planning and Environment, have developed a new product, The Role of Transportation 

Systems Management & Operations in Supporting Livability and Sustainability: A Primer. This 

document was developed in collaboration with a broad array of transportation professionals and 

experts in sustainability. Representatives from State departments of transportation, 

metropolitan planning organizations, and local governments, as well as non-governmental 

organizations, transportation industry associations, and other Federal agencies provided 

insights and guidance through a peer exchange workshop and reviews of the document 

throughout its development. Input was also solicited from international practitioners in a 

working session during the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in January 2011 to 

gather input on best practices worldwide. 

This primer is part of FHWA’s suite of Planning for Operations products. The primer shows 

that how transportation systems are managed and operated affects the communities they serve 

in many ways, with implications for mobility and accessibility, safety, community life, 

economic vitality, and environmental quality. It describes how a comprehensive, balanced 

approach to management and operations (M&O) can advance livability and sustainability, and 

identifies key principles or “fundamentals” for managing and operating transportation systems 

in ways that support livability and sustainability.

Case examples from across the nation and abroad illustrate different ways in which the linkage 

has been made between M&O and livability and sustainability and provide a guide for 

implementing these ideas. Examples of operations strategies described include providing 

real-time travel information to help individuals make better travel choices; ensuring that traffic 

signals are timed to improve mobility and safety for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit, while 

reducing unnecessary delay for drivers; and demand management techniques for travelers and 

freight, including efforts to encourage shifting trips to off-peak periods to reduce traffic 

congestion and emissions. The document also provides a vision of how the regional 

transportation system could look in the future if M&O strategies were comprehensively 

implemented to advance livability and sustainability goals. It emphasizes that efforts to create 

more livable, sustainable communities should account for all aspects of transportation — not 

only planning and project development, but also management and operations. 
This primer can be viewed electronically by visiting the U.S. DOT website on Planning for 

Operations at http://www.plan4operations.dot.gov. We look forward to receiving your feedback, 

reactions, and experiences in implementing these concepts and utilizing this resource. Please 

direct any comments, questions, and suggestions to Wayne Berman at wayne.berman@dot.gov 

or 202-366-4069.

Sincerely yours,

2

Robert E. Arnold, Director

Office of Transportation

Management

James A. Cheatham, Director

FHWA Office of Planning

Charles Goodman, Director

FTA Office of Systems 

Management

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Acronyms

AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

ADA Americans with Disabilities Act

AVL Automatic vehicle location

BRT Bus rapid transit

CDTC Capital District Transportation Committee

CMP Congestion management process

DOT Department of transportation

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

FHWA Federal Highway Administration

FTA Federal Transit Administration

GHG Greenhouse gas

HOT High-occupancy toll

HOV High-occupancy vehicle

HUD U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

ICM Integrated corridor management

ITS Intelligent transportation systems

M&O Management and operations (of the transportation system)

MPO Metropolitan planning organization

NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program

NITTEC Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition

TDM Travel demand management

TSP Transit signal priority

U.S. DOT U.S. Department of Transportation

VICS Vehicle information and communication system

VMT Vehicle miles traveled

WSDOT Washington State Department of Transportation
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Contents

Introduction 1

Purpose of the Primer 1

What Do We Mean by Livability and Sustainability? 1

What Is Transportation Systems Management & Operations? 3

Why Is M&O Important to Help Achieve Livability and Sustainability Goals? 4

Potential Roles of M&O in Supporting Livability and Sustainability 7

How M&O Can Support Livability and Sustainability 7

A Balanced Approach to M&O 11

Fundamentals: How to Manage and Operate Transportation Systems to Support

Livability and Sustainability 13

Operate to Serve Community Priorities 13

Increase Opportunities for Safe, Comfortable Walking and Bicycling 15

Improve the Transit Experience 17

Support Reliable, Efficient Movement of People and Goods 20

Manage Travel Demand 23

Provide Information to Support Choices 25

Support Placemaking 27

Use Balanced Performance Measures 29

Collaborate and Coordinate Broadly 30

Putting it All Together 33

Multimodal Corridor Strategy: Urban/Suburban Roadway Transition 33

Multimodal Corridor Phased Operations Plan 36

Regional Transportation Systems Management and Operations 36

Getting Started 38

Resources 41

Glossary 46

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Purpose of the Primer

Transportation agencies have long been tasked with 

helping to support community goals of mobility, accessibility, and economic vitality. Recently, there 

has been a rising interest in having sustainability 

and livability goals help guide transportation system 

investments, with considerable focus on the interrelationship between transportation infrastructure, 

housing, and land use planning. 

In addition to planning and designing transportation 

infrastructure, State, regional, and local governments play a key role in operating transportation 

systems from maintaining local traffic signals and 

crosswalks to operating regional transit services 

and Statewide traveler information programs. 

However, the role that transportation systems management and operations (M&O) plays in supporting 

livability and sustainability has not been well defined. As a result, transportation planners, operators, and stakeholders are not fully aware of the role 

that M&O may play in achieving livability and sustainability goals and how M&O strategies can support these goals in a cost-effective and timely manner. This primer attempts to respond to these gaps. 

It is designed to increase the understanding of the 

role of transportation systems M&O in supporting 

livable and sustainable communities. 

The primer is directed at transportation planners 

and transportation system operators at the State, 

regional, and local levels. It is also meant to support 

the broader audience of stakeholders involved in all 

aspects of transportation and community decisionmaking, from elected officials and interested citizens to practitioners in related fields such as land 

use planning, community development, housing, 

the environment, and public health. 

What Do We Mean by Livability 

and Sustainability?

Livability and sustainability are two closely related and 

overlapping societal goals that can be supported, in 

part, through transportation planning and operations. 

Livability in transportation is about using transportation facilities and services to help achieve broader 

community goals, such as increasing travel choices, 

improving economic competitiveness, and enhancing unique community characteristics. Livability directly benefits people who live in, work in, or visit 

an area. Livable transportation systems accommodate a range of transportation modes (walking, bicycling, public transit, and automobiles) by creating 

balanced multimodal transportation networks that 

offer multiple transportation choices. Livable transportation systems provide reliable and timely access to jobs, community services, affordable housing, and schools while helping create safe streets 

and expand business access to markets.

Figure 1 lists six principles of livability established in 

2009 by the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, 

a collaboration among the U.S. Department of 

Transportation (U.S. DOT), Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA), and Department of Housing and 

Urban Development (HUD).

Specifically, livability in relation to transportation

includes:1

 Addressing road safety and capacity issues through 

better planning, design, and construction. 

 Integrating health and community design considerations into the transportation planning process to 

create more livable places where residents and 

workers have a full range of transportation choices.

Introduction

1 U.S. DOT, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), The Role of FHWA Programs In Livability: State of the Practice Summary, 

March 2011. Available at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/livability/state_of_the_practice_summary/.
2 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

Partnership for Sustainable Communities 

In June 2009, U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, HUD Secretary Shaun 

Donovan, and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced the new 

Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The partnership 

defined six livability principles that will serve as a basis of interagency 

coordination designed to help America’s neighborhoods become safer, 

healthier, and more vibrant. The partnership will encourage the 

incorporation of livability principles into Federal programs while better 

protecting the environment, promoting equitable development, and 

helping to address the challenges of climate change.

The Livability Principles

 Provide more transportation choices. Develop safe, reliable, and economical transportation choices 

to decrease household transportation costs, reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, improve air 

quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote public health. 

 Promote equitable, affordable housing. Expand location- and energy-efficient housing choices for 

people of all ages, incomes, races, and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower the combined cost of 

housing and transportation. 

 Enhance economic competitiveness. Improve economic competitiveness through reliable and timely 

access to employment centers, educational opportunities, services, and other basic needs by workers, 

as well as expanded business access to markets. 

 Support existing communities. Target Federal funding toward existing communities—through strategies like transit oriented, mixed-use development, and land recycling—to increase community revitalization and the efficiency of public works investments and safeguard rural landscapes. 

 Coordinate and leverage Federal policies and investment. Align Federal policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage funding, and increase the accountability and effectiveness of all 

levels of government to plan for future growth, including making smart energy choices such as locally 

generated renewable energy. 

 Value communities and neighborhoods. Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities by 

investing in healthy, safe, and walkable neighborhoods—rural, urban, or suburban.

Source: HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Available at

http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/partnership/index.html.

 Using travel demand management (TDM) approaches and M&O strategies to maximize the

efficiency of transportation investments. 

 Maximizing and expanding new technologies such 

as intelligent transportation systems (ITS), green 

infrastructure, and quiet pavement. 

 Developing fast, frequent, and dependable public 

transportation to foster economic development 

and accessibility to a wide range of housing and 

employment choices. 

 Strategically connecting the modal pieces—bikeways, pedestrian facilities, transit services, and 

roadways—into a truly intermodal, interconnected 

system.

 Enhancing the natural environment through improved storm water mitigation, enhanced air quality, 

and decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

Sustainability is frequently defined as “meeting 

the needs of the present without compromising the 

ability of future generations to meet their own 

needs.”2

 Sustainability incorporates the “triple bottom line” concept, which involves maximizing the 

positive effect of decisions on three factors: equity 

(also known as social or people), ecology (also 

known as environment), and economy. The goal of 

sustainability is “the satisfaction of basic social and 

economic needs, both present and future and the 

2 The “Brundtland definition” in the World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future (New York: 

Oxford University Press, 1987). Available at: http://www.un-documents.net/wced-ocf.htm.
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responsible use of natural resources, all while maintaining or improving the well-being of the environment and ecology on which life depends.”3

In practice, elements of livability and sustainability 

are closely related, and the transportation solutions 

that support each area are likely to be similar. Both 

livability and sustainability address issues of social 

equity and human health and seek to promote more 

environmentally friendly travel options and economic activities.

The key differences between livability and sustainability are their timeframes and scope. Sustainability 

includes a long-term, multigenerational focus that 

addresses larger environmental goals such as reducing climate impacts, increasing energy efficiency, and reducing natural resource use. Meanwhile, 

livability initiatives are often focused on near-term 

planning, funding, and implementation strategies at 

the community level. 

This primer treats livability and sustainability as entwined concepts, seeking to identify ways that 

M&O can support both sets of goals. 

What Is Transportation Systems 

Management & Operations?

Transportation systems M&O refers to multimodal 

transportation strategies to maximize the efficiency, 

safety, and utility of existing and planned transportation infrastructure. M&O strategies encompass 

many activities, such as: 

 Traffic incident management.

 Traffic signal coordination.

 Transit signal priority (TSP) and bus rapid transit 

(BRT).

 Freight management.

 Work zone management.

 Special event management.

 Road weather management.

 Congestion pricing.

 Managed lanes.

 Ridesharing and demand management programs.

 Parking management.

 Electronic toll collection and transit smart cards.

 Traveler information systems.

M&O is also connected to planning and infrastructure considerations such as access management, 

street network layout, and intersection design (e.g., 

use of roundabouts, right-turn slip lanes and median 

islands, four-way stops, turning lanes). The emerging integration of operational improvements with 

urban design and context-sensitive roadway design—through such means as boulevard designs, 

repurposing of excess road capacity for bicycle 

lanes, and use of roundabouts—can help improve 

vehicular operations and multimodal access while 

improving safety, enhancing aesthetics, and reducing emissions. 

M&O strategies involve a range of transportation 

operators and stakeholders, such as: 

 State departments of transportation (DOTs), which 

are often responsible for operations on freeways 

and major arterials and for programs such as electronic toll collection, incident management, and 

traveler information services. 

 Local communities, which are often responsible for 

local road operations, including traffic signals and 

signage, local transit services, and municipal parking.

 Regional transit operators and commuter rail services that provide travel options. 

 Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), which 

often have regional transportation operations committees to coordinate and integrate regional transportation planning and operations. Some MPOs 

and regional authorities also operate system components, such as signal systems, traveler information systems, TDM programs, transit systems, 

bridges, and tolling.

3 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Sustainable Highways Evaluation Tool, https://www.sustainablehighways.org/.
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Why Is M&O Important to 

Help Achieve Livability and

Sustainability Goals?

Regardless of whether it is a focus or not, the way 

in which transportation systems are operated affects how people and communities interact with 

those systems. Table 1 illustrates how transportation M&O is closely linked to livability and sustainability concerns. 

Some conventional applications of M&O strategies 

have been counted as working against livability and 

sustainability goals because they facilitate automobile travel speeds that compromise the safety of 

other modes and improve vehicle traffic movement 

at the expense of other modes, which potentially 

encourages more vehicle travel and resulting emissions.

However, M&O strategy applications can increase 

travel choices and efficiency for all modes—including transit, bicycling, and walking—while reducing 

emissions and resource use. For instance, a roadway can be operated to optimize only vehicle travel 

movement, or it can be operated to improve multimodal system performance through:

 Enabling more efficient, reliable transit trips by 

changing signal timing to prioritize public transit 

and providing real-time transit information. 

 Redesigning existing roads with medians, channelized islands at turning lanes, and/or roundabouts to 

improve vehicle throughput and multimodal access.

 Adding bicycle lanes that make it easier and safer 

to ride a bicycle, changing signal timing to make it 

easier for pedestrians to cross intersections, and 

installing pedestrian countdown signals to make it 

safer to cross. 

 Developing ridesharing programs and parking management strategies that support moving more 

people with the same amount of infrastructure. 

Both M&O strategies and livability and sustainability 

goals share an important objective of using resources more efficiently, whether those resources are 

land, fuel, or funding. M&O strategies do not have 

to be expensive or complex. Low-cost actions as 

simple as accounting for different factors when developing traffic signal plans, restriping pavement, or 

developing bus schedules and routes can increase 

transportation system efficiency. Many M&O strategies are activities that State and local governments 

and transportation agencies currently undertake, 

but which they may not consider to be part of their 

sustainability or livability efforts.

The key message is that M&O strategies can help 

improve how existing transportation systems 

interface with the communities they serve. As a 

result, considering how transportation is managed 

and operated can be a vital aspect of supporting livable communities and sustainable planning efforts.
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Table 1 How M&O Affects People and Communities

M&O Affects...

...Mobility and Accessibility—How efficiently people and goods can move from place to place and their 

ability to take advantage of different transportation choices. Example M&O strategies include park-and-ride 

lots, intermodal centers, TSP, and managed lanes.

...Safety—How safe it is to walk, bicycle, take transit, or drive from place to place. Example strategies 

include traffic signal timing and the addition and improvement of crosswalks and bicycle lanes.

...Reliability—How much time travelers are stuck in unexpected traffic due to incidents, work zones, 

special events, or bad weather. Example strategies include traveler information systems, incident response 

programs, and work zone and special event management.

...Community Life—How pleasant the community environment is in urban areas, suburban 

neighborhoods, and rural communities. Example strategies include traffic calming, parking management, 

and pedestrian countdown signals. 

...Economic Vitality—How efficiently goods reach markets and how costly it is for the public and shippers 

to reach destinations. Example strategies include freight management strategies, ridesharing programs, 

and bus rapid transit. 

...Environmental Quality—How much fuel must be used and pollution produced by transportation 

operations. Example strategies include traveler delay reduction programs, encouragement of non-motorized 

modes, and support for increased transit ridership and ridesharing.

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How M&O Can Support Livability 

and Sustainability

M&O strategies can support livability and sustainability in multiple contexts, including: 

 Neighborhood and corridor strategies (applied at a local or regional level), such as parking management, traffic signal coordination, TSP, 

arterial management, bicycle sharing, and traffic 

calming.

 Regional systems, such as traveler information 

systems; congestion pricing and electronic payment/tolls; managed lanes; management of freight, 

freeways, work zones, traffic incidents, and special 

events; and emergency response and homeland 

security. 

 Modal connections, such as smart cards for transit and parking, real-time transit information, and 

bicycle/pedestrian operations such as crosswalk 

signals or bicycle racks on public transit buses.

Transportation systems M&O has wide-ranging 

impacts on communities and the environment—from 

how easy it is for a pedestrian to cross the street to 

how much fuel, productivity, and quality of life is 

wasted in traffic.

Efforts to create more livable, sustainable 

communities should account for all aspects of 

transportation: planning, development, management, 

and operations.

 Policy and communications at the state and 

regional levels, such as implementation of an intelligent transportation systems (ITS) architecture 

to ensure that technologies work together effectively and regional transportation plans and longrange state transportation plans that define a vision, 

goals, and objectives for how a transportation system should operate.

The connections between M&O strategies and livability and sustainability can be broadly grouped into 

three areas: economic, environmental, and community-related (i.e., related to travel choices and equity). 

Table 2 highlights these connections and some 

measures of the benefits.

Potential Roles of M&O in Supporting

Livability and Sustainability
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Category Specific Connections

The role of M&O in 

supporting economic 

sustainability and/or 

livability issues 

•	 M&O strategies save travelers time and money by reducing congestion. By one

measure, operational improvements nationwide resulted in a savings of 308 

million annual hours of delay, with a value of $6.5 billion, in 2007.4

•	 M&O strategies cost-effectively improve transportation system performance.

M&O strategies are able to improve the performance of the transportation 

system at low- to moderate-cost and often without requiring any expansion of 

the system’s physical capacity.5

•	 M&O strategies can enhance economic competitiveness and economic

development. Improving multimodal networks can help support commercial 

districts by making them more attractive for pedestrians and other nonautomobile users.6

 M&O strategies that improve transportation system 

reliability can help support efficient goods movement, which may result in 

lower costs of goods and may enhance economic competitiveness.

•	 M&O strategies can improve safety. It is estimated that road weather

information systems can reduce traveler delay and lower crash rates by seven 

to 83 percent.7

 Signal coordination can decrease intersection crash rates, 

reduce rear-end conflicts, and reduce crashes during turning movements at 

signalized intersections.8

•	 Implementation of pricing of lanes or parking (an M&O strategy) can provide a

sustainable funding source for transportation. One estimate found first-year 

revenue generation of $235 to $500 million and longer-term annual revenues of 

$0.5 to $1 billion from turning a region’s freeway shoulders into dynamic priced 

lanes during the peak periods.9

The role of M&O in 

supporting 

environmental 

sustainability and/or 

livability issues 

•	 M&O strategies can improve air quality and public health by reducing air

pollutant emissions. Strategies that reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT), 

vehicle trips, and vehicle idling reduce all air pollutants; improving traffic speeds 

or flow can also reduce some emissions.10

•	 M&O strategies can help mitigate climate change by reducing fuel consumption

and GHG emissions. Various studies have shown GHG reductions attributable 

to operations strategies in the range of three to 20 percent.11

•	 M&O strategies can support land preservation and reduce sprawl by limiting

new infrastructure development. This is an indirect benefit of M&O. M&O 

contributes to the principle of “fix it first” and can be an alternative to adding 

additional road capacity.12

Table 2 Connections between M&O Strategies and Livability and Sustainability

4 Texas Transportation Institute, Urban Mobility Report 2009, July 2009. 

5 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Identifying How Management and Operations Supports Livability and Sustainability Goals, White Paper, April 

2010.

6 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), The Road to Livability, April 2010. 

7 U.S. DOT, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office, Investment Opportunities for Managing 

Transportation Performance through Technology, January 2009.

8 Antonucci, Nicholas D., et al. Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan, National Cooperative 

Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Volume 12, 2004.

9 DeCorla-Souza, Patrick T., “Impacts from Implementing Dynamic Shoulder Travel Lanes with Congestion Pricing,” 

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, 2010. 

10 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Multi-Pollutant Emissions Benefits of Transportation Strategies, November 2006. 

11 Neudorff, Louis G., Moving Cooler— An Operations and ITS Perspective, ITS America Technical Forum on Sustainability, 2009. 

12 Rue, Harrison, Real Towns: Making your Neighborhood Work (Sacramento, California: Local Government Commission, 2000). 
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Category Specific Connections

The role of M&O in 

supporting travel 

choices and social/

equity issues

•	 M&O strategies can support travel choices by increasing the attractiveness of

travel options. Road pricing and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes provide more 

efficient travel options and improve bus operations. M&O strategies reduce 

transit travel times for buses and street-running rail modes and are a key 

component of BRT systems; BRT has been shown to increase transit ridership 

by previous non-riders.13 Developing parallel bicycle and pedestrian facilities or 

arterial road diets are other strategies to improve transportation choices, 

particularly for non-motorized travel.14

•	 M&O strategies can increase public awareness of suitable travel options.

Through the use of transportation options marketing, TDM, and traveler 

information programs, travelers can make more informed decisions about their 

mode choice, travel time, and/or travel routes, leading to smarter, more 

efficient use of the transportation network.15

•	 M&O strategies can provide greater social equity by increasing travel options

for disadvantaged populations and communities. Public transit operations 

strategies can help support mobility and access for those without access to a 

personal vehicle. M&O strategies that improve multimodal safety are strategies 

that promote social equity amongst all populations including senior citizens, 

children, and those with disabilities.

•	 M&O strategies preserve existing communities by maximizing the efficient use

of existing infrastructure. ITS and operations investments require minimal new 

rights of way or construction, thereby preserving existing transportation 

infrastructure while improving operations.16

13 U.S. DOT, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Bus Rapid Transit and Development: Policies and Practices that Affect 

Development Around Transit, December 2009. 

14 U.S. DOT, FHWA and FTA, Livability In Transportation Guidebook: Planning Approaches that Promote Livability, 2010.

15 Governors’ Institute on Community Design, Policies that Work: A Governor’s Guide to Growth and Development, 2009. 

16 U.S. DOT, ITS Joint Program Office. Investment Opportunities for Managing Transportation Performance through Technology, 

January 2009.

17 East End Transportation Council, New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, and ARKF, Inc. “Sustainable East End 

Development Strategies.” June 2005.

Many M&O strategies implicitly support livability 

and sustainability by promoting more efficient use 

of existing facilities while reducing the need for potentially costly and disruptive capital investments 

that may be out of character with communities they 

serve.

M&O strategies can be an important component of 

regional sustainability efforts. For example, the 

Sustainable East End Development Strategies planning effort to improve the sustainability and quality 

of life of Eastern Long Island identified M&O strategies as “low-impact, low-cost, and easily implemented system improvements” that could help the 

community achieve many of its goals.17
10 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

M&O Supporting Multimodal Options in Seattle

After repaving Stone Way North in the Wallingford area of Seattle, Washington, the Seattle DOT 

had the option to maintain the roadway’s previous cross-section as four general-purpose travel 

lanes or to adopt a new cross-section and operational strategies for the corridor. Based on a 

balanced approach to M&O, the city decided to restripe the roadway as a three-lane section with 

bicycle facilities (a bicycle lane on the uphill side of the street and sharrows on the downhill side), 

on-street parking, and updated crosswalks.

The restriping allowed the city to complete a project identified in its 2007 Bicycle Master Plan and 

increase transportation options in the area. A before-and-after study of the corridor showed that 

peak hour vehicle capacity was maintained despite the reduction in the number of general travel 

lanes. The study also found a 35 percent increase in bicycle traffic, a 33 percent reduction in 

collisions with injuries (all modes), and an 80 percent reduction in vehicle-pedestrian collisions.

Source: City of Seattle DOT, Stone Way N Rechannelization: Before and After Study, May 2010. 

Stone Way North of 40th Street

N

EXISTING

PARKING

PARKING

PROPOSED

PARKING

PARKING
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A Balanced Approach to M&O

Maximizing the livability and sustainability benefits 

of M&O strategies requires a balanced approach to 

M&O. Not all M&O strategies support livability and 

sustainability outcomes equally. For example, traffic signals that prioritize vehicle traffic flow but do 

not consider the mobility and access needs of pedestrians, bicycles, and transit can actually work 

against livability and sustainability principles. In contrast, signal timing plans and roundabouts that support livability and sustainability objectives will provide improved mobility in a way that balances 

vehicular and bus traffic, pedestrians, and bicycle 

access, in order to support community vitality, 

safety, and the environment. 

A balanced approach to M&O provides a framework 

that helps practitioners consider tradeoffs, better 

understand potential impacts on livability and sustainability, and avoid unintended results. Most importantly, this framework encourages practitioners 

to evaluate transportation system operations from a 

variety of perspectives and consider how the system can be optimized in multiple ways to achieve 

different performance measures and goals. 

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Fundamentals: How to Manage and Operate 

Transportation Systems to Support

Livability and Sustainability

This section highlights nine key elements—

“fundamentals”—for managing and operating 

transportation systems in ways that support livability and sustainability. Many of the activities described in the fundamentals are already part of 

transportation agency best practices, but may not 

be applied as part of a more comprehensive, balanced approach to advancing sustainability and livability in transportation operations. M&O strategies 

are rarely applied in isolation, and approaches from 

across the fundamentals should be combined to 

maximize the benefits to communities. 

The fundamentals are: 

 Operate to serve community priorities.

 Increase opportunities for safe, comfortable walking and bicycling.

 Improve the transit experience.

 Support reliable, efficient movement of people and 

goods.

 Manage travel demand.

 Provide information to support choices.

 Support placemaking.

 Use balanced performance measures.

 Collaborate and coordinate broadly.

Each of these fundamentals is described below, along 

with specific examples of their application in different 

communities across the U.S. and internationally. The 

individual M&O strategies identified in these sections 

are examples of good practices but are not fully comprehensive or ranked in any priority order.

Operate to Serve Community 

Priorities 

The choice and implementation of M&O strategies 

should respond to community priorities, reflecting 

the community’s goals and objectives for the transportation system and its larger context as expressed 

through the planning process. These goals provide 

the basis for judging what is considered successful 

operation of the transportation system. By focusing 

on community priorities, transportation system operations can help a community achieve its broader 

goals. 

Methods for Incorporating Community 

Priorities into Operations

 Incorporate operations considerations into the 

planning process.

Considering operations strategies during the planning process ensures that the strategies sync with 

long-term plans for the community. 

 Use context-sensitive solutions.

This approach focuses on tailoring designs to community needs; operations can be part of this process 

as well.

 Conduct public outreach around proposed operations changes and gather community feedback before 

and after to guide future changes.
14 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

Context is an essential consideration in determining 

how to operate the system. How a roadway operates should depend in part on its character—for instance, a major urban arterial, a small-town main 

street, a neighborhood street, and a scenic rural 

road will each have different characteristics, operating speeds, and levels of emphasis on elements 

such as integration of different modes. 

This approach runs in parallel to the idea of contextsensitive design, which calls for transportation facility design to consider how the facility will fit within 

its total context (physical, aesthetic, historic, etc.). 

As with that approach, there must be a certain 

amount of flexibility in the application of traditional 

roadway operating standards and recognition that 

systems can still be operated safely while responding to broader community goals. 

For example, the Capital District Transportation 

Committee (CDTC) in the Albany, New York region 

has established congestion management principles 

as part of both its metropolitan transportation plan 

and its congestion management process (CMP). 

CDTC believes that what the residents of the region 

want—as articulated in the regional vision and as 

expressed though resident involvement in corridorand project-level studies—must help define how 

congestion management is applied in the region.

A key element of this is the region’s decision to implement demand management strategies and operational strategies before capacity expansion when 

addressing regional congestion. The M&O focus is 

also influenced by public opinion polling CDTC completed using surveys and public involvement. CDTC 

found that the public wants more bicycle, pedestrian, and other improvements and that travel time reliability (which can often be addressed through 

M&O strategies) is the most important congestion 

issue for travelers in the region. 

Roadway operations need to be considered from 

multiple perspectives: the function a street provides 

within the overall transportation system, its users, 

and the communities through which it passes. The 

City of Pasadena, California, is developing a contextbased street classification system to allow planners 

and operators to more easily identify the appropriate roadway treatments for the context and function 

of the roadway. This system builds on a long-standing program of residential neighborhood traffic 

calming through the city’s Neighborhood Traffic 

Management Program. The program relies on outreach into neighborhoods to identify local concerns 

and to develop consensus on solutions. In recognition that improvements in one neighborhood can 

push traffic from one neighborhood to another, the 

program is now being expanded to take a multineighborhood approach to traffic management to 

improve the interfaces between local residential 

streets and major streets. 

Neighborhood Greenways Program

Portland, Oregon

To meet the city’s goals for increasing bicycle 

mode share, the Portland Bureau of 

Transportation (PBOT) has developed a 

network of “neighborhood greenways” (or 

“bicycle boulevards”). Neighborhood 

greenways use existing low-traffic, local roads 

to create high-quality bicycle and pedestrian 

facilities linking residential areas to schools, 

parks, and businesses. This program has used 

relatively low-cost M&O strategies to 

transform existing streets into a network of 

multimodal facilities that promote active 

transportation and neighborhood livability. 

Studies to date show that the greenways are well-received by neighborhoods, increase bicycling 

and walking, and divert minimal amounts of through traffic to nearby local streets. 

For more information: http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=50518. 

Source: G. Raisman, PBOT 
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Sample Contexts and Priorities

Rural Areas

 For travel between towns, priorities may focus on 

safe and consistent roadway operations for personal automobiles and trucks, as these modes are 

often the key to mobility in this context. The focus 

also may be on balancing roadway safety and efficient freight movement with environmental protection and preserving scenic vistas to attract tourism. 

 Within small towns, priorities may be more focused 

on balancing the needs of through and local traffic, 

using such strategies as access management, traffic signal coordination, and roundabouts to move 

vehicles through efficiently while still allowing safe 

and convenient pedestrian movement and preserving local character. Communities may also be concerned with providing more transportation options 

to local residents through demand-response transit 

and intercity bus services. 

Urban and Suburban Areas

 In urban centers, priorities will typically incorporate 

a broader range of modes, often with more focus 

on supporting transit, pedestrians, and bicycles and 

facilitating shared modal options like car sharing 

and bicycle sharing. 

 On major arterials and in activity centers, person 

movement rather than vehicle movement may be 

the focus, with strategies like TSP and parking 

management playing key roles. 

 Residential neighborhoods and town centers may 

have a different modal hierarchy, giving precedence 

to pedestrians and bicyclists over automobiles. The 

operational priority may be to discourage through 

traffic to help preserve quiet, safe streets in residential neighborhoods or to encourage more foot 

traffic in town centers to support local businesses. 

 On freeways, particularly where capacity expansions are cost- or space-prohibitive, the focus may 

be on encouraging higher vehicle occupancies that 

allow congested roadways to carry more people 

during peak periods. This can be achieved by linking more typical roadway management strategies 

with demand management and managed lanes. 

Managed lanes are a set of lanes where operational 

strategies are proactively implemented and managed in response to changing conditions, including 

through the use of roadway pricing (e.g., high-occupancy toll lanes) and/or restricting which vehicles 

can enter the lanes (e.g., high-occupancy vehicle, 

express, or truck-only lanes).

Increase Opportunities for 

Safe, Comfortable Walking

and Bicycling

Walking and bicycling are central to sustainability and livability. These modes are lowcost and broadly available. These modes 

provide many environmental benefits: they 

are non-polluting modes, their infrastructure 

requirements are less intense than other 

modes, and they can often be supported 

through existing infrastructure. Walking and 

bicycling also provide a variety of community 

benefits: they contribute to the health of individuals, encourage social interaction that 

strengthens communities, and support the 

vitality of retail districts and neighborhoods. 

While the basic infrastructure to support walking 

and bicycling—such as sidewalks, bicycle lanes, 

and shared-use paths—are important, the attractiveness and function of these modes is heavily affected by the management and operation of the 

transportation system. For example, traffic signal 

timing determines the amount of time pedestrians 

have to cross streets and how long they have to 

wait before crossings. Pedestrian countdown walk 

Pedestrian Safety Program 

Miami-Dade County, Florida

Miami-Dade County has one of the highest rates of pedestrian 

fatalities per population for large metropolitan regions. To combat 

this, the county recently implemented a comprehensive pedestrian 

safety improvement program on eight high-crash corridors. The 

program focused on immediate implementation of low- and mediumcost treatments, including several M&O strategies; as a result, the 

total cost of the program was less than $1.1 million. Before-and-after 

crash data along the target corridors show that pedestrian crashes 

decreased by over 40 percent after implementation.

Source: University of Florida, Miami-Dade Pedestrian Safety Project: Phase II 

Final Implementation Report and Executive Summary, August 2008.

Source: Hallmark 2007

Tubular channelizers 

in Slater, Iowa
16 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

signals reduce confusion and help pedestrians make better crossing choices by informing pedestrians of the number of seconds remaining to safely cross the street. 

Along with infrastructure improvements 

such as wider sidewalks, pedestrian refuges in medians, and well-designed turning 

slip lanes (a turn lane offset at an intersection with a pedestrian refuge), pedestrian 

countdown signals can help make walking 

safer and more attractive. Similarly, incorporating bicycle detector loops at actuated 

signals ensures that bicycles will be able to safely 

cross intersections without undue wait, particularly 

in the off-peak periods. 

Some key M&O-related strategies to promote walking and bicycling are:

 Traffic Calming—A combination of M&O and 

physical measures to encourage lower speeds and 

reduce traffic volumes, which improve pedestrian 

and bicyclist safety. Speed limit reductions

combined with improved crosswalks, bicycle lanes 

or shared-lane bicycle markings, on-street parking 

management, signage, and enforcement can help 

create visual cues that define areas that demand 

lower speeds and additional awareness of nonmotorist roadway users. 

The Iowa DOT tested various low-cost traffic calming treatments in rural communities to help slow 

traffic on major roads as they entered the communities. Strategies that showed the greatest effect 

on traffic speeds were speed feedback signs (signs 

that measured and displayed the actual approach 

speeds), colored pavement, on-pavement speed 

signing, and creation of center medians with tubular channelizers (poles).18

 ITS Technologies—At signalized intersections, 

traffic signal timing and pedestrian countdown signals can have an important effect on enabling people to walk or bicycle across streets safely. At nonsignalized intersections, rectangular rapid flash 

18 Hallmark, Shauna, et al., “Evaluation of Gateway and Low-Cost Traffic-Calming Treatments for Major Routes in Small Rural 

Communities,” for Iowa DOT and U.S. DOT, November 2007. Available at:

http://www.ctre.iaState.edu/reports/traffic-calming-rural.pdf.

Green Light for Midtown and New Pedestrian Spaces in New York City

Increasing opportunities for walking and bicycling can also involve 

recognizing situations where these modes are, or should be, the 

dominant mode. This can be done to attract more pedestrians and 

bicyclists or address issues with already high volumes of these 

modes. A high-profile example of this is the 2009 creation of 

pedestrian areas in Times Square and Herald Square in New York 

City that was completed under the Green Light for Midtown project.

The project was intended to improve safety, mobility, and livability 

along the Broadway corridor, which bisects the famous Times 

Square. The corridor suffered from inadequate pedestrian facilities 

that often led to people walking in the streets, long crossings and 

multi-legged intersections, and confusing traffic patterns. To 

address this, New York City DOT removed vehicular traffic from 

Broadway in Times Square and Herald Square, in coordination with 

other traffic changes to signal timing, roadway geometry, crosswalk 

shortenings, and parking regulation changes. Within the new 

pedestrian spaces, a variety of streetscape improvements were 

implemented. 

Evaluations of the project found that one year later:

 Vehicular travel speeds in most directions improved by three to 17 

percent, including for transit buses.

 Safety was vastly improved for all users, with pedestrian injuries 

down 35 percent, all traffic injuries down 63 percent, and 80 percent 

fewer pedestrians walking in the roadway in Times Square.

 Pedestrian volumes were six to eleven percent higher in the two 

squares.

Source: New York City DOT, Green Light for Midtown Evaluation Report, January 2010. 

Source: FHWA, MUTCD, 2008

Rectangular rapid 

flash beacon on 

pedestrian sign

Before

After

Source: New York City DOT Source: New York City DOT
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beacons attached to pedestrian signs can alert

motorists to the presence of a pedestrian crossing 

or preparing to cross. When the pedestrian activates the system, either by using a push-button or 

through detection from a sensor, the lights begin to 

flash, warning the motorist that a pedestrian is in 

the vicinity of the crosswalk. 

 Complete Streets—Complete streets are designed and operated to enable safe access and 

mobility for transportation system users of all ages 

and abilities, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and public transportation users. M&O strategies play an important role in helping communities 

implement complete streets policies once they are 

adopted and can provide additional options where 

infrastructure changes are not feasible due to 

physical or financial constraints. M&O strategies 

such as traffic signal timing progression that are 

optimized for transit or bicycle speeds rather than 

motor vehicle speeds can help to improve multimodal efficiency on complete streets and distinguish them from surrounding auto-oriented streets. 

 Safe Routes to Schools—Safe Routes to School 

programs, implemented by school districts and local governments, encourage children to walk and 

bicycle to school through a combination of education, outreach, and infrastructure improvements. 

M&O strategies can be used effectively to delineate school zones, alert motorists to the presence 

of children, and create an environment that promotes multimodal safety and accessibility. Strategies include retroreflective school crossing signs, 

changeable message signs and speed feedback 

signs, school zone pavement markings, crossing 

guards and student patrols, accessible pedestrian 

signals, and high-visibility crosswalks. FHWA provides funding and resources for Safe Routes to 

School; some State and local governments provide 

additional support and funding.

 Bicycle Sharing—These programs provide public 

bicycles at docking stations at various locations 

throughout an urban area, available on demand to 

users. Users can pick up a bicycle at a station near 

their origin and return it at any station in the system. Smartcards or payment kiosks are used to 

gain access to the bicycles. Several bicycle sharing 

programs have launched in the United States over 

the last few years, with one of the most successful 

in Washington, DC, and neighboring Arlington, Virginia. After a pilot program to demonstrate the 

model’s feasibility, Capital Bikeshare was launched 

in September 2010 and as of April 2011 had over 

110 stations, 1,100 bicycles, 10,700 members, and 

had logged over 300,000 rides. Several other major 

U.S. cities have launched bicycle sharing programs, 

including Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, Denver, 

Des Moines, Miami, and San Antonio. 

Improve the Transit Experience

Improving travel choices by increasing the attractiveness and performance of public transit is a central component of making communities more livable 

and sustainable, especially in more compact cities 

and towns where transit can operate cost-effectively. The benefits of transit for communities are numerous. Transit helps reduce vehicle travel and 

congestion, leading to fewer criteria pollutant and 

GHG emissions. For individuals, using transit instead of an automobile saves fuel and parking costs 

and reduces wear and tear on vehicles. When riders 

can reduce car ownership as a result of transit and 

other transportation options, household savings can 

be substantial. Using public transit instead of driving 

can reduce stress for travelers, improving their overall quality of life. For a community, transit boosts 

social equity by providing mobility and accessibility 

San Antonio B-Cycle 

San Antonio B-Cycle was recently 

initiated with 140 bicycles at 14 

locations located throughout the 

downtown areas. Individuals can 

purchase a 24-hour, 7-day, or 

annual membership. The program 

was implemented to improve 

travel choices, save travel costs, 

reduce motor vehicle travel, and 

support healthy living as part of implementation of the city’s 

Strategic Transportation Plan and Climate Action Plan. From the 

program’s initiation on March 28, 2011, through May 10, 2011, there 

were 4,357 bicycle trips through the program.

For more information: http://sanantonio.bcycle.com.

Source: M. Grant 

Photo of bicycle share station at La Villita
18 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

to individuals who are unable to drive or have limited 

access to a vehicle. At a larger scale, by mitigating 

congestion and increasing vehicle occupancies, 

transit can help communities avoid costly roadway 

expansions. 

M&O strategies can improve the transit-riding experience and help make transit more competitive with 

private automobiles. Within the context of M&O, 

bus transit is often a key focus because it operates 

in mixed traffic or shared rights of way. 

M&O strategies for transit can be broken into several categories. 

Roadway operations, which enable transit vehicles to operate more efficiently and reliably within 

and around general traffic. Strategies include:

 Transit signal priority (TSP): Signals can be programmed so that as a bus approaches an intersection, it gets a green light sooner or the light stays 

green a little longer to reduce the time spent waiting 

at intersections. TSP can improve on-time performance and decrease overall run time for a route 

without noticeably disrupting signal operations for 

general traffic. TSP can be tied to bus schedules so 

that priority is granted only to buses running behind. 

 Queue jumps: Queue jumps are right-turn lanes or 

separate bus-only lanes at intersections that are given a green light before other lanes to allow the bus 

to get through the intersection before general traffic. 

 Buses on shoulders: On highways, this strategy 

permits buses to used paved shoulders as a lane 

when traffic is slow. This strategy has been in use 

for nearly two decades in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, 

Minnesota metropolitan area and a study of routes 

using the shoulders found ridership on those routes 

increased by 9.2 percent, even as overall system 

ridership decreased 6.5 percent.19

Transit system operations, which concern transit 

vehicle operations directly and how they interface 

with transit users. Strategies in this area focus on 

streamlining operations to make transit operate more 

seamlessly for passengers and the system operator. 

Some widespread techniques for doing this include 

automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems and related 

software that track the location of vehicles and help 

dispatchers and drivers maintain route and schedule 

adherence. Other strategies include:

19 U.S. DOT, FTA, Bus-Only Shoulders in the Twin Cities, June 2007. Available at:

http://www.hhh.umn.edu/img/assets/11475/Bus%20Only%20Shoulders%20Report%20FINAL.pdf.

Metro Rapid Limited-Stop Bus System 

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles Metro has a system of rapid bus lines with limited BRT features that improve service 

compared to regular buses. Metro uses operational strategies to both improve bus travel times (by 

reducing delay) and make the service more appealing to new riders. These strategies include:

 Transit signal priority at traffic signals. 

 Fewer stops and more frequent service. 

 Headway-based scheduling so riders do not have to consult schedules.

 NextBus real-time arrival information at each stop. 

 Level boarding on low-floor buses.

 A route structure that keeps routes as simple and straight-line as

possible to help riders easily understand where buses go.

Results:

 23-28 percent reduction in transit travel time, with no

impact on non-transit vehicle travel time

 38-42 percent increase in ridership, one-third of whom are 

new riders 

 Passenger subsidy per mile decreased from $0.18 to $0.15 

and passengers per revenue mile increased from 51 to 59.7. 

For more information: http://www.metro.net/projects/rapid/.

Source: H. Rue
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System-Wide Transit Signal Priority 

St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission, St. Cloud, Minnesota

The St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission serves a small metropolitan area in central 

Minnesota. Following a successful pilot program, the entire traffic signal system in the area served 

by the agency was equipped with TSP equipment in 2003. 

A 2005 evaluation of the found:

 42 percent reduction in buses that were late by more than 1.5 minutes.

 32 percent reduction in bus delay time at traffic signals.

With buses better able to stay on schedule, riders can make connections more easily and drivers 

can give passengers more time to board at stops, which increases customer satisfaction with the 

system.

Source: St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission, Transit Signal Priority (TSP) Deployment Project Final 

Report, 2005.

 Improved payment methods: Faster payment 

methods speed vehicle boarding and can help 

buses improve on-time performance, along with 

simplifying fare collection. These methods include 

off-board fare collection, which collects fares at the 

station before passenger boarding, and proof-ofpayment systems, which require passengers to 

have a valid ticket or pass that is subject to random 

inspection. Many systems now use smart cards, 

which can have a value loaded in person or via the 

Internet, and some international transit systems 

now also have pay-by-phone options. Smart cards 

in particular offer the opportunity of being able to 

work with multiple transit providers, simplifying 

transfers for transit users and expanding their access to more systems. The cards can also be linked 

to other transit modes, such as car sharing. To address both the cost and delays associated with fare 

collection, some smaller systems have opted to 

make their service free, thus alleviating delays during boarding while greatly improving the attractiveness of their services. 

 Improved transit schedule coordination: Improved 

schedule coordination can help improve transfers 

between different transit services, reducing travel 

times and making transit a more attractive mode 

choice. Smooth, timely transfers are particularly 

important because out-of-vehicle wait times are 

documented to be perceived as much more onerous than in-vehicle travel times.20 Approaches to 

coordination include operating routes with the 

same headways so they align at certain transfer 

points, bringing all routes in to dwell at transit 

Charm City Circulator 

Baltimore, Maryland

Launched in January 2010, the Charm City Circulator has two routes 

serving downtown Baltimore and nearby residential neighborhoods. 

A third route is expected to launch sometime in 2011. The free 

service is targeted at downtown workers during the day and visitors 

during evenings and weekends. Buses operate every 10 minutes 

along linear routes designed to be easily understood. Routes are 

served by hybrid buses with distinctive designs and all stops are 

equipped with real-time bus arrival displays. As of June 2011, 

average daily ridership on the two routes was 7,700, far above initial 

ridership projections.

For more information: http://www.charmcitycirculator.com/. Source: Signe Renn and Mjach Designs

hubs for 3-5 minutes before they all depart, or tying feeder bus departures to the arrival of a main 

bus line or train. Schedule coordination works 

best where there is good on-time performance of 

routes.

 Circulator services: These specialized transit services generally link popular destinations within 

downtowns, university campuses, and similar areas. Circulator routes and schedules are meant to 

be easy to use for new riders, often using loop 

routes and headway-based schedules that do not 

require riders to consult a timetable. Many

20 Dowling, Richard et al. Multimodal Level of Service Analysis for Urban Streets. National Cooperative Highway Research 

Program (NCHRP) Report 616, 2008. Available at: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_616.pdf.
20 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

 downtown circulators do not have fares or charge 

only minimal amounts and accept multiple fare media. Circulator vehicles are generally distinctive, 

branded separately from other local transit service, 

and are often provided through collaboration among 

the local transit agency, the local government, and 

local businesses or business groups.21

 Real-time information: By providing accurate, realtime information about the expected arrival of buses and trains, transit systems can help riders know 

when to leave for a station or bus stop, reducing 

actual wait time, and minimize uncertainty about 

arrivals, reducing perceived wait times. Information 

can be provided via displays in stations, the Internet 

(accessible to smartphone users as well), and text 

message systems (for all mobile phones). 

 Access to and from transit stations: Multimodal access to and from transit stations can be supported 

through pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, 

which in turn may help alleviate the need to add 

more parking at major stations. Innovative transportation options are also helping to bridge the gap 

between transit services and riders’ origins and 

destinations, such as bicycle sharing, car sharing, 

real-time carpooling, and shared fleets of smaller 

neighborhood vehicles. 

M&O strategies should be prioritized for high-frequency, high-capacity transit, which in many communities may be BRT. BRT commonly consists of a 

range of M&O strategies, with specialized vehicles 

running on roadways or in dedicated lanes to provide faster, more reliable, and more comfortable 

service more typical of light rail transit. When BRT 

vehicles are running in existing roadway lanes mixed 

with cars, trucks, and local buses, coordinated M&O 

strategies are especially important. When coordinated with an integrated traffic signal management 

system and real-time route information, such as Los 

Angeles’ Metro Rapid BRT routes (see box on page 

17), buses can deliver faster, more reliable service 

without affecting other vehicular traffic.

Support Reliable, Efficient 

Movement of People and Goods

One of the fundamental aims of M&O strategies is 

to actively support efficient and reliable mobility for 

people and goods. Being stuck in traffic, particularly 

in unexpected delays, wastes time and fuel, increases air pollution, creates stress and frustration 

for drivers, and undermines the timeliness of freight 

pickups and deliveries. Particularly in congested regions and corridors, M&O strategies applied strategically can help to avoid the need for major capacity 

expansions that are costly and may not fit within 

community visions while improving mobility for 

people and goods and supporting improved safety, 

air quality, regional economic vitality, and land use 

efficiency. 

To support livability and sustainability, it is important 

that M&O strategies fit within the context of community goals and focus on the full range of system 

users. This means emphasizing efficient movement 

of people and goods rather than just vehicles and 

giving greater emphasis to modes or techniques 

that accommodate safe movement for the least 

cost in terms of economic, environmental, and social costs and the value of different trip purposes. 

For example, allowing transit buses to operate on 

the shoulders of roads during peak periods can help 

maximize the throughput of people on a facility. 

Inter-regional and interstate freight and recreational 

movement are often key economic drivers in regions, and these trips can see significant travel time 

benefits from strategies such as electronic toll collection, incident management, and work zone management. 

Reliability refers to the consistency and predictability of travel time for people and goods. It is estimated 

that more than half of congestion experienced by 

travelers is caused by non-recurring events, such as 

weather conditions, work zones, special events, 

and major incidents and emergencies that are not 

associated with overall infrastructure capacity.22 

Predictable, consistent travel times are highly

21 Boyle, Dan, Practices in the Development and Deployment of Downtown Circulators: A Synthesis of Transit Practice, Transit 

Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 87, 2011. Available at: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_syn_87.pdf.

22 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Traffic Congestion and Reliability: Trends and Advanced Strategies for Congestion Mitigation, 2005. Available 

at: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/congestion_report/index.htm. 
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valued by all users of the transportation system, 

from freight operators to transit users to commuting 

motorists. In a 2008 study of the economic impact 

of traffic incidents on businesses using North 

Carolina interstates, roughly three quarters of the 

businesses stated that shipment reliability was 

highly important because of a just-in-time manufacturing or inventory process.23 For individual travelers, unexpected congestion on the roads can also 

be costly as well, such as for workers trying to get 

to jobs on time, travelers trying to make airplane 

flights, or for working parents who need pick up 

their children at daycare on time to avoid late fees.

M&O strategies designed to improve system reliability also can support livability and sustainability 

by increasing safety, decreasing incidents, and reducing unnecessary delays that increase air pollution and create negative economic impacts on 

households and businesses. These strategies include the following, which may address all components of the multimodal transportation system: 

 Incident and emergency management encompasses a wide range of activities performed by 

professionals from emergency response (police, 

fire, medical) agencies, emergency management 

agencies, transportation operators, towing companies, hazardous materials response agencies, coroners, and other organizations to prepare for, respond to, manage, and clear traffic incidents as 

well as natural and manmade disasters. 

 Travel weather management involves mitigating 

the safety and mobility impacts that adverse 

weather conditions can have on the surface transportation system. Three types of strategies—advisory, control, and treatment—are used to manage 

and operate the transportation system before, during, and after adverse weather (e.g., fog, snow, 

flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes) to mitigate the impacts on system users. 

 Work zone management—Work zones are estimated to cause approximately ten percent of all 

roadway congestion.24 In addition, maintenance 

work on rail systems causes unexpected and often 

prolonged delays for passengers and freight. Road 

work also has the potential to deteriorate safe mobility and access for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

Strategies to manage work zone impacts include 

traveler information, setting safe speed limits, pedestrian access plans, pre-positioning tow trucks to 

quickly clear incidents, innovative contracting, ensuring the appropriate geometric design to accommodate larger vehicles, and coordinating work 

zones on parallel routes. 

 Planned special events management works to 

minimize unexpected delay due to sporting events, 

concerts, festivals, conventions, and other planned 

events that may have an impact on mobility due to 

increased travel demand and possibly reduced capacity. By effectively accommodating multiple 

modes of travel to and from the event, transportation managers can reduce the parking space needed and motorist delay caused by the significant 

surge in demand for travel and can mitigate the 

impacts of increased travel demand on communities near the event.25

Emphasis on M&O Strategies to Support Livability & 

Sustainability

Lansing, Michigan

The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, the MPO for the 

Lansing, Michigan, metropolitan area, has found through surveys and 

other public involvement efforts that the public’s highest priorities 

are maintaining mobility, preserving the system, and improving 

traffic flow through intersections and on major streets, while their 

lowest priority is system expansion. Given these results, the MPO is 

opting for a new approach to M&O that applies to all modes in 

congested corridors and considers a range of strategies, including 

road diets, traffic calming, ITS, more traditional traffic engineering 

treatments, and safety strategies. The MPO is also implementing 

approaches such as moving to continuous flow, lowering speeds, 

and reducing delays to optimize traffic while supporting livability, 

sustainability, and GHG reduction on principal arterials. 

For more information: http://www.tri-co.org/.

23 Khattak, Asad, Yingling Fan, and Corey Teague. “Economic Impact of Traffic Incidents on Businesses.” Transportation 

Research Record Vol. 2067 (2008): 93-100.

24 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Traffic Congestion and Reliability: Trends and Advanced Strategies for Congestion Mitigation, 2005. Available 

at: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/congestion_report/index.htm.

25 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Managing for Planned Special Events Handbook: Executive Summary, 2007. Available at:

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop07108/index.htm.
22 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

In addition to improving reliability, M&O strategies 

can also promote livable and sustainable communities by contributing to efficient movement of people 

and goods on an ongoing basis, helping reduce unnecessary delay and minimize fuel consumption 

and costs. M&O strategies that improve system efficiency can help accommodate travel demand 

within the existing transportation footprint, reducing the need for roadway widening projects that can 

have adverse effects on surrounding communities, 

such as increasing barriers between neighborhoods 

in developed areas or injuring the beauty of the 

natural environment in more rural settings. Examples 

of these strategies include:

 Freight efficiency improvements include a variety of strategies focused on improving the efficiency of goods movement. For example, the Kansas City, Missouri, Cross-Town Improvement 

Project ties together truck and intermodal freight 

operations with traffic management systems to 

coordinate short-haul truck traffic movements between distribution centers, intermodal freight facilities, and industrial and commercial manufacturers 

and receivers. This reduces the number of empty 

truck movements within the metropolitan area.26

Freight haulers also benefit from strategies such as 

weigh-in-motion and electronic toll collection, 

which improve travel time.

 Automated toll collection reduces delays for 

drivers at toll booths through the use of electronic 

devices that can collect tolls as drivers pass below 

sensors. Open-road tolling collects tolls at normal 

driving speeds and allows drivers to bypass toll 

booths altogether. Faster toll collection causes less 

delay for drivers and reduces pollution from idling 

vehicles. For example, Maryland toll plazas were 

found to reduce harmful air pollutant emissions by 

16 to 63 percent.27

 Adaptive traffic signal control is designed to reduce waiting time at traffic signals to reduce delays 

and emissions. Adaptive traffic signal control optimizes signals along arterials corridors in real time 

based on traffic conditions and system capacity using detection systems and optimization algorithms. 

A study conducted in 2000 of five cities with adaptive traffic signal control deployments demonstrated decreases in delay by 19 to 44 percent.28 Adaptive signal control in Toronto, Canada, was shown 

to reduce vehicle emissions by three to six percent 

and fuel consumption by four to seven percent.29 In 

London, England, TSP was combined with an adaptive signal control system with a resulting seven to 

13 percent decrease in bus delay.30

 Reversible lanes, shoulder lanes, ramp metering, and other active traffic management

techniques have been implemented to improve 

traffic throughput on heavily congested corridors 

as an alternative to capacity expansion. These improvements allow the system to accommodate 

peak direction flows without adding capacity that 

will sit unused for much of the rest of the day. For 

example, in Honolulu, Hawaii, arterial management 

is designed to support smooth traffic flow and includes use of contraflow lanes. In Washington, DC, 

some major arterials use overhead signals and reversible lanes to provide more inbound traffic lanes 

during morning rush hours and outbound lanes during the afternoon peak. On-street parking and standard lane configurations are used during off-peak 

periods, enabling good pedestrian and parking access for local businesses and neighborhoods. Multiple strategies may be implemented as part of an 

integrated corridor management (ICM) approach.31

26 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Identifying How Management and Operations Supports Livability and Sustainability Goals, White Paper, April 2010.

27 U.S. DOT, ITS Joint Program Office, Investment Opportunities for Managing Transportation Performance through Technology, 

January 2009. Available at: http://www.its.dot.gov/press/pdf/transportation_tech.pdf.

28 U.S. DOT, FHWA, What Have We Learned About Intelligent Transportation Systems?, December 2000. Available at:

http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/repts_te/13316.pdf.

29 Greenough and Kelman, “ITS Technology Meeting Municipal Needs—The Toronto Experience,” Paper presented at the 6th 

World Congress Conference on ITS, Toronto, Canada, November 8-12, 1999. Summarized in the U.S. DOT ITS Joint Program 

Office, ITS Benefits Database.

30 Hounsell, Nick, “Intelligent Bus Priority in London: Evaluation and Exploitation in INCOME,” Paper presented at the 6th World 

Congress Conference on ITS, Toronto, Canada, November 8-12, 1999. Summarized in the U.S. DOT ITS Joint Program Office, 

ITS Benefits Database.

31 U.S. DOT, ITS Joint Program Office, “Integrated Corridor Management Systems.” Available at: www.its.dot.gov/icms/index.htm.
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Manage Travel Demand

Managing and operating the transportation system 

to improve livability and sustainability means not only 

reducing unnecessary travel delays but also managing travel demand in ways that support more transportation choices and more efficient use of the 

transportation system. Transportation demand management (TDM) includes a host of strategies that 

encourage travelers to use the transportation system 

in a way that contributes less to congestion, improves 

air quality, and enhances quality of life. TDM covers 

many aspects of trip-making, including:

 Whether to make a trip (through options such as 

telecommuting).

 What mode to use (by encouraging travelers to 

shift from driving along to ridesharing, transit, or 

walking and bicycling).

 When to make the trip (by encouraging shifts to 

off-peak periods).

 What route to choose (by encouraging use of less 

congested facilities). 

TDM addresses travel behavior and habits, seeking 

to influence travelers’ decisionmaking before and 

during trips. Urban planning and design can complement these M&O strategies by encouraging

development that reduces the distance between 

destinations and facilitates access by all modes. 

Managing travel demand brings many benefits to 

communities and travelers. By introducing choice 

and flexibility into the transportation system, TDM 

reduces congestion and improves overall traffic 

flow. TDM also reduces stresses on transportation 

infrastructure by reducing both use of existing resources and the need to expand capacity. Reduced 

congestion and overall VMT from TDM strategies 

help to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas 

emissions. Finally, TDM reduces travel expenses 

for individuals by reducing gas consumption and reducing the time spent in traffic.

Sample strategies to manage travel demand include: 

 Ridesharing programs to promote carpooling and 

vanpooling. This strategy may include a ride-matching program that connects drivers with similar origins, destinations, and schedules. Employers will 

sometimes sponsor vanpools by subsidizing the 

vehicle costs. Some locations also provide reserved 

parking for carpools and vanpools. High-occupancy 

vehicle (HOV) lanes incentivize ridesharing with 

faster travel times. HOT lanes offer the same benefits to carpoolers while also allowing non-carpool 

vehicles to pay to use the lanes.

 Price signals such as variably priced toll lanes, 

parking pricing, or higher transit fares in the peak 

period for congested transit systems. These strategies encourage travelers to use higher occupancy 

TDM in Rural Recreational Situations

Glacier National Park, Montana

TDM has a role to play outside of congested 

urban areas. In rural communities with large 

influxes of visitors, TDM can help manage 

demand to reduce impacts on the natural 

environment and surrounding communities 

while improving safety for residents and 

visitors. Glacier National Park is an example 

of how providing alternatives can do this. 

Since 2007, Glacier National Park has run a 

free shuttle system so visitors can safely 

travel through the park and avoid traffic and 

parking problems. In 2003, the park created 

the Red Bike Program to supply a fleet of 

bicycles for employees to use for work or 

recreational trips. The shuttles and bicycle 

fleet have expanded access, limited vehicular 

emissions, and reduced traffic by 20 percent. 

For more information, contact Susan Law, 

FHWA at susan.law@dot.gov.

Lake Washington Corridor—State Route (SR) 520

Seattle, Washington

U.S. DOT’s Urban Partnership Agreement program includes 

implementation of four “Ts”: tolling, technology, transit, and 

telecommuting/TDM. One recipient of funding is the Puget Sound 

region, which will focus on the SR 520 corridor that links downtown 

Seattle to the Eastside area of Lake Washington. The project 

involves implementation of variable pricing on SR 520 to maintain 

free-flow traffic in the through lanes, discounted or free access for 

vehicles with three or more occupants, enhanced bus services, and 

real-time multimodal traveler information. The project also includes 

an active traffic management system that will be installed on SR 520 

and I-90, which will consist of a series of electronic speed limit, lane 

status, and dynamic message signs over each lane on the SR 520 

and I-90 bridges over Lake Washington.

For more information: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/LkWaMgt/.
24 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

modes (such as with HOT lanes) or to shift their 

travel to portions of the system with lower demand, 

whether that be by traveling at a different time, using a different route, or parking in a different location. 

 Other incentives to encourage travelers to reduce 

vehicle travel demand. These can include subsidies 

for ridesharing or transit passes, activity-based promotions and commuter rewards, and preferred 

parking for rideshare vehicles. Guaranteed ride 

home programs can also incentivize alternative 

modes by alleviating concerns about being stranded if a traveler must stay late or leave early from 

work and cannot participate in his or her regular 

carpool, vanpool, or transit ride home. The programs generally reimburse participants for taxi fare 

or rental car on a day that they used one of these 

options and needed to return home unexpectedly 

during the day (such as for a sick child). 

 Parking policies manage the supply and use of 

parking through strategies such as preferential 

parking for carpools or car sharing vehicles, and 

hourly pricing. Parking management can also reduce infrastructure costs by reducing the need to 

build parking spaces, which are costly to provide 

and do not in themselves contribute to community 

vitality. Use of existing parking space can be maximized through the use of shared parking, where 

users with parking demands that do not overlap 

share parking lots. For example, church parking lots 

may be used as park-and-ride lots during the workday, when church parking demands are low. Similarly, sometimes available parking is not immediately visible to motorists and occupancy sensors 

coupled with communications technologies can 

alert and direct drivers to such spaces.

 Car sharing is a form of short-term car rental that 

gives members access to vehicles stationed around 

the community. Vehicles can be reserved by the 

hour via smartphone, Internet, or call centers. 

Members get access to vehicles via a smart card 

and vehicles must generally be returned to the 

same location they are rented from. Car sharing is 

an alternative to vehicle ownership in places where 

people can use alternative modes to get to many or 

most of their destinations. The programs allow 

members to reduce the use of their own vehicles, 

reduce the number of vehicles they own, or eliminate vehicle ownership altogether. This reduces 

vehicle ownership costs for members while still 

providing access to a full range of mobility options. 

For communities, car sharing can help to reduce 

emissions and congestion. Car sharing programs 

exist in communities throughout the United States; 

as of July 2011, there were 26 programs with more 

than 560,000 members sharing more than 10,000 

vehicles.32

 Telecommuting and flexible work schedules

address travel demand by eliminating commute 

trips or shifting trips to off-peak periods. Less peak 

period travel reduces congestion, which improves 

air quality. These programs can also offer important 

quality of life benefits to participants by reducing 

the stress of commuting and by allowing workers 

to balance family and work needs, such as fitting 

their schedules to school schedules. 

 Freight demand management involves strategies such as shifting a portion of trucks to off-peak 

travel times on appropriate facilities. The Chicago 

Metropolis 2020 Freight Plan included analysis of 

an alternative where 20 percent of truck traffic was 

shifted away from morning and evening peak periods and ten percent was shifted from the midday 

peak period to overnight. This resulting reduction in 

Commuter Rewards Program

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta has a commuter rewards program that since 2002 has 

offered participants $3 per day (up to $100) for each day they use a 

commuting alternative within a consecutive 90-day period. 

According to a 2003 survey, 64 percent of participants continue to 

use alternative modes 9 to 12 months after the program, even 

without an incentive. The program has experienced increased 

interest over the last several years, with more than 8,500 people 

enrolling in 2008—a threefold increase over 2007. 

The Clean Air Campaign in metropolitan Atlanta runs the commuter 

rewards program as part of a full suite of travel demand 

management activities. Overall, the TDM program prevents more 

than 200,000 tons of pollution annually in the region. 

Source: Center for Transportation and the Environment, The Clean Air 

Campaign Cash for Commuters Program Survey: Technical Report, 2010.

32 Shaheen, Susan and Adam Cohen. Carsharing. Innovative Mobility Research, University of California, Berkeley. Available at: 

http://www.innovativemobility.org/carsharing/index.shtml. 
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vehicle hours traveled was estimated to yield an 

estimated $1.4 billion in direct savings to Chicago 

metropolitan area businesses.33 This strategy was 

estimated to not only significantly reduce delay for 

commercial vehicles but also provide a boost to the 

regional economy. (Note: The ability to shift truck 

traffic to off-peak delivery times, though, is largely 

dependent on whether freight receivers are available to receive goods shipments at off-peak times.)

 Active transportation and demand management is an emerging concept that integrates the 

concepts of active traffic management and travel 

demand management. It is a proactive approach to 

dynamically manage and control the demand for 

and available capacity of transportation facilities, 

based on prevailing traffic conditions, using one or 

a combination of real-time and predictive operational strategies.34

Provide Information to Support 

Choices

Managing and operating a multimodal transportation system for improved livability and sustainability 

involves providing timely and accurate information 

to system users on transportation conditions. With 

a greater level of awareness, travelers and freight 

carriers can make better decisions about when or if 

to travel, which route to take, and which mode to 

choose. This contributes to livability through greater 

predictability of services, more options for avoiding 

delay, and a higher-quality travel experience. In addition, this information can save lives and reduce 

injuries by informing the public when road conditions are unsafe and enabling commercial vehicle 

drivers to locate available parking for critical rest 

periods. Providing traveler information that helps 

system users avoid congestion and facilitates taking 

transit, walking, and bicycling significantly supports 

environmental sustainability by reducing motor vehicle emissions and infrastructure needs. 

Traveler information is vital to managing the surge in 

travel demand for special events and is used to help 

attendees plan their travel before the event, en 

route to the event, and after the event. Traveler information is also crucial in diverting traffic or passengers during an incident, adverse weather, and 

active work zones. 

The Washington State Department of Transportation 

(WSDOT) provides an extensive website that supplies travelers with real-time traffic flow data, estimated travel times, wait times on popular routes, 

and traffic camera images updated every 1.5

minutes. WSDOT also operates a 511 telephone 

service that provides contact information for rail, 

33 Economic Development Research Group, Inc., “Assessing the Economic Impacts of Congestion Reduction Alternatives,” in 

Chicago Metropolis Freight Plan, Chicago Metropolis 2020, 2004. Available at:

http://www.edrgroup.com/library/freight/the-chicago-metropolis-freight-alternatives.html. 

34 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Synthesis of Active Traffic Management Experiences in Europe and the United States, May 2010. Available 

at: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop10031/index.htm. 

21st Century Parking Management

SFpark and ParkPGH

Real-time parking information can help reduce travel delay and emissions (and driver frustration) by 

reducing the need for drivers to circle around looking for parking. Two recent programs in this area are:

Begun in 2010, SFpark is a demand-responsive parking pricing and 

management system. The pilot effort provides real-time parking 

availability information for on- and off-street parking and also 

incrementally raises or lowers parking prices based on demand to maintain a minimum level of 

parking availability. SFpark uses parking meters that accept credit cards and mobile device 

applications, text messages, and electronic display signs to help improve parking efficiency. For 

more information, go to: http://sfpark.org/.

In Pittsburgh’s downtown cultural district, ParkPGH 

provides real-time information on available parking. An 

application, website, and call-in phone number all allow 

travelers to get current information on the number of available spaces in all nearby garages, with 

data updated each minute through a feed from the gate system at each garage. This makes it 

easier for the public to access cultural institutions and may reduce travel delay and emissions by 

avoiding searches for available parking. For more information, go to: http://parkpgh.org/.
26 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

bus, ferry, and airline operators, as well as construction and traffic incident information. All of this information is managed through a state-of-the-art 

speech recognition program that allows callers to 

ask for specific information about travel times or 

traffic flow on specific highways.35 The Niagara 

International Transportation Technology Coalition 

(NITTEC) provides a similar tool for travelers in its 

member jurisdictions in the form of a regional transportation information clearinghouse. In this case, 

partner agencies within NITTEC pool transportation 

information to provide travelers with comprehensive views of the region and a greater level of customer service than any single agency within NITTEC 

could provide.36

In Singapore, travelers can now access multimodal 

trip information from on their mobile phones with a 

public service known as MyTransport.SG offered by 

the Land Transport Authority. Using location-based 

service technology to detect the user’s location, 

MyTransport.SG provides real-time bus information, 

locations for light rail and premium bus service, and 

a trip planner that shows how to get to a destination 

via public transportation. For the motorist, it also 

provides real-time availability at parking lots in a 

number of areas, live traffic cameras, and up-todate traffic information including locations of

incidents and work zones.37

In Japan, motorists can access real-time traveler 

information in their vehicles using the vehicle information and communication system (VICS). VICS 

uses roadside infrastructure to detect congestion 

and then broadcasts traffic information by character 

multiplex, radio beacons, or optical beacons to vehicles. It can be displayed in the vehicle as text or 

on a map.38

35 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Livability Initiative Case Studies, July 2010. Available at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/livability/case_studies/.

36 U.S. DOT, FHWA, The Collaborative Advantage: Realizing the Tangible Benefits of Regional Transportation Operations 

Collaboration, August 2007. Available at: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/benefits_guide/index.htm.

37 Land Transport Authority, “PublicTransport@SG A Delightful Journey, A Greener Choice,” 2009. Available at:

http://www.publictransport.sg/publish/ptp/en.html. 

38 Greenough and Kelman, “ITS Technology Meeting Municipal Needs—The Toronto Experience,” Paper presented at the 6th 

World Congress Conference on ITS, Toronto, Canada, November 8-12, 1999. Summarized in the U.S. DOT ITS Joint Program 

Office, ITS Benefits Database.

Cross-State Traveler Information, North/West Passage 

Corridor (Interstates 90 and 94)

Interstates 90 and 94 between Wisconsin and Washington are major 

corridors for commercial and recreational travel. The extreme winter 

weather conditions prevalent in the states within this corridor pose 

significant operational and travel-related challenges. Through the 

North/West Passage Corridor, the nine States along this corridor are 

working together to address shared transportation issues related to 

traffic management, traveler information, and commercial vehicle 

operations along the corridors. Projects completed thus far include 

the development of a traveler information website for the entire 

corridor (www.i90i94travelinfo.com) and defining a common set of 

phases to describe events (incidents, weather) that all States have 

agreed to use for the corridor. Previously, each State had its own 

phrases, which made sharing information across states more difficult.

Comparative Travel Times for Car 

Versus Train

San Mateo County, California

On U.S. 101 in San Mateo County, California, 

variable message signs display real-time 

highway travel times to downtown San 

Francisco alongside transit travel times on 

the nearby Caltrain commuter train service. 

Transit information also includes the 

departure time at nearby park-and-ride 

stations. This information allows travelers to 

make modal decisions en route, depending 

on the conditions. The signs are an integral 

part of Caltrans’ multimodal integrated 

corridor management approach.

Source: Mortazavi et al., Travel Times on 

Changeable Message Signs, 2009.

Source: Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology (PATH)
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Support Placemaking 

As both urban and rural jurisdictions increasingly 

seek development that enhances community vitality, the concept of “placemaking” continues to increase in importance. Placemaking emphasizes the 

connections between land use and transportation, 

as well as urban design and operations. Rather than 

just building roads to provide access and mobility, 

this approach to transportation planning, design, 

and operations emphasizes context-sensitive solutions that integrate transportation, building, and 

landscape design to create a “sense of place.”

Through coordinated land use, design, and operations strategies, placemaking can help a community 

tell a story about its history and promote the type of 

development and transportation facilities that residents prefer for their community. Virtually no group 

of residents promotes a future community vision 

consisting of a transportation system allowing only 

for automobile travel or promoting higher speeds and 

vehicle volumes on local streets. As a result, placemaking generally supports development that focuses 

vehicle traffic on appropriate arterials, supports transit where feasible, provides a comfortable walking 

and bicycling environment to local destinations, and 

promotes livability and sustainability principles.

M&O strategies can work hand-in-hand with community development by improving roadway network 

connectivity, access management, reliability, safety, 

and land use and transportation coordination. As a 

result, M&O strategies can also play a vital role in 

developing unique places that support community 

vitality and reflect the desired character of communities. Successful placemaking often depends on 

selecting appropriate M&O strategies that complement planning and design efforts and that implement local visions identified through community 

outreach. 

Specific M&O strategies that support placemaking 

efforts and also have beneficial impacts on mobility, 

livability, and community design include:

 Road diets, or “right-sizing,” which combine M&O 

elements of traffic calming and complete streets to 

support livability and sustainability, promote transportation choices, and support placemaking. Road 

diets reduce the number of through travel lanes on 

a roadway and repurpose that right of way for other 

uses, such as improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities, on-street parking, and/or landscaping. Although many road diet projects involve nothing 

more than restriping, they have been found to enhance the surrounding environment, reduce crashes for all modes, promote non-motorized transportation use, and provide cost-effective traffic calming 

benefits.

 Network connectivity enhances livability and 

sustainability goals by supporting a variety of transportation options for travelers. A well-connected 

street grid provides direct routes for bicyclists and 

pedestrians; a variety of routes for vehicles to help 

reduce congestion and provide alternative routes in 

case of incidents, construction, or special events; 

and multiple routes that can be designed to “sort” 

traffic and provide different travel environments for 

different modes and trip types. Although changes 

to network connectivity frequently involve capital 

investments such as building new roads or paths, 

M&O strategies can also improve connectivity. For 

example, converting one-way streets to bidirectional travel can increase connectivity and access 

while also providing traffic-calming benefits.

“Placemaking is a multi-faceted 

approach to the planning, design and 

management of public spaces. Put 

simply, it involves looking at, listening 

to, and asking questions of the 

people who live, work and play in a 

particular space, to discover their 

needs and aspirations. This 

information is then used to create a 

common vision for that place. The 

vision can evolve quickly into an 

implementation strategy, beginning 

with small-scale, do-able 

improvements that can immediately 

bring benefits to public spaces and 

the people who use them.”

— Project for Public Spaces
28 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

 Roundabouts, an alternative to traffic signals that 

offer multiple safety, operational, and placemaking 

benefits. From an operations and livability perspective, roundabouts can slow traffic while increasing 

capacity, reduce queuing and congestion, reduce 

the frequency and severity of collisions, and minimize potential vehicle-pedestrian conflicts. Roundabouts can also serve in a placemaking role by acting as a gateway treatment and a focal point for 

businesses or by housing distinctive landscaping or 

artwork within the center island. Several States and 

communities consider roundabouts as an equal or 

better replacement for signals. 

 Truck delivery parking that supports commercial 

retail stores and other businesses valued in livable 

communities. Appropriately designed commercial 

streets and truck delivery parking areas near businesses enable businesses that rely on truck deliveries to receive necessary goods in a timely manner. Appropriately designed truck delivery parking, 

particularly curbside parking, also reduces double 

parking, helping to reduce roadway congestion 

while improving safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, 

and motorists. 

White Flint Sector Plan

Montgomery County, Maryland

White Flint was first proposed as an urban, mixed-use center more 

than 30 years ago, when Metrorail service was extended to the area. 

Although the area had ample transit access, White Flint’s suburban 

street layout made direct connections between transit and other 

destinations difficult. In addition, pedestrian and bicycle conditions 

were poor and the Rockville Pike acted as a barrier in the 

community. 

The White Flint Sector Plan aims to transform the area into a vibrant 

transit-oriented development through a variety of placemaking and 

management strategies, including:

 Transforming Rockville Pike into a boulevard with street trees and improved crosswalks.

 Developing a transportation network that includes a grid of new public 

streets and multimodal street hierarchy.

 Improving the pedestrian and bicycling environment.

 Adding bus priority lanes.

 Promoting sustainable development.

Rockville Pike Boulevard and Promenade Cross Section

Alternative Rockville Pike BRT Cross Section

For more information:

http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/whiteflint/.

Source: Montgomery County Planning Department

Source: White Flint Partnership
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Use Balanced Performance 

Measures

The performance measures transportation agencies 

use to evaluate a transportation system and the 

ways that these metrics are defined and measured 

significantly impact how the transportation system 

is managed and operated. Incorporating livability 

into transportation agencies’ performance frameworks necessitates rethinking auto-oriented mobility goals and measures. Effectively evaluating the 

impact of M&O strategies on livability and sustainability requires new performance measures that are 

focused on efficient movement of people and goods 

rather than vehicles and that consider the effects of 

the transportation network on the full range of livability and sustainability outcomes (e.g., social equity, 

economic impacts, environmental quality). 

For instance, as part of the Federally-required CMP in 

metropolitan areas larger than 200,000 people, some 

regions are moving from traditional volume/capacitybased congestion measurement to a broad range of 

congestion measures that address community concerns, such as multimodal transportation system reliability, access to multimodal travel options, and access to traveler information.39 These measures help 

regions consider a broader range of solutions to congestion, including more M&O strategies.

When implementing these performance measures, 

agencies may need to find new data sources to 

consistently evaluate some measures. For example, 

many agencies lack the data to calculate multimodal 

level-of-service and travel time reliability measures. 

Livability performance measures may be contextspecific and defined at the community scale. For 

example, the different needs of urban and rural 

transportation system users influence how they 

define livability and the priority they apply to different travel modes and performance metrics. 

Although specific metrics and methodologies vary 

by agency, livability and sustainability are generally 

implemented using the triple bottom line approach 

of measuring impacts related to economics, environment, and equity. Programs that have successfully integrated M&O, livability, and sustainability in 

Caltrans Smart Mobility Framework

“Smart Mobility moves people and freight while enhancing 

California’s economic, environmental, and human resources by 

emphasizing: convenient and safe multimodal travel, speed 

suitability, accessibility, management of the circulation network, and 

efficient use of land.” 

The Caltrans Smart Mobility Framework was developed through a 

partnership between Caltrans, the California Department of Housing 

and Community Development, and the Governor’s Office of Planning 

and Research. The framework establishes six Smart Mobility goals 

that are supported by 17 Smart Mobility Performance Measures. The 

goal of each measure is to demonstrate the relationship between 

specific land use and transportation decisions and consequent 

effects on economic, social, and environmental conditions. 

The performance measures evaluated and targets used are tailored 

to address the needs of seven specific “place types” (e.g., urban, 

suburban, rural, special use). Certain performance measures, such 

as collision rates by mode, speed suitability, travel time, and 

consistency receive high priority for all place and facility types, while 

the priority of measures such as network performance optimization 

and speed management, may vary by facility and place type. Use of 

reasonable professional judgment is recommended when applying 

Smart Mobility performance measures.

For more information:

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/ocp/smf.html. 

39 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Congestion Management Process: A Guidebook, April 2011. Available at:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/congestion_management_process/cmp_guidebook/chap01.cfm

their performance management process appear to 

share several characteristics, including flexibility or 

context sensitivity, public involvement in measure 

selection and development, multidisciplinary or interagency collaboration, and scenario planning or other 

practical applications of measures. Other key factors 

to consider when selecting measures include:

 Select measures that directly relate to broader 

agency and stakeholder goals.

 Measures should be outcome-based.

 Consider data availability and cost.

 Measures should be objective, easily understood, 

and reproducible.

Table 3 illustrates potential M&O performance

measures related to each of the livability principles 

of the Federal Partnership for Sustainable 

Communities.
30 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

Table 3 Potential M&O Livability Performance Measures 

Livability Principle M&O Performance Measure

Provide more transportation choices •	Multimodal Level of Service

•	Transit Accessibility and Coverage

•	Mode Share

•	Person Delay (rather than vehicle delay)

Promote equitable, affordable housing •	 Jobs/Housing Balance

•	Location Efficiency

•	Housing and Transportation Index (combined

housing and transportation cost/affordability)

Enhance economic competitiveness •	Travel Time Reliability

•	Workforce Accessibility

•	 Job Accessibility

•	Travel Time Index

Support existing communities •	Accessibility to Essential Destinations (e.g., stores,

healthcare, schools)

•	Safety (crashes by mode)

•	Vehicle Speed Suitability

Coordinate policies and leverage investment •	Consistency with Local Land Use and

Transportation Plans

•	Return on Investment

•	Cost-Benefit Ratio

Value communities and neighborhoods •	Connectivity Index

•	Community Character (e.g., resident satisfaction)

Collaborate and Coordinate 

Broadly

Creating livable and sustainable communities requires carefully balancing the needs of multiple segments of a population in the current generation as 

well as future generations to ensure a healthy, vibrant quality of life for all. To achieve this balance, 

these diverse perspectives must be heard and incorporated into the decisions regarding the management and operation of the transportation system 

through full collaboration and coordination of a 

broad range of stakeholders. 

In the Netherlands, more than 300 companies, government agencies, and knowledge institutes joined 

together in 2005 as part of the Transumo Foundation 

to lead a transition toward sustainable mobility in 

the country. Motivated by the inefficiency of the 

current transportation system and the policies that 

impede sustainable development, the group began 

the TRADUVEM project to organize a broadly collaborative transition process that brings together 

traffic management and transition management 

professionals as well as other stakeholders to define what sustainable transportation should look like 

and how to achieve the transition to that vision. 

TRADUVEM is responding at least in part to a lack 

of integration between public and private entities, 

levels of organizational management, regions, and 
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management and infrastructure planning that has 

held back widespread innovation in traffic management. The project aims to work toward innovation in 

traffic management and achievement of the following paradigm shifts:

 “From management of the ‘status quo’ to management of variation.

 From traffic management to network management.

 From reactive to proactive management.

 From external control to hybrid (external and 

internal) control.

 From emphasis on throughput to emphasis on 

sustainability (throughput, safety, environment, 

livability, etc.).”40

In Portland, Oregon, the MPO hosts a Regional 

Travel Options Subcommittee of 20 agencies and 

stakeholder organizations that work together to 

“promote and support travel options to help cut vehicle emissions, decrease congestion and create a 

healthier community.”41 In 2008, the subcommittee 

helped develop the Regional Travel Options 2008-

2013 Strategic Plan that defines the goals, objectives, and strategies for the Portland region’s travel 

options program. Projects resulting from the plan 

receive funding through Metro’s transportation improvement program. This highly active program 

creates user-friendly resources for the community 

to encourage walking, bicycling, and ridesharing. 

The management and operation of a regional or 

statewide transportation system also requires coordination and collaboration among multiple agencies 

and jurisdictions. A seamless travel experience for 

the public requires that operating agencies work

together to provide comprehensive traveler information, coordinated traffic signals, and efficient 

management of incidents, special 

event, or work zones that affect 

neighboring jurisdictions. High 

levels of interagency collaboration 

occur throughout the United 

States, including the NITTEC, a 

consortium of 14 agencies in the 

Niagara region of New York and 

Ontario that have come together 

to work toward a common mission 

to “improve regional and international transportation mobility, promote economic competitiveness, 

and minimize adverse environmental effects related to the regional transportation system.”42

This ongoing collaborative effort 

and others are described in the 

FHWA report The Collaborative 

Advantage: Realizing the Tangible 

Benefits of Regional Transportation Operations 

Collaboration.

43 By coordinating transportation management with regional partners, member organizations can improve the efficiency and reliability of 

transportation services while using fewer resources. 

Coordination and collaboration can also occur at the 

project level. Coordinating neighborhood traffic 

management program studies and projects to address whole districts and the impact of the overall 

system is another opportunity to promote livable 

and sustainable communities.44

40 Immers, Ben, Isabel Wilmink, Paul Potters, Transitions Towards Sustainable Traffic Management, 2007. Available at:

http://www.transumofootprint.nl/Library/document.aspx?ID=389.

41 Portland Metro, Regional Travel Options 2008-2013 Strategic Plan, 2008. Available at:

http://library.oregonmetro.gov/files/rto_strategicplan_6-10-08.pdf.

42 NITTEC, Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition homepage, http://www.nittec.org/.

43 U.S. DOT, FHWA, The Collaborative Advantage: Realizing the Tangible Benefits of Regional Transportation Operations 

Collaboration, August 2007. Available at: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/benefits_guide/index.htm.

44 Dock, Frederick C., “Pasadena’s Next Generation of Transportation Management,” ITE Technical Conference and Exhibit, 2010.

User-Friendly Resources 

to Promote Walking

Published by Portland Metro 

Regional Government and 

funded by a health provider, 

Walk There! is a guidebook 

with 50 treks in and around 

Portland and Vancouver.

Image: Metro

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As livability and sustainability principles become 

engrained with M&O practices, the future of M&O 

is likely to look quite different than current practice. 

This section describes a vision for a future where 

livability and sustainability goals are driving forces 

behind M&O practices and M&O is fully integrated 

into community plans and projects. While the examples shown are comprehensive and far-reaching, 

they also describe an achievable vision. Taken individually, each strategy is based on real-world

examples from current practice; in some cases, 

several elements have been implemented together.

Multimodal Corridor Strategy: 

Urban/Suburban Roadway 

Transition 

The vision for reengineering and revitalizing a typical 

urban or suburban multimodal corridor incorporates 

an interconnected system of projects that can be 

implemented incrementally—project by project—

over time as funding is available. A new network of 

local roads parallel to the main corridor can be built 

by developers as new development occurs, or as 

part of redeveloping existing “greyfield” shopping 

centers. Available public funding can be targeted 

toward “connecting the dots” of private investment. 

The strategy can support improved transit using a 

transit-ready development approach. Using the corridor as a transit target and a magnet to focus a 

public and private investment along with supportive 

M&O strategies can multiply the effectiveness of 

limited dollars and staff time.

Integrated transportation and land use planning, including a focus on effective system operations to 

support livability and sustainability, can help prioritize other public and private investments (State, local, Federal, and private) in housing, community 

development, brownfield revitalization, parks, 

schools, healthcare, and senior centers. An engaging public process can be an ideal opportunity for 

education and outreach on how M&O strategies 

can help support and maximize strategic capital investments. For instance, presenting details on a 

variety of cost-effective M&O strategies, like ridesharing programs, transportation demand management strategies, pedestrian countdown signals, real-time transit information, and transit system 

scheduling and reliability improvements, within a 

corridor planning process can increase awareness 

and support for redevelopment and transit initiatives. Even if the vision is grand, relatively small incremental actions can start to add up—completing 

the sidewalk and bicycle networks to connect apartments, schools, and shopping; making every street 

walkable and bikeable within a 1⁄2 mile of every transit stop; or just making the street safe to cross at 

each bus stop.

U.S. DOT’s Integrated Corridor Management 

Systems initiative45 is researching and testing effective M&O strategies for coordinating multimodal 

transportation operations along congested travel corridors. The graphics on the following pages describe 

how a similar approach can work on typical urban 

and suburban non-limited-access arterial corridors:

 The Multimodal Corridor Strategy before-and-after photo-simulations (see next page) show how a 

typical corridor can be transformed incrementally 

over time with public and private capital improvements (in multimodal transportation, housing, 

mixed-use development, and infrastructure) and a 

coordinated system of cost-effective M&O investments. The example pictures and captions (see page 

34) provide more details on the corridor strategy.

 A phased M&O implementation strategy (see 

page 35) outlines example step-by-step actions.

 The final page in this section outlines how a fully 

integrated Regional Transportation Systems 

Management and Operations Strategy could 

coordinate all system elements while supporting 

regional sustainability and local livability.

45 U.S. DOT, ITS Joint Program Office, “Integrated Corridor Management Systems.” Available at: www.its.dot.gov/icms/index.htm. 

Putting it All Together
34 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

BEFORE AFTER

A. Through travel priority. Typical suburban corridor; signals timed 

to prioritize through traffic; extended delays for crossing traffic; 

limited pedestrian crossing time and crosswalks.

A. Balanced through & local travel. Tight urban grade separation provides free flow for through traffic 

and improves cross-traffic. Multimodal bridge supports walk and bicycle crossings and local circulator 

transit. Adaptive traffic signal control balances through and local traffic, pedestrian, and bicycle travel. 

B. Crossing conflicts. Mix of four through-travel lanes and two to 

three turn lanes on each side makes pedestrian crossings hostile 

and difficult; conflicts with turning and through-travel movements.

B. Safer crossings. New landscaped pedestrian islands and left turn lanes provide pedestrian refuges and 

separated crossing movements from turning and through traffic.

C. Limited transit. Limited transit service, no transit stop amenities; 

no transit signal preference or real-time traveler information.

C. Enhanced transit. Expanded transit or BRT to serve new development includes transit signal priority, 

shelters and seating, real time traveler information, and bicycle sharing stations.

D. No alternate routes. No nearby parallel roads. All local and 

through traffic mixes on main corridor, causing over-sized facility 

and negative impacts on operations and business access. 

D. Multimodal network. New local zoning codes (planned with corridor improvements) encourage transitready mixed-use development. New network of parallel roads, built with development, supports walking, 

biking, and circulator transit. Primary walking and biking routes are on adjacent roads.

E. Poor sidewalks. Sidewalks present, but no separation from fastmoving traffic. Limited pedestrian access to businesses. No bicycle 

lanes or trails on or adjacent to corridor. No shade or lighting for 

pedestrians. 

E. Great sidewalks. Wide sidewalks set back from traffic provide improved pedestrian operations and

business access. Street trees for shade, landscaping for separation, and lighting for security improve 

pedestrian comfort and safety.

F. Surface parking. Excessive surface parking for each business 

inhibits customer access by walking and transit, due to street

set-backs and separation between buildings. 

F. Smart parking. New development provides ample shared use structured parking for residential and

commercial use. Parking management district provides clear real-time parking availability and variable 

pricing information (for both on- and off-street) via web, smartphone, and signage. Parking provides

car share stations (e.g., ZipCars), secure bicycle parking and lockers, and charging stations.

Additionally... Additionally...

No integrated traveler information system for drivers, transit users, and 

car sharing. Limited detour routes available for incident management 

and no traveler information system for use in incidents.

Integrated transportation system management provides real-time traveler information via web, smartphone, 

TV/radio/phone, and signs at transit stops and parking. System also tied to incident management, police and 

rescue systems, providing delay and detour information via new road network.

AFTER

BEFORE

A. Through travel priority

B. Crossing conflicts

C. Limited transit

D. No alternate routes

No roads parallel to main corridor

F. Surface parking

E. Poor sidewalks

A. Balanced through & local travel

B. Safer crossings

C. Enhanced transit

D. Multimodal network

Local roads parallel to main corridor

E. Great sidewalks

F. Smart parking

Multimodal Corridor Strategy

Suburban Corridor

Source: H.B. Rue

Source: Urban Advantage, CD+A, & H.B. Rue for the Thomas Jefferson Planning District 

Commission, Albemarle County, and Virginia DOT
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Multimodal Corridor Strategy

The pictures and captions on this page provide some details about the corridor strategy graphics on previous page.

See text labeled with same letter (A through F) in the ‘After’ column under the corridor graphics.

A B

Balanced through & local travel. Adaptive traffic signal 

control balances queuing both for through traffic on the 

corridor and local traffic on the cross streets. Bicycle detector 

loops and pedestrian countdown signals improve bicycle and 

pedestrian travel.

Safer crossings. Channelized right and left turn lanes with 

landscaped pedestrian islands can provide pedestrian refuges, 

while separating crossing movements from turning and 

through traffic.

C D

Enhanced transit. Stops include comfortable shelters and 

seating with real time traveler information.

Multimodal network. A network of new roads parallel to the 

main corridor can be built around planned transit stations as 

development occurs, as shown in this concept design for U.S. 

29 in Charlotte, NC. 

E F

Great sidewalks. Wide sidewalks set back from traffic, street 

trees, landscaping, and lighting provide improved pedestrian 

comfort, security and safety. 

Smart parking. Active parking management can provide clear 

real-time parking availability and variable pricing information 

via signage, web, and smartphone. Priority parking for car 

sharing and vanpools can support increased use. 

Source: H. Liu, Assoc. Prof. of Civil Engineering, University of MinnesotaSource: Urban Advantage, CD+A, & H.B. Rue for the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, Albemarle County, and Virginia DOT

Source: S. Trainor Source: City of Charlotte, NC

Source: H.B. RueSource: F. Dock 
36 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

Multimodal Corridor Phased

Operations Plan

A corridor operations plan, integrated into a regional 

vision for a livable, sustainable community, can be 

implemented over time across multiple aspects of 

transportation planning, safety, land use, and operations. For example:46

 In year two, a safety project may fix a critical intersection problem, install new signal system technology, and improve intersections to Americans with 

Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

 In year three, bicycle lanes are added as part of a 

planned resurfacing project. A new local comprehensive plan, based on the regional vision, is adopted and encourages transit-ready walkable, 

mixed-use development.

 In year four, the new corridor access management 

overlay zone results in closing several driveways, 

combining others, and adding sidewalks.

 In year five, a change in land use allows addition of 

channelized turn lanes, pedestrian islands, and

connection of sidewalks to serve newly developed 

apartment complexes. New local zoning codes are 

adopted, based on the comprehensive plan, allowing more intense redevelopment near transit

targets. 

 In year six, an off-road bicycle connection, built as 

part of a new development, links to the region’s trail 

system, while new and enhanced transit service is 

added to serve the corridor.

 In year seven, resurfacing and reconstruction resolves pavement deficiencies and adds a new 

cross-section, replacing an eight-lane undivided facility with six lanes, a landscaped median, and bicycle lanes throughout part of the corridor, with a 

four-lane divided section where volumes permit.

 In year eight, a roundabout resolves an upstream 

capacity bottleneck and serves as a gateway to the 

revitalized corridor.

 In year nine, new electronic signs are added that 

direct users to available parking with real-time parking data also available via web and smartphones. 

 In year ten, an enhancement project permits relandscaping the streetscape in the corridor and 

completes final bicycle and pedestrian linkages. 

Also, TSP is implemented as the commercial and 

residential developments continue. Each development is integrated into the interconnected local 

road, walking, bicycling, and transit network.

 In year twelve, a regional bus rapid transit system 

is implemented, focused on newly-developed transit targets. The BRT system relies on signal preference technology to maintain schedule, with traveler 

information provided to customers via next-bus 

signs at each stop, and via web and smartphone. 

 In year fifteen, an urban-scaled grade separation 

at a key roadway crossing is added to improve both 

local multimodal travel and through traffic flow. 

RegionalTransportation 

Systems Management and

Operations (see next page)

The graphic on the next page outlines how the implementation of fully integrated regional transportation systems management and operations can help 

coordinate multiple transportations systems run by 

many agencies and operators, to provide seamless 

service across all travel modes.

46 Example phased approach is adapted from Hamilton, Paul, “Implementing A Smart Growth Land Use Pattern To Manage 

Congestion & Safety By Integrating Regional Transportation Futures Alternatives Analysis With A Regional Concept of 

Management and Operations (RCMO): A Case Study in Performance Based Planning,” presented at Intersection Safety: 

Achieving Solutions Through Partnerships conference, March 2004.
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Regional Transportation Systems Management and Operations Strategy

Many agencies, one coordinated transportation system, providing seamless service across all modes.

Additionally:

•	 Integrated transportation finance and billing systems allow all operators’ systems to use a single-payer card for vehicle 

fuel and maintenance, bicycle maintenance, pay-as-you-drive insurance, tolls, transit, parking, car share and bicycle sharing, 

rental, taxi, etc. Tax-deductible and employer subsidies are automatically credited to cards. Graphs on monthly bills show 

comparisons of cost per mode against prior month and year. Summary data allows regional system operators to track 

usage and plan system improvements.

•	 Regional ITS architecture and data management system integrated across State DOT highway operators, local and 

regional signal synchronization, corridor management, local and regional transit systems, vehicle locators and real-time 

route information, ride-share and vanpool information, congestion and incident delay information, and car sharing and 

bicycle sharing systems. Data collection programs support sustainable performance measures.

Regional carpool, vanpool, and on-demand rural transit integrated with web-based 

information and scheduling systems, and linked to scheduled urban transit service. Shared 

and on-demand rides are easy to schedule and track via smartphones and web. Rural

on-demand and scheduled transit service uses automatic vehicle locators so riders can 

know exact arrival time (via web or auto-dialed phone call) to be ready for pick up. 

Park-and-ride lots in rural communities 

are planned with development to support 

future scheduled commuter buses, with 

access by walking and biking from nearby 

neighborhoods.

Corridor operations and redevelopment applied to key 

redeveloped urban and suburban corridors (see Corridor 

Strategy on pages 34 – 35). Smaller-scaled elements of the 

corridor M&O strategy applied to corridors through small towns 

and small cities. 

Signals and systems management, freeway management, 

incident management, congestion, construction delay, and transit 

operations are all managed or coordinated from a single regional 

operations center, linked to each agency and local and State police/

emergency operations.
38 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

Getting Started

The way a transportation system is operated makes 

a difference to community livability and sustainability, so it is vital to incorporate M&O strategies into 

livability-focused vision development, planning, programming, and implementation efforts. However, it 

can be difficult to know where to start and how to 

balance the needs of system users with broader 

community goals.

Comprehensively incorporating livability and sustainability strategies into systems M&O can appear 

overwhelming to the typical roadway or transit system operator; they are not typically included in the 

up-front planning that establishes a broad community or regional vision and goals. Fortunately, there 

are many smaller steps that practitioners, policymakers, and others can take to start this process. 

 System Operators—Look into opportunities to 

incorporate livability and sustainability considerations into your current work. For example, a roadway operator could reach out to transit operators as 

part of a signal retiming program to find out how 

new signal timing could benefit bus operations. 

Roadway and transit operators can also approach 

local and regional planners to discuss how to integrate M&O approaches into the planning process. 

This can start with a request to be notified of any 

major upcoming planning efforts, especially those 

at the corridor or regional level.

 Planners—Reach out to operators to see how 

their current efforts and resources could help 

achieve longer-term goals. Incorporate M&O as a 

strategy in plans and discuss M&O benefits with 

the public, particularly as a short-term means to address multimodal system needs while larger projects move forward. Consider how M&O strategies 

could help meet community goals that may be 

identified through a corridor, regional, State, or 

neighborhood planning process. 

 Decisionmakers—M&O strategies are often less 

expensive than capital improvements, and they can 

help ensure that system investments reach their 

full potential. Work with a wide range of partners to 

see how coordinated improvements in one area, 

such as transportation system management and 

operations, can have a positive impact on other areas, such as economic development or housing 

affordability and access. New partners may bring 

access to new funding streams and synergistic 

projects that can leverage multiple funding sources 

for implementation.

Some of the key themes that can help practitioners 

and policymakers move forward include:

 Create partnerships. Livability and sustainability 

solutions require input from a wider range of agencies and interests than may traditionally be involved in M&O or transportation planning. Reaching out to local planners, economic development 

groups, housing agencies, resource agencies, police and emergency management, businesses, 

land-owners, and other community groups is the 

first step in developing effective, integrated solutions.

 Engage with the community and stakeholders.

Although using “systems management and operations” as the meeting topic is unlikely to draw widespread participation, M&O strategies can easily be 

incorporated into discussion of a comprehensive 

vision, integrated multimodal plan, and coordinated 

implementation. Framing M&O strategies as a 

cost-effective, phased implementation of a broader 

long-term vision can help generate support from 

the public and policymakers.
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 Take a multimodal perspective. Maximizing the 

efficiency of existing system investments is a key 

M&O strategy. This can often be accomplished by 

“completing and connecting” the multimodal network with relatively smaller incremental investments in pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access 

improvements, as well as local roadway connections.

 Balance priorities. Recognizing the range of users 

and how their demands on the system vary—by 

mode, time of day, purpose, season, incidents and 

events, etc.—can help operators plan and manage 

the system to balance competing priorities.

 Recognize and emphasize the broader benefits 

of M&O. This primer has highlighted the range of 

benefits that M&O can bring to communities and 

the transportation system. For operators, emphasizing these benefits can help planners, decisionmakers, and the public understand the role of M&O 

in creating better communities. 

 Pick a project; pick a place. Working together on 

a single project in a specific place—an intersection 

improvement, neighborhood plan, regional vision, 

or corridor plan—can be the best way to start incorporating M&O strategies into overall livability and 

sustainability efforts. 
40 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s
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Resources
42 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

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44 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

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Congestion Management. January 2011. Available at: http://international.fhwa.dot.gov/pubs/pl11011/pl11011.pdf.

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U.S. DOT, FHWA. Multi-Pollutant Emissions Benefits of Transportation Strategies. November 2006. 

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Th e Ro l e o f M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s i n S u p p o r t i n g L i va b i l i t y a n d S u s t a i n a b i l i t y : A P ri m e r | 45

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46 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

Accessibility. The ease of reaching valued destinations, such as jobs, shops, schools, entertainment, and 

recreation.47

Active Transportation. Any self-propelled, human-powered mode of transportation.48

Brownfield revitalization. With certain legal exclusions and additions, the term “brownfield site” means 

real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or 

potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.49 Brownfield cleanup and redevelopment activities improve communities as dilapidated and often dangerous buildings are demolished or 

renovated and contaminated soil is removed and replaced. Such improvements create a sense of possibility 

and renewal in the community.50

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Systems. BRT is an innovative, high capacity, lower cost public transit solution 

that can significantly improve urban mobility. This permanent, integrated system uses buses or specialized 

vehicles on roadways or dedicated lanes to quickly and efficiently transport passengers to their destinations, 

while offering the flexibility to meet transit demand. BRT systems can easily be customized to community 

needs and incorporate state-of-the-art, low-cost technologies that result in more passengers and less congestion.51

Complete Streets. Streets designed and operated to enable safe access and mobility for transportation 

system users of all ages and abilities, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and public transportation 

users.

Congestion Management Process (CMP). A CMP is a systematic and regionally-accepted approach for 

managing congestion that provides accurate, up-to-date information on transportation system performance 

and assesses alternative strategies for congestion management that meet state and local needs. The CMP 

is intended to move these congestion management strategies into the funding and implementation stages.52

Congestion Pricing. Sometimes called “value pricing,” congestion pricing is a way of harnessing the 

power of the market to reduce traffic congestion. Congestion pricing works by shifting purely discretionary 

rush hour highway travel to other transportation modes or to off-peak periods. By removing even a fraction 

of the vehicles from a congested roadway, pricing enables the system to flow more efficiently, allowing 

more vehicles to move through the same physical space.53

Glossary

47 Levinson, D. M. and E. Istrate, Access for Value: Financing Transportation Through Land Value Capture, The Brookings 

Institute, 2011. Available at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0428_transportation_funding_levinson_

istrate/0428_transportation_funding_levinson_istrate.pdf.

48 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CDC Transportation Recommendations, April 2010. Available at:

http://www.cdc.gov/transportation/glossary.htm.

49 U.S. EPA, Brownfields and Land Revitalization, November 2009. Available at: http://epa.gov/brownfields/overview/glossary.htm.

50 Clean Ohio Fund, “Brownfield Revitalization.” Available at: http://clean.ohio.gov/BrownfieldRevitalization/.

51 National BRT Institute, What is BRT?, 2009. Available at: http://www.nbrti.org/.

52 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Congestion Management Process: A Guidebook, April 2011. Available at:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/congestion_management_process/cmp_guidebook/chap01.cfm.

53 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Congestion Pricing, A Primer, December 2006. Available at:

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/congestionpricing/congestionpricing.pdf.
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Connectivity Index. A Connectivity Index can be used to quantify how well a roadway network connects 

destinations. Indices can be measured separately for motorized and nonmotorized travel, taking into account nonmotorized shortcuts, such as paths that connect cul-de-sacs, and barriers such highways and 

roads that lack sidewalks.54

Context Sensitive Roadway Design. This form of design promotes a collaborative, multidisciplinary 

process that involves all stakeholders in planning and designing transportation facilities that meet the needs 

of users and stakeholders. Context sensitive roadway designs are compatible with their setting and preserve scenic, aesthetic, historic and environmental resources; respect design objectives for safety, efficiency, multimodal mobility, capacity and maintenance; and integrate community objectives and values relating to compatibility, livability, sense of place, urban design, cost and environmental impacts.55

Green Infrastructure. Green infrastructure is strategically planned and managed networks of natural lands, 

working landscapes and other open spaces that conserve ecosystem values and functions and provide associated benefits to human populations.56 One common use in transportation of green infrastructure is as 

an approach to wet weather management that is cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. 

Green infrastructure water management approaches and technologies infiltrate, evapotranspire, capture 

and reuse stormwater to maintain or restore natural hydrologies.57

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions. Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are often called greenhouse 

gases.58 Many chemical compounds found in the Earth’s atmosphere act as “greenhouse gases,” including 

some that occur in nature (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) and others are exclusively human-made (like gases used in refrigerants).59

High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. HOT lanes are limited-access, normally barrier separated highway 

lanes that provide free or reduced cost access to qualifying HOVs, and also provide access to other paying 

vehicles not meeting passenger occupancy requirements.60

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The application of advanced technologies to improve the

efficiency and safety of transportation systems.61

54 Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Roadway Connectivity, March 2011. Available at: http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm116.htm.

55 Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach: An ITE 

Recommended Practice, 2010. Available at: http://www.ite.org/css/.

56 The Conservation Fund, “What Is Green Infrastructure?” Available at:

http://www.greeninfrastructure.net/content/definition-green-infrastructure.

57 U.S. EPA, Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure, January 2011. Available at:

http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=298.

58 U.S. EPA, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions,” April 2011. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/index.html.

59 U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, “What Are Greenhouse Gases?,” April 2004. Available at: 

http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/ggccebro/chapter1.html.

60 U.S. DOT, FHWA, A Guide for HOT Lane Development, March 2003. Available at:

http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/repts_te/13668_files/images/13668.pdf.

61 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Planning Glossary. Available at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/glossary/index.cfm.
48 | M a n a g e m e n t & O p e r a t i o n s

Intermodal. The ability to connect, and the connections between, modes of transportation.62

Livability. Using the quality, location, and type of transportation facilities and services available to help 

achieve broader community goals. Livability in transportation helps to achieve those goals by leveraging financial resources and using the transportation planning process to advance supportive projects, policies, or 

decisions. Livability directly benefits people who live in, work in, or visit an area - whether in an urban, 

suburban, or rural context.

Managed Lanes. Transportation facilities or a set of lanes where operational strategies are proactively implemented and managed in response to changing conditions. Examples of managed lane projects include 

HOV lanes, HOT lanes, value priced lanes, or exclusive or special use lanes.63

Management and Operations (M&O). See transportation systems management and operations.

Metropolitan planning organization (MPO). A metropolitan planning organization (MPO) is defined in 

Federal Transportation Legislation (23 USC 134(b) and 49 USC 5303(c)) as the designated local decisionmaking body that is responsible for carrying out the metropolitan transportation planning process. An MPO 

must be designated for each urban area with a population of more than 50,000 people (i.e., for each 

Urbanized Area (UZA) defined in the most recent decennial Census).64

Mode Share. The percentage share that a particular type of transportation mode (i.e., car, bus, rail, plane, 

etc.) has in relation to other modes.65

Parking Management. Parking management includes a variety of strategies that encourage more efficient use of existing parking facilities, improve the quality of service provided to parking facility users and 

improve parking facility design.66

Placemaking. Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public 

spaces. Put simply, it involves looking at, listening to, and asking questions of the people who live, work and 

play in a particular space, to discover their needs and aspirations. This information is then used to create a 

common vision for that place. The vision can evolve quickly into an implementation strategy.67

Quiet Pavements. Innovative pavement technologies that result in substantial reductions in tire/pavement 

noise.68

Reliability. Refers to the degree of certainty and predictability in travel times on the transportation system. 

Reliable transportation systems offer some assurance of attaining a given destination within a reasonable 

range of an expected time. An unreliable transportation system is subject to unexpected delays, increasing 

costs for system users.69

62 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Planning Glossary. Available at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/glossary/index.cfm.

63 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Managed Lanes: A Primer, August 2008. Available at:

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/managelanes_primer/index.htm.

64 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Census Issues: Frequently Asked Questions, March 2003. Available at:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census_issues/metropolitan_planning/faqa2cdt.cfm#q29.

65 Caltrans, “Glossary,” California Transit-Oriented Development, 2000. Available at:

http://transitorienteddevelopment.dot.ca.gov/help/viewHelp.jsp?helpId=48.

66 Victoria Transport Policy Institute, The TDM Encyclopedia, June 2011. Available at: http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm28.htm.

67 Project on Public Spaces, “What is Placemaking?” http://www.pps.org/articles/what_is_placemaking/.

68 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Quiet Pavement Systems in Europe, FHWA International Technology Exchange Program, April 2005.

http://international.fhwa.dot.gov/quiet_pav/index.cfm.

69 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Planning Glossary. Available at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/glossary/index.cfm.
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Road Diets. Entails removing travel lanes from a roadway and utilizing the space for other uses and travel 

modes.70

Road pricing. Road pricing refers to a fee related to the use of a roadway facility. Road pricing may impose 

a price on a vehicle’s use of the road based on time of day, location, type of vehicle, number of occupants, 

or other factors.71

Sprawl. Urban form that connotatively depicts the movement of people from the central city to the suburbs. Concerns associated with sprawl include loss of farmland and open space due to low-density land 

development, increased public service costs, and environmental degradation as well as other concerns associated with transportation.72

Sustainability. Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations 

to meet their own needs.73 Sustainability incorporates the ‘triple bottom line’ concept, which includes giving 

consideration to three primary principles: equity (also known as social or people), ecology (also known as 

environment), and economy (also known as the bottom line or cost component). The goal of sustainability 

is “the satisfaction of basic social and economic needs, both present and future and, the responsible use of 

natural resources, all while maintaining or improving the well-being of the environment and ecology on 

which life depends.74

Traffic Calming. The combination of mainly physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor 

vehicle use, alter driver behavior and improve conditions for non-motorized street users.75

Transportation systems management and operations (M&O). An integrated program to optimize the 

performance of existing infrastructure through the implementation of systems, services, and projects designed to preserve capacity and improve security, safety, and reliability of the transportation system.76

Travel Time Index. The travel time index is a measure of average conditions that tells one how much longer, on average, travel times are during congestion compared to during light traffic.77

70 Institute of Transportation Engineers, Road Diet Handbook, 2004. Available at:

http://www.oregonite.org/2007D6/paper_review/D4_201_Rosales_paper.pdf.

71 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Road Pricing Defined. Available at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/revenue/road_pricing/defined/index.htm.

72 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Planning Glossary. Available at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/glossary/index.cfm.

73 World Commission on Environment and Development, “Towards Sustainable Development,” in Our Common Future, 1987. 

Available at: http://www.un-documents.net/ocf-02.htm.

74 U.S. DOT, FHWA, “What is Sustainability?” in Sustainable Highways Evaluation Tool, August 2006. Available at:

https://www.sustainablehighways.org/296/what-is-sustainability.html.

75 Lockwood, Ian, “ITE Traffic Calming Definition,” ITE Journal, July 1997, pg. 22. 

76 Transportation Research Board, Glossary of Regional Transportation Systems Management and Operations Terms, 

Transportation Research Circular, E-C133, April 2009. Available at: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/circulars/ec133.pdf.

77 U.S. DOT, FHWA, Travel Time Reliability: Making it there on Time, All the Time, January 2006. Available at:

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/tt_reliability/brochure/ttr_brochure.pdf.
January 2012

FHWA-HOP-12-004

Federal Highway Administration 

Federal Transit Administration 

U.S. Department of Transportation

Office of Operations 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Toll-Free “Help Line” 866-367-7487

www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov