Reduce congestion

Achieve a significant reduction in congestion

Each of the goals in a metropolitan or statewide transportation plan is supported by one or more 'objectives' that define what needs to occur to accomplish the goal. The objectives define what a region plans to achieve and help to determine the strategies and investments that will be included in the transportation plan. In practice, objectives range from high-level regional statements to specific, measurable, time-bound "SMART" objectives. A range of objectives are included in the Architecture Reference for Cooperative and Intelligent Transportation (ARC-IT), gathered from a variety of references and recent transportation plans, that reflect the spectrum of objectives that are used in current practice. The objectives identified below support the identified goal. Select an objective to identify its source, associated performance measures, and the service packages that support the objective.

Objective Category	Objective
Arterial Management: Delay	Decrease the seconds of control delay per vehicles on arterial roads by X percent in Y years. (Control delay is defined as the portion of the total delay attributed to traffic signal operation for signalized intersections).
Arterial Management: Delay	Increase the miles of arterials in the region operating at level of service (LOS) Z by X percent in Y years.
Emergency/Incident Management: Customer Satisfaction	Increase customer satisfaction with the region's incident management by X percent over Y years.
Emergency/Incident Management: Evacuation Times	Reduce the per capita time to evacuate Z persons in the region by X percent over Y years.
Emergency/Incident Management: Traveler Information	Increase number of repeat visitors to traveler information website (or 511 system) by X percent in Y years.
Emergency/Incident Management: Traveler Information	Reduce the time between recovery from incident and removal of traveler alerts for that incident.
Emergency/Incident Management: Traveler Information	Reduce time between incident/emergency verification and posting a traveler alert to traveler information outlets (e.g., variable message signs, agency website, 511 system) by X minutes in Y years.
Freeway Management: Efficiency	Reduce the number of person hours (or vehicle hours) of delay experienced by travelers on the freeway system.
Freeway Management: Efficiency	Reduce the share of freeway miles at Level of Service (LOS) X by Y by year Z.
Special Event Management: Mode Shift from SOV	Decrease the percent of special event attendees traveling to the event in single-occupancy vehicles by X percent in Y years.
Special Event Management: Mode Shift from SOV	Increase the percent of special event attendees using park & ride lots by X percent in Y years.
Special Event Management: Mode Shift from SOV	Increase the percent of special events with dedicated shuttle service by X percent in Y years.
Special Event Management: Parking Management	Decrease the time spent clearing special event venue parking lots of vehicles by X percent in Y years following each event.
Special Event Management: Parking Management	Enhance parking facility services and management
Special Event Management: Parking Management	Increase on-street parking restrictions on X percent of widely used routes during special events in Y years.
Special Event Management: Parking Management	Increase the number of special events that use shared parking facilities (e.g., parking lots of nearby businesses or organizations) by X percent in Y years.
Special Event Management: Parking Management	Increase the use of flexible pricing mechanisms near special event locations on X percent of parking spaces in Y years.
Special Event Management: Traveler Information	Increase the methods of effectively disseminating special event information to travelers by X percent in Y years (e.g., media releases, highway advisory radio, dynamic message signs, commercial AM and FM radio).
Special Event Management: Traveler Information	Increase the percentage of planned special events (with attendance above Z) with information on anticipated and actual travel conditions being disseminated to the traveling public at least X hours prior to the event.
Special Event Management: Use of Technology	Implement special event traffic signal timing plans at X percent of major special events each year beginning in year Y.
Special Event Management: Use of Technology	Increase the percent of major special events using ITS-related assets (e.g., roadside cameras, dynamic message signs, vehicle speed detectors) to detect and manage special event entry/exit bottlenecks and incidents by X percent in Y years.
System Efficiency: Delay	Reduce hours of delay per capita by X percent by year Y.
System Efficiency: Delay	Reduce hours of delay per driver by X percent by year Y.
System Efficiency: Duration of Congestion	Reduce the daily hours of recurring congestion on major freeways from X to Y by year Z.
System Efficiency: Duration of Congestion	Reduce the number of hours per day that the top 20 most congested roadways experience recurring congestion by X percent by year Y.
System Options: Modal Options for Individuals with Disabilities	Increase the availability of transit to individuals with disabilities by X percent by year Y.
System Options: Modal Options for Individuals with Disabilities	Increase the percent of intersections with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) provisions to X percent by year Y.
System Options: Modal Options for Individuals with Disabilities	Increase the percent of transit stops with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) provisions to X percent by year Y.
System Options: Mode Share	Achieve X percent alternative (non-SOV) mode share in transit station communities (or other destinations) by year Y.
System Options: Mode Share	Increase active (bicycle/pedestrian) mode share by X percent by year Y.
System Options: Mode Share	Increase alternative (non-SOV) mode share for all trips by X percent within the next Y years.
System Options: Mode Share	Reduce per capita SOV commute trip rate by X percent in Y years.
System Options: Mode Share	Reduce SOV vehicle trips by X percent through travel demand management strategies (e.g., employer or residential rideshare) by year Y.
System Options: Transit Use	Increase average transit load factor by X percent by year Y.
System Options: Transit Use	Increase passenger miles traveled per capita on transit by X percent by year Y.
System Options: Transit Use	Increase transit mode share by X percent by year Y during peak periods.
System Options: Transit Use	Increase transit mode share by X percent by year Y.
System Options: Travel Time - Transit Compared to Auto	Improve average transit travel time compared to auto in major corridors by X minutes per year for Y years.
System Options: Travel Time - Transit Compared to Auto	Maintain a travel time differential between transit and auto during peak periods of X percent for Y years.
System Options: Travel Time - Transit Compared to Auto	Reduce the travel time differential between transit and auto during peak periods by X percent per year for Y years.
Transit Operations and Management: Demand Responsive Transit	Improve on-time pick-up of demand response transit passengers.
Transit Operations and Management: Demand Responsive Transit	Improve the operational efficiency of the demand response transit service in the region.
Transit Operations and Management: Demand Responsive Transit	Increase customer satisfaction with the region's demand response transit service by X percent over Y years.
Transit Operations and Management: Line-Haul Transit	Improve average on-time performance for specified line-haul transit routes by X percent annually.
Transit Operations and Management: Line-Haul Transit	Improve average travel speeds by X percent for specified line-haul transit routes every Y years.
Transit Operations and Management: Line-Haul Transit	Provide line-haul transit travel times equal to or less than average auto travel times on same corridors/parallel corridors for X number of routes over Y years.
Transit Operations and Management: Loading Standards	Load factors for (route type) routes at each route's busiest point should not exceed X on any vehicle (or on the average vehicle) during peak/off-peak periods.
Transit Operations and Management: Loading Standards	No more than X standees should be present at each route's busiest point on any vehicle (or on the average vehicle) during peak/off-peak periods.
Transit Operations and Management: Loading Standards	No passenger will have to stand for more than X minutes during their journey.
Transit Operations and Management: Loading Standards	Passenger loads on (route type) routes at each route's busiest point should not exceed X passengers on any vehicle (or on average) during the hour during peak/off-peak periods
Transit Operations and Management: Safety	Decrease the number of personal safety incidents by X percent within Y years.
Transit Operations and Management: Safety	Increase personal safety ratings by X percent within Y years.
Transit Operations and Management: Safety	Increase the number of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed by X percent in Y years on platforms, park-n-ride lots, vehicles, and other transit facilities.
Transit Operations and Management: Transit Signal Priority	Decrease delay by X percent per year by increasing the use of queue jumping and automated vehicle location.
Transit Operations and Management: Transit Signal Priority	Decrease system-wide signal delay on transit routes by X percent per year.
Transit Operations and Management: Transit Signal Priority	Increase implementation of transit signal priority strategies on X number of routes (or X number of intersections) over the next Y years.
Transit Operations and Management: Traveler Information	All stops have up-to-date schedule information available within X days of schedule changes.
Transit Operations and Management: Traveler Information	Equip X shelters/platforms with real-time arrival displays annually.
Transit Operations and Management: Traveler Information	Increase the number of web-based trip planner requests each year by X percent.
Transit Operations and Management: Traveler Information	Install Wi-Fi service on X number of routes annually.
Transit Operations and Management: Traveler Information	Transit traveler information is available in the region via 511 web and phone service by year Y.
Travel Demand Management: Auto Commuter Trip Reduction Programs	Increase the percentage of major employers (employers with at least Z employees) actively participating in transportation demand management programs by X percent within Y years.
Travel Demand Management: Auto Commuter Trip Reduction Programs	Reduce commuter vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per regional job by X percent in Y years.
Travel Demand Management: Carpool/Vanpool	Create and share regional carpool/vanpool database with Z number of employers per year.
Travel Demand Management: Carpool/Vanpool	Increase the number of carpools by X percent over the next Y years.
Travel Demand Management: Carpool/Vanpool	Increase use of vanpools by X percent over the next Y years.
Travel Demand Management: Carpool/Vanpool	Provide carpool/vanpool matching and ridesharing information services by year Y.
Travel Demand Management: Carpool/Vanpool	Reduce trips per year in region by X percent through carpools/vanpools.
Travel Demand Management: Marketing	Construct visitor information centers in X communities by year Y.
Travel Demand Management: Marketing	Create a transportation access guide, which provides concise directions to reach destinations by alternative modes (transit, walking, bike, etc.) by year Y.
Travel Demand Management: Marketing	Develop and enhance (e.g., through ease of navigation techniques) X number of web-based traveler information tools.
Travel Demand Management: Marketing	Develop and provide travel option services to X identified communities and audiences within Y years.
Travel Demand Management: Parking Management	Biannually increase preferred parking spaces for carpool/vanpool participants within downtown, at special events, and among major employers by X percent within Y years.
Travel Demand Management: Parking Management	Implement parking pricing for X communities every Y years.
Travel Demand Management: Parking Management	Implement shared parking for X communities every Y years.
Travel Demand Management: Parking Management	Increase park-and-ride lot capacity by X percent over Y years.
Travel Demand Management: Parking Management	Increase the number of residents/commuters receiving information on parking pricing and availability within Y years.
Travel Demand Management: Parking Management	Install parking meters along X corridors by year Y in the urban core/transit supportive areas.
Travel Demand Management: Walking/Bicycling	Annually update bicycle/pedestrian map for accuracy.
Travel Demand Management: Walking/Bicycling	Increase the number of available tools for travelers that incorporate a bicycle/pedestrian component by X percent by year Y.
Travel Demand Management: Walking/Bicycling	Increase the number of travelers commuting via walking and/or bicycling by X percent over Y years.
Travel Weather Management: Disseminating Information	Reduce time to alert travelers of travel weather impacts (using variable message signs, 511, road weather information systems, public information broadcasts, the agency's website, Web 2.0 technologies, etc.) by X (time period or percent) in Y years.
Travel Weather Management: Road Weather Information System Coverage	Increase the percent of major road network (or transit network or regional bicycle network) covered by weather sensors or a road weather information system (RWIS) by X percent in Y years as defined by an RWIS station within Z miles.
Traveler Information: Customer Satisfaction	Increase customer satisfaction rating of the timeliness, accuracy, and usefulness of traveler information in the region by W, X, and Z percent, respectively, over Y years.
Traveler Information: Data Collection and Sharing on Travel Conditions	Increase the percent of modes in the region that share their traveler information with other modes in the region to 100 percent by Y year.
Traveler Information: Data Collection and Sharing on Travel Conditions	Increase the percent of the transportation system in which travel conditions can be detected remotely via CCTV, speed detectors, etc. to X percent by Y year.
Traveler Information: Data Collection and Sharing on Travel Conditions	Increase the percent of transportation facilities whose owners share their traveler information with other agencies in the region to X percent by Y year.
Traveler Information: Information Dissemination	Increase number of 511 calls per year by X percent in Y years.
Traveler Information: Information Dissemination	Increase number of users of notifications for traveler information (e.g., e-mail, text message) by X percent in Y years.
Traveler Information: Information Dissemination	Increase number of visitors to traveler information website per year by X percent in Y years.
Traveler Information: Information Dissemination	Increase number of Web 2.0 (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) followers by X percent in Y months.
Traveler Information: Information Dissemination	Increase the accuracy and completeness of traveler information posted (on variable message signs, websites, and/or web 2.0 technologies) by reducing the number of incomplete and inaccurate reports by X percent in Y years.
Traveler Information: Trip Planning Tools	Enhance regional multimodal trip planning tools to X data sources by year Y.
Traveler Information: Trip Planning Tools	Increase the ease of use of trip planning tools by X percent by year Y.
Traveler Information: Trip Planning Tools	Increase the number of uses of multimodal trip planning tools by X percent by year Y.
Work Zone Management: Customer Satisfaction	Increase customer satisfaction with region's work zone management by X percent over Y years.
Work Zone Management: Traveler Information	Provide traveler information regarding work zones using variable message signs (VMS), 511, traveler information websites, and/or Web 2.0 technologies for at least X percent of work zones on major arterials, freeways, and transit routes over the next Y years.
Work Zone Management: Traveler Information	Provide travelers with information on multimodal alternatives to avoid work zones for at least X percent of work zones on major arterials, freeways, and transit routes over the next Y years.
Work Zone Management: Traveler Information	Provide work zone information (for upcoming and ongoing construction projects) to all impacted businesses or tenants of business centers with X employees or more by year Y.

Architecture and Standard Use

Like the goals, the transportation objectives of the region should be a driving input for the regional ITS architecture. By connecting the objectives with the architecture, transportation planners can easily identify the portion of the integrated regional transportation system that supports each objective. Conversely, ITS architectures and strategic plans can help planning organizations define operations objectives that reflect data that is available and the expertise of operations staff. The RAD-IT Planning Tab can be used to connect your region's objectives with your regional ITS architecture. If your regional ITS architecture does not include this connection, the links between the objectives and ARC-IT defined in this planning view may be used as a starting point.