Memorandum
Date March 7, 2013
To Boston Region MPO
From Anne McGahan, MPO Staff
Re The Development of Performance Measures and
Performance-Based Planning
The federal Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) establishes performance-based planning as an integral part of the metropolitan planning process. It requires that each metropolitan planning organization (MPO) establish performance measures and targets that track progress toward attainment of critical outcomes for its region. The performance-based planning approach reflects best practices for transportation planning and programming and can enhance an MPO’s effectiveness in many ways. The Boston Region MPO staff has begun the process of integrating this approach into the MPO’s practices.
The purpose and organization of this memorandum are threefold:
This memorandum is intended to be an instrumental step in the long-term process of the MPO and its staff continuing to develop performance measures and beginning to implement robust performance-based planning in our region. This work will be funded through the Long-Range Transportation Plan work program.
As required by MAP-21, MPO staff will coordinate with MassDOT and the MBTA during the development of these performance measures.
Performance measures are intended to be used by MPOs at both broad and more focused levels. At a broad level, they can help to demonstrate how well a region’s transportation system as a whole or segments of the system are doing in meeting the visions adopted by the MPO and reflecting its policies. Many states and metropolitan areas are already monitoring how close they are to achieving specific goals related to access to key regional population, employment, cultural, and recreational centers; the mobility of disadvantaged populations; air quality; and economic health. Common methods used to measure performance include tracking average speeds and crash rates.
At a more focused level, performance measurement can gauge the impacts of the decision-making process on the transportation system. It can answer questions about whether the performance of components of the transportation system is getting better or worse over time and whether the stated goals of specific transportation investments are achieved.
Performance-based planning at an MPO means bringing all of these various kinds of information into its planning process. The data are useful to both regional and local decision makers and are critical for assessing the level of success of the region’s management of its transportation network and the level of effectiveness of its transportation investments.
Key terms related to performance-based planning may be defined as follows:
As will be described in section 3, the Boston Region MPO has been engaged in performance measurement through its Congestion Management Process (CMP). The impetus for developing and operating a CMP began with the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) in 1991. ISTEA required state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations to implement such a process. The successor legislation to ISTEA, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), adopted in 1998, continued to require each transportation management area with a population of over 200,000 to maintain a CMP as part of its metropolitan planning process.
According to 23 CFR 500.109a, an effective CMP is a systematic process for managing congestion that provides information on transportation system performance and on alternative strategies for alleviating congestion and enhancing the mobility of persons and goods to levels that meet state and local needs. The CMP leads an MPO to seriously consider implementation of strategies that use existing and future transportation facilities most efficiently and effectively.3
MAP-21, which took effect on October 1, 2012, promotes performance-based investment decisions in support of national goals. It requires MPOs to establish performance targets that spur progress towards attainment of outcomes critical for the MPO’s area. These targets should be coordinated with those of relevant state agencies and public transportation providers to ensure consistency. The MPO is required to establish its performance targets no later than 180 days after the date on which the state agencies and the public transportation providers establish theirs.
The Congressional conference report that accompanied MAP-21 stated that the nation’s surface transportation programs had not provided sufficient accountability for how tax dollars were being spent on transportation projects and would benefit from a greater focus on key national priorities. The highway program should, it said, focus on key outcomes such as reducing fatalities, improving road and bridge conditions, reducing congestion, increasing system reliability, and improving freight movement and economic vitality. The report also stated that transportation improvement programs and long-range transportation plans should be developed through a performance-driven, outcome-based approach to planning for metropolitan areas.
Since the mid-1990s, the Boston Region MPO has been monitoring its transportation system through its Congestion Management Process (CMP), as described below. In this way it has been gathering, for use in performance management, information on freeways, arterial roadways, intersections, transit, park-and-ride lots, high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes, and bicycle and pedestrian transportation. The MPO has begun to expand this process so that performance management will eventually be used in all aspects of MPO planning, including the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Transportation Improvement Program, and Unified Planning Work Program. It committed in its current LRTP and in the work scope for its next LRTP to carrying out this evolution of its planning methods.
Other foundational work, in addition to the CMP process, has been completed through the identification and adoption of visions and policies for the region in the LRTP. The next major step is to develop specific, detailed performance measures and to establish specific performance targets for a subset of the measures. Details on the ongoing and upcoming work are provided below.
The Boston Region MPO’s Congestion Management Process (CMP) has developed numerous performance measures and monitors them. CMP work has also included defining thresholds for these performance measures and using them to identify when congestion is occurring or to distinguish between desirable and undesirable outcomes. However, no specific performance targets have been established. The measures and their associated thresholds are presented in Table 1.
Table 1
Congestion Management Process Performance Measures and Thresholds
Roadways, Intersections, and Interchanges |
|
Performance Measure |
Threshold |
Average observed travel speed |
< 50 mph (limited-access roadways) ≤ 21 mph (partially limited-access arterials) ≤ 14 mph (other arterials) |
Speed index – the ratio of the observed speed to the posted speed limit |
< 0.70 |
Delay |
≥ 55 seconds (arterials) |
Traffic volumes (all modes) |
Depends on roadway capacity of functional class |
Volume-to-capacity ratio – the ratio of the traffic volume to roadway capacity |
> 1.0 |
Level of service |
E or F |
Approach speed |
Varies |
Approach delay |
Varies |
Number of crashes |
No threshold currently established |
Crash rate |
MassDOT Highway Division District average |
Vehicle occupancy |
No threshold |
High-Occupancy-Vehicle Lanes and Parallel General-Purpose Lanes |
|
Performance Measure |
Threshold |
Travel time savings in HOV lane |
One minute per mile |
Vehicle occupancies |
No threshold |
Transit Vehicles |
|
Performance Measure |
Threshold |
On-time performance |
Varies by transit mode and time of day |
Passenger crowding |
Varies by transit mode, vehicle type, and time of day |
Park-and-Ride Facilities (MBTA and MassDOT) |
|
Performance Measure |
Threshold |
Lot capacity and utilization |
Full: ≥ 85% Underutilized: < 50% |
Time a lot fills up |
There is insufficient parking capacity if the lot fills to 100% before the departure time of the last AM peak-period train. |
Bicycle parking capacity and utilization |
Full: ≥ 85% Underutilized: < 50% |
The MPO’s identifying and adopting visions and policies for the future of our region in its current LRTP, Paths to a Sustainable Region, was the next step toward performance-based planning. It adopted visions and policies in seven areas:
Paths to a Sustainable Region also lists examples of performance measures that could be used to track our progress toward attaining success in each of the vision topic areas. These lists of measures have been employed in the work described immediately below.
Staff in several groups within the MPO staff have been involved in the beginning stages of developing performance measures for the MPO. Building on the lists in the MPO’s LRTP, Paths to a Sustainable Region, staff added a broad array of other potential measures to create a Draft Universe of Performance Measures, which is provided as Appendix A of this memorandum. Other resources used in producing this list included the Congestion Management Process, the LRTP Needs Assessment, TIP criteria, published lists of performance measures used by other MPOs and agencies, and ideas of the staff. The source(s) of the data that would be required to develop and monitor each measure are also included in the list.
The MPO can select specific performance measures for its use from this Draft Universe of Performance Measures, and additional ones can be proposed, as well. More details on selecting performance measures are provided in section 4 of this memorandum, “Next Steps.”
MassDOT is currently working on performance measures under two separate programs:
The MBTA division of MassDOT is monitoring its system and service, also under two programs:
A summary of the work in these four programs is provided below. Some of the measures identified in this work are pertinent to the MPO’s activities and should be taken into consideration by the MPO when selecting its own performance measures from the Draft Universe.
As part of the reorganization of MassDOT, its Office of Performance Management and Innovation was tasked with developing and reporting performance metrics that will enhance the management of each of MassDOT’s operating divisions and departments. MassDOT’s performance management is an ongoing and systematic approach to improving results using evidence-based decision making and management. Under the program, numerous metrics have been identified for all divisions. Two of the divisions are members of the Boston Region MPO: the Highway Division and the MBTA. The metrics for these divisions focus on MassDOT goals under the following categories:
The latest data on these metrics are reported in MassDOT’s Strategic Plan 2013–2015. Some of the metrics apply to the MPO’s functions; a list of these is provided as Appendix B.
In December 2012, MassDOT published its GreenDOT Implementation Plan. This plan has three primary objectives:
The plan has 15 broad sustainability goals that are supported by tasks to be implemented through 2020. Several of these goals apply to activities in which the MPO is responsible for playing a role; they are presented in Appendix C. The MPO will consider these goals and their associated tasks in the development of its own performance measures.
An example of GreenDOT Implementation Plan goals that, with their associated tasks, are relevant to the MPO’s work is that of tripling the shares of travel in Massachusetts by bicycling, transit, and walking by 2030. Progress toward this goal will be measured by person-miles traveled by auto, transit, bicycling, and walking. Table 2 shows the baseline person-miles traveled for 2010 and the goals for 2020 and 2030.
Table 2
MassDOT Mode Shift Goals
Mode |
2010 Baseline (person-miles traveled) |
2020 Goal (person-miles traveled) |
2030 Goal (person-miles traveled) |
Transit |
1,830,000,000 |
3,994,000,000 |
5,926,000,000 |
Bicycling |
150,200,000 |
333,000,000 |
516,000,000 |
Walking |
101,100,000 |
223,900,000 |
333,600,000 |
The MBTA’s Service Delivery Policy (SDP) is the primary tool that the Authority uses to guide the design and evaluation of transit services in its efforts to meet the needs of the riding public. The SDP establishes quantifiable service standards and associated performance measures and thresholds. The MBTA uses the performance measures in its service-planning process to identify which services need improvement and to determine whether past service changes have been effective. The types of standards found in the SDP are:
The MBTA’s monthly ScoreCard gives its customers quantitative information that indicates how well the Authority is serving them. It furthers the MBTA’s goals of transparency and accountability, and this practice of showing the public exactly how the system is performing reflects the Authority’s commitment to safe and reliable transportation. The ScoreCard reports on the following metrics:
More detail on the MBTA’s metrics is provided in Appendix D.
Staff will continue to work toward recommendations on performance measures to be adopted by the MPO. The recommendations will be coordinated with measures that are being developed by MassDOT and the MBTA. It is the staff’s goal at this time to recommend at least one performance measure and associated performance target for each vision topic. This set of measures and targets can be expanded in the future. A possible approach for developing the initial set of measures is represented by the following example:
Additional examples of potential performance-tracking questions are:
The MPO may want to consider having two tiers of targets: those that are measured at the systemwide level and monitored through the Long-Range Transportation Plan, and those that are measured at the project level and monitored through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). To apply this concept to the example above: in addition to the target of reducing the number of structurally deficient bridges by X% by the year 20XX, a target would be established for the total number of bridge projects funded in each TIP fiscal year. Regardless of how the MPO configures its performance targets, the TIP will likely be key in documenting annual progress toward meeting them and in tracking other trends.
To implement the approach outlined in the bullet list above, the first step would be to establish for each vision topic a set of questions that covers all of the important facets of the MPO’s vision. Once the questions have been established, the performance measures that best address the questions would be selected from the Draft Universe of Performance Measures, starting with one measure per vision topic,and performance targets would be determined.
(It should be noted that, although the categories in the universe of performance measures mostly correspond to the MPO’s vision topics, there are some differences. Categories were chosen that best organized the measures. In any case, for each vision topic there are pertinent measures in more than one category.)
Staff are hoping to begin this process with the MPO over the next few months. The MPO may want to consider establishing a committee to provide guidance in the development of the performance questions and measures.
The MBTA is developing a Transit Asset Management system as part of its Transit Asset Management Pilot Program, currently underway. This program is using the MBTA’s State of Good Repair Database to help meet the new asset management requirements under MAP-21, including:
In addition to monitoring the performance measures reported through the ScoreCard and using its existing service standards, the MBTA is currently in the process of determining whether additional performance measures should be incorporated into the Service Delivery Policy.
MPO staff will continue to coordinate with MassDOT and the MBTA during the development of their performance measures.
AM/am
Mobility |
Mode | Data Source |
---|---|---|
Mode Share by Trip Purpose |
All | Model/ACS JTW, MBTA |
Average Peak Period Travel Time by Mode |
All | CMP, Model |
Miles of Projected Vehicle Traveled Reduced per Dollar for Projects |
All | CTPS |
Traffic Volume to Capacity Ratio |
Auto | DOT/CTPS, CMP, Model |
Percent Lane Miles Operating under Level of Service E or F |
Auto | CMP, Model |
Average Vehicle Occupancy during Peak Periods |
Auto | CMP, Model |
Travel Speed Index |
Auto | CMP, Model |
Total Weekday Travel Time Savings for HOV Users Compared to Non-HOV Users in the Same Corridor |
Auto | CMP, Model |
Share of Park and Ride Lot Spaces Used by Lot |
Auto | CMP |
Share of Bridges with Sufficient Clearance for Double-Stack Trains (20' 8") |
Freight | GIS |
Network Connectivity Index |
Ped/Bike | GIS/Municipalities |
Bicycle parking availability and utilization at MBTA stops |
Ped/Bike | CMP, MBTA, GIS |
Share of Streets with Bicycle Facilities (non limited-access highways)* |
Ped/Bike | DOT, Municipalities, GIS |
Share of Streets with Sidewalks on Both Sides (non limited-access highways)* |
Ped/Bike | GIS |
Bridges Accommodating Bikes and Pedestrians |
Ped/Bike | GIS |
Share of Region's Population Residing within 1/4 Mile Walk of a Retail Land Use |
Ped/Bike | GIS |
Share of Region's K-12 Students that Walk or Bike to School |
Ped/Bike | TBD |
Transit Passenger Crowding (vehicle load factors) by Time Period |
Transit | MBTA |
Percentage of Land Area with More than 5,000 People per Square Mile that has Bus or Rapid Transit Service within ¼ Mile* |
Transit | GIS, MBTA |
Average Bus Speeds by Peak and Non-Peak Period |
Transit | MBTA, Model |
Percentage of Transit Stations that are Accessible to Persons with Disabilities* |
Transit | MBTA, CMP |
Average Transit Waiting Times (by mode, line, time of day) |
Transit | MBTA, Model |
Average Weekday Transit Service Miles per Capita |
Transit | MBTA, Model |
Preservation, Modernization, Efficiency |
Mode | Data Source |
Percent of Bridges by Each Condition Category (excellent/good/deficient) |
All | GIS, MassDOT, MBTA |
Percent of Traffic Signals in a State of Good Repair |
All | MassDOT/CMP |
Percent Highway Lane Miles by Condition Category (excellent/good/deficient) |
Auto | CMP, PMS, MassDOT |
Average Age of Transit Fleet (buses, locomotives, etc.) |
Transit | MBTA |
Mean Miles between Transit Vehicle Breakdowns |
Transit | MBTA |
Percent of Rapid Transit and Commuter Rail Track Miles under a Speed Restriction |
Transit | MBTA |
Climate Change |
Mode | Data Source |
Annual Pounds of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Produced by the Transportation System* |
All | Model |
Annual Emission Reduced by the Use of Alternatives to Single-Occupancy Vehicles (transit, rideshare, walking & biking) |
All | Model, GHG Program |
Vehicle Miles Traveled per Capita* |
Auto | Model |
Average Vehicle Occupancy |
Auto | Model, CMP |
Fuel Consumption per Capita |
Auto | DEP |
Number of Publically Available Electric Vehicle Recharging Stations |
Auto | TBD |
Number of Electrified Truck Stops along Key Freight Routes |
Freight | MassDOT |
Percent of Land in Region Covered by Forest |
Land Use | GIS |
Transit Miles per Gallon of Fuel Consumed |
Transit | MBTA |
Environment |
Mode | Data Source |
VOC, NOX, and CO Emissions per Day |
All | Model |
Number of Days per Year Meeting Ozone Standard |
All | NWS |
Number of Days per Year Meeting PM 2.5 Standard |
All | NWS |
Miles of Noise Barriers in Residential Areas along Highways and Rail Lines |
All | MassDOT, GIS |
Acres of Greenfield Development |
All | GIS |
Number of Green Communities in the Region |
Land Use | EOEEA |
Percent of Households in the Region Living within 200 Meters of a Major Roadway (defined by a AWDT threshold to be determined) |
Auto | GIS, Model |
Percent of People in the Region Working within 200 Meters of a Major Roadway |
Auto | GIS, Model |
Public Health and Safety |
Mode | Data Source |
Number of Crashes at Railroad Grade-Crossings |
All | MBTA |
Average Time from Crash Report until Removal of Vehicles Involved in the Crash |
All | Registry |
Percent of Bridges by Each Condition Category (excellent/good/deficient) for Bridges on the Evacuation Network |
All | MassDOT |
Percent of Crashes Resulting in an Injury* |
Auto | Registry, MassDOT |
Percent of Crashes Resulting in a Fatality* |
Auto | Registry, MassDOT |
Percent of Signals with Emergency Vehicle Pre-Emption |
Auto | MassDOT |
Number of Truck Crashes per Capita |
Freight | Registry, MassDOT |
Number of Crashes Involving a Pedestrian per Capita |
Ped/Bike | Registry, MassDOT, EOPS |
Number of Crashes Involving a Bicyclist per Capita |
Ped/Bike | Registry, MassDOT, EOPS |
Number of Transit Accidents per Transit Mile |
Transit | MBTA, NTD, MassDOT |
Livability |
Mode | Data Source |
Population Density by Transportation Analysis Zone (TAZ) |
All | Census, Model, GIS |
Developed Acres per Capita |
All | GIS/MAPC |
Percent of Center-Line Miles that are Considered a Complete Street |
All | TBD |
Households to Jobs Ratio by Transportation Analysis Zone (TAZ) |
All | GIS |
Registered Automobiles per Household* |
Auto | Registry, Census |
ADA Compliant Intersections |
Ped/Bike | MassDOT |
Percent of Transit Stations with Bicycle Accommodations* |
Ped/Bike | CMP |
Percent of Transit Stations with Full Sidewalk Coverage within 1/4 mile radius |
Ped/Bike | GIS |
Percent of Population within 1/2 Mile of a Shared-Use Path or On-Road Bicycle Facility |
Ped/Bike | GIS |
Percent of Population within 1/4 mile of a Transit Station |
Transit | Model, GIS |
Percent of Employment within 1/4 mile of a Transit Station |
Transit | Model, GIS |
Transportation Equity |
Mode | Data Source |
Average Travel Time to Industrial, Retail, and Service Jobs |
All | CTPS |
Average Travel Time to Hospitals |
All | CTPS, Model |
Average Travel Times to 2 and 4 year Institutes of Higher Learning |
All | CTPS, Model |
Average Commute Time for Those Earning Less than 200% of the Federally-Defined Poverty Level Compared with Those Earning More than this Level |
All | CTPS |
Share of Household Income Spent on Transportation by Income Category |
All | Census, CTPS |
Attendance at MPO Transportation Equity Forums |
None | CTPS |
Number of Small-Group Discussions Held in Environmental Justice Areas |
None | CTPS/DOT |
Average Wait Time at Bus Stations in Environmental Justice Areas Compared to Non-Environmental Justice Areas |
Transit | Model, MBTA |
Average Number of Transfers per Transit Trip for Trips Originating in Environmental Justice Areas Compared to Trips Originating in Non-Environmental Justice Areas |
Transit | Model, MBTA |
Percent of Population with Access to a Paratransit Service |
Transit | GIS |
Average Number of Industrial, Retail, and Service Jobs within a 40-Minute Transit and 20-Minute Auto Trip |
Transit, Auto | CTPS |
Average Number of Industrial, Retail, and Service Jobs Within a 40-Minute Transit and 20-Minute Auto Trip |
Transit, Auto | CTPS |
Economic Benefit |
Mode | Data Source |
Cost/Benefit Ratio for Major Projects (benefits include reduced emissions, new transit riders, reduced toxics exposure, HH income to transportation, travel time to jobs, etc.) |
All | Model/GIS |
Average Weekday Vehicle Hours of Travel (VHT) under Congested Condition |
Auto | Model Plus |
Freight Volume by Weight and Value |
Freight | FHWA FAF |
Freight Mode Share |
Freight | FHWA FAF, MassDOT |
Fare Box Recovery Ratio |
Transit | MBTA |
Revenue Generated per Transit House |
Transit | MBTA |
MBTA Ratio of Debt Service to Farebox Revenue |
Transit | MBTA |
a. Safety
b. Customer Service
c. Fiscal Responsibility
- Advertise at least 80% of projects that are planned (STIP)
a. Customer Service
a. Improve air quality
a. Design a multi-modal transportation system
b. Promote healthy transportation and livable communities
c. Triple mode share of bicycling, transit, and walking
- Connect land use planning with transportation planning and investments
- GreenDOT Implementation Plan activities incorporated into MPO’s Unified Planning Work Programs by 2013
- Project evaluation criteria that prioritize mode shift, GreenDOT, and GHG reduction adopted by MPOs by 2013
- Transit authorities participate in all MassDOT and MPO corridor studies by 2013
- All MassDOT owned roads ‘master planned’ for Complete Street improvements during future repaving and reconstruction by 2015
- Complete Commuter Rail Master Plan to evaluate options to expand capacity and increase ridership along each line by 2015
- Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and Priority Protection Areas (PPAs) approved by HED established in all MPOs by 2015
- Strategic regional visions for ‘zero’ single-occupant-vehicle growth and GHG reduction adopted by MPOs by 2015
- Land use and transportation planning strategies to support mode shift incorporated into 2016 LRTPs by 2015
- State-of-the-practice metric for measuring bicycle and pedestrian quality of roadways utilized in corridor planning and design by 2015
- Stabilize travel demand growth on roadways from single-occupancy vehicles
- MEPA mitigations focus on multi-modal efforts to reduce Automobile Trips Generated (ATG) by 2013
- Standard operating procedure memorandum to promote the delivery of high quality bicycle and pedestrian facilities issued by 2013
- Establish guidelines for when multi-modal enhancements or land use imperatives outweigh benefits from LOS improvement by 2013
- Transportation Demand Management programs expanded by 20% by 2015
- All rail stations are accessed by Complete Streets by 2020
- Collect data regarding factors influencing mode choices and utilize better planning tools
- Person Miles Traveled (PMT) for all modes measured and/or estimated annually at state and regional levels by 2013
- Traffic forecasting GHG impact analysis tools updated to reflect induced travel demand by SOVs by 2015
- VMT and automobile ownership rates are tracked and published by region by 2013
- Public health impacts of major transportation projects considered in project selection criteria by 2015
- New methods for collecting travel data for bicycles and pedestrians piloted by 2013
- Scenario planning methods utilized by MassDOT and MPOs instead of traditional growth trend forecasts by 2015
- Traffic model assumptions for road design revised to assume limited traffic growth rather than historic VMT growth trends by 2013
- MassDOT conducts travel demand forecasts with an activity based model by 2015
1 Performance-Based Planning and Programming, white paper, Cambridge Systematics, prepared for Federal Highway Administration Office of Planning, Environment and Realty, February 15, 2012.
2 Ibid.
3 Mobility in the Boston Region, Existing Conditions and Next Steps, 2004 Congestion Management System Report, Chapter 2, Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, December 2004.
4 Selected by MPO staff. Source of text: MassDOT.
5 Selected by MPO staff. Source of text: MassDOT.
6 Selected by MPO staff.