CONCEPTS OF
URBAN
TRANSPORTATION
PLANNING
01 Urban Transportation Planning
Role of Urban Transportation
02
Planning
Contents
Urban Transportation Planning
03
Process
Urban Transportation Planning
Urban transportation planning
involves the evaluation and selection of
highway or transit facilities to serve present
and future land uses.
The process must also consider other
proposed developments and improvements
that will occur within the planning period.
Role of Urban Transportation
Planning
Urban transportation planning is
concerned with two separate time horizons.
The first is a short-term emphasis intended to
select projects that can be implemented within
a one to three-year period. These projects are
designed to provide better management of
existing facilities by making them as efficient
as possible. The second time horizon deals
with the long-range transportation needs of an
area and identifies the projects to be
constructed over a 20-year period.
I. Inventory of Existing Travel and
Facilities
This is the data-gathering activity in which
urban travel characteristics are described for each
defined geographic unit or traffic zone within the
study area. Inventories and surveys are made to
determine traffic volumes, land uses, origins and
destinations of travelers, population, employment,
and economic activity. Inventories are made of
existing transportation facilities, both highway and
transit. Capacity, speed, travel time, and traffic
volume are determined. The information gathered
is summarized by geographic areas called traffic
analysis zones (TAZ).
II. Establishment of Goals and
Objectives
The urban transportation study is
carried out to develop a program of highway
and transit projects that should be completed
in the future. Thus, a statement of goals,
objectives, and standards is prepared that
identifies deficiencies in the existing system,
desired improvements, and what is to be
achieved by the transportation
improvements.
III. Generation of Alternatives
In this phase of the urban transportation
planning process, the alternatives to be
analyzed will be identified. It also may be
necessary to analyze the travel effects of
different land-use plans and to consider
various lifestyle scenarios. The options
available to the urban transportation planner
include various technologies, network
configurations, vehicles, operating policies,
and organizational arrangements.
IV. Estimation of Project Cost and
Travel Demand
This activity in the urban
transportation planning process involves two
separate tasks. The first is the determine the
project cost, and the second is to estimate
the amount of traffic expected in the future.
1) Planning-Level Cost Estimation
Project cost estimation at the
planning stage may be hampered either
because the project has not yet been well-
defined or because a significant amount of
time has passed since the project’s cost was
estimated, rendering the older estimate out
of date. To address the first problem, many
transportation agencies maintain a set of
unit costs which allows for a quick
determination in the absence of more
detailed data.
2) Planning-Level Demand
Estimation
Future travel is determined by
forecasting future land use in terms of the
economic activity and population that the
land use in each TAZ will produce. With the
land-use forecasts established in terms of
number of jobs, residents, auto ownership,
income, and so forth, the traffic that this land
use will add to the highway and transit
facility can be determined.
Under this process in the Travel
Demand Forecasting models.
V. Evaluation of Alternatives
This phase of the process is similar in
concept to what was described earlier but can
be complex in practice because of the
conflicting objectives and diverse groups that
will be affected by an urban transportation
project.
The traveling public wants to improve
speed, safety, and comfort; the transportation
agency wishes to minimize cost; and the
community wants to preserve its lifestyle and
improve or minimize environmental impacts.
VI. Choice of Project
Selection of a project will be based on
a process that will ultimately involve elected
officials and the public. Quite often, funds to
build an urban transportation project may
involve a public referendum.
