Thesis (M. S.)--City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Member: Amekudzi, Adjo; Committee Member: Guensler, Randall; Committee Member: Ross, Catherine.

The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the impact of dynamic message signs (DMS) on the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) toll road network using the Post-Deployment DMS Survey analysis. DMS are electronic traffic signs used on roadways to give travelers information about travel times, traffic congestion, accidents, disabled vehicles, AMBER alerts, and special events. The particular DMS referred to in this study are large rectangular signs installed over the travel lanes and these are not the portable trailer mount signs. The OOCEA has added twenty-nine fixed DMS to their toll road network from 2006-2008. At the time of the post-deployment survey, a total of twenty-nine DMS were up and running on the OOCEA toll road network. Since most of the travelers on the OOCEA toll roads were from Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties, this study was limited to these counties. This thesis documents the results for the post-deployment survey analysis. The instrument used to analyze the travelers' perception of DMS was a survey that utilized computer aided telephone interview. The post-deployment survey was conducted during the month of May, 2008. Questions pertaining to the acknowledgement of DMS on the OOCEA toll roads, satisfaction with travel information provided on the network, formatting of the messages, satisfaction with different types of messages, diversion questions (Revealed and Stated preferences), and classification/socioeconomic questions (such as age, education, most traveled toll road, county of residence, and length of residency) were asked to the respondents. This thesis is using results of the multinomial logit model for diversion of traffic. This model takes into account the different diversion decisions from the post development survey (stay vs. divert all the way vs. divert and come back vs. abandon trip) and explains the differences in the diversion behavior. Drivers that use SunPass or Epass tend to stay on the toll road during unexpected congestion. Frequent SR 408 users are more likely to divert and stay off the toll road and frequent SR 417 users are more likely to divert and get back on the toll road. Drivers whose stated preference was to divert off the toll road were more likely to do the same in the real world. However, not too many of the respondents were likely to abandon their trips in the real world even if they said they would in a hypothetical congestion scenario. Users of 511 were more likely to divert and get back on the toll road or abandon their trips due to unexpected congestion. OOCEA can use this study to concentrate on keeping their toll roads more attractive during unexpected congestion to keep drivers from diverting all the way or abandoning their trips. For example, better incident management in clearing accidents more efficiently (thereby decreasing delay) and encouraging the use of SunPass or EPass could help drivers stay than divert or abandon their trip. This thesis also used ordered logit model for satisfaction. This model explains the levels of magnitude of satisfaction with traveler information on OOCEA toll roads. Drivers who acquired traveler information from DMS were less likely to be dissatisfied with traveler information provided on toll roads than other respondents. Drivers who were satisfied with accuracy and information on hazard warnings on DMS were more likely to be satisfied with information provided on toll roads than other respondents. This thesis provides a microscopic insight on the driver behavior on toll roads. This thesis expands the diversion and satisfaction models from previous studies in a way that OOCEA can identify specific groups of drivers related to a given response behavior (i.e., diverts off toll roads or dissatisfied with traveler information). Such analysis can be conducted in the future in the same study area or replicated in other areas to quantify the effects of individual and choice related attributes on choice behavior.

As states continue to consider taking on more responsibility in transportation, a major issue State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) face relates to financing future transportation investments. At present, many state transportation policymakers and State DOT administrators are considering alternative financing approaches to generate future revenue sources for transportation investments. This dissertation focuses on several user fee based approaches currently being considered by state transportation policymakers and administrators in the U.S. Examples of such approaches include: increasing the current fuel tax and indexing the fuel tax to inflation; implementing an odometer based vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee approach through vehicle inspection programs in selected states; establishing a global positioning system (GPS) based VMT fee approach for heavy vehicles where privacy and implementation costs are less of a concern; and increasing existing tolls and charging tolls on existing roads that do not have tolls, preferably with open-road tolling (ORT) and all-electronic toll (AET) payment systems. Meanwhile, major questions of interest relate to the potential impacts or consequences of such financing approaches. Central to this dissertation is the development of a conceptual framework and analytical methods to aid state transportation policymakers and administrators in the planning and formulation of alternative financing approaches suitable for consideration in their state. The application of the framework and methods is illustrated in a case study. This case study includes an evaluation of alternative toll scenarios on a section of Interstate 93 in the Boston Metropolitan area where at present tolls are not charged. A major conclusion of the case study is that placing tolls along interstate highways where tolls are not currently collected has the potential to provide a significant source of revenue for State DOTs but that other impacts including route diversion, privacy, and equity need to be considered and addressed in the decision-making process. It is expected that the results of the dissertation will be of interest to state transportation policy makers as well as State DOT administrators currently involved in the development of a comprehensive transportation finance policy.

With its central role in the development of public-private partnership (PPP) contracts, procurement structure has a significant influence on the economic and policy success of privately-financed toll roads throughout their lifecycle. Following a review of PPP fundamentals and the public-policy differentiation between public interest and public objectives, several approaches for establishing the key contract strategies of toll pricing, concession length, and risk mitigation are explored. These underpinnings motivate the central research question: Given specific policy objectives for road pricing, how should public owners select PPP contract strategies which support these outcomes? Through qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), a recently-developed method for evaluating qualitative data quantitatively, patterns of PPP contract strategies which correspond to three common policy objectives--achieving a specific toll rate, managing congestion, and minimizing state subsidy/maximizing revenue--are identified through evaluation of 18 domestic and international projects. Three practical decision-making tools resulting from this work are illustrated through application to current PPP procurements: (1) a traffic-risk worksheet, which provides a rapid estimate of a toll-financed project's viability; (2) analytical QCA results, which offer guidance for structuring PPP contracts based on the desired pricing objectives; and (3) case-library comparisons, which enable drawing parallels between proposed procurements and established PPP projects. Additional insights explore the nature of risk in this study, which concludes with thoughts on the appropriate role of PPPs in infrastructure delivery. / Ph. D.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

M.A. (Public Management and Governance) / The South African road system is managed by the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL), which is an agency under the Department of Transport. The main aim of SANRAL is to connect major cities, towns and emerging villages. It has undertaken a project of upgrading and expanding of the road network in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, known as the e-tolling system. It allows for the free flow Electronic Tolling (E-Toll) system and records all vehicles passing through the tollgate without requiring them to stop or slow. A built-in device (tag) is fitted into the overhead gantry system to detect the passing vehicle, which reads an e-tag (if fitted), as well as recording the number plate of the vehicle. A fee for using the road will be charged and paid later from a registered e-toll account, linked to the vehicle user or if no e-tag is present a bill is submitted to the owner. The primary issue associated with the project relates to complaints from various interest groups, political parties and civic organisations regarding public participation in the planning and execution of e-tolling. This has resulted in mass marches and court cases, with the project, consequently undergoing delays, suspension and postponements. The study is, thus, motivated by the foregoing factors in endeavouring to assess the effectiveness of the public participation process in the initial stages of the e-tolling project. The research utilised an exploratory case study method; comprehensively appraising the public participation areas within the e-tolling project of Gauteng. The study employed both documentation reviews and interviews as data collection methods. The research design was predominantly qualitative, however data analysis was undertaken and presented in both qualitative and quantitative evaluations...

This thesis presents a statistical analysis of weaving in a managed lane system which is evolving from a High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) system to a High-Occupancy Toll system (HOT). Weaving was, assessed along the I-85 corridor in Atlanta, during three different phases in the conversion from HOV to HOT: 1) the existing HOV managed lane system prior to conversion to HOT lanes, 2) after restriping of some weaving zones but prior to conversion of the HOV lanes to HOT lanes and, 3) after the HOT managed lane system opened. Each phase was analyzed to see how weaving behavior into and out of the managed lane system was affected by changes in the system. To accomplish the analysis, video was collected using Georgia Department of Transportation cameras along the corridor. The videos were transferred to an Android Tablet, in which an App developed by the research team was used to record data from the videos. Using the processed weaving data, a comparison of weaving activity during each phase was performed. Data were also analyzed across time of day, speed differentials, and whether the weaves in question were performed legally (within established weaving zones) or illegally (across double-solid striped lane markings). After a comparison of weaving behavior along different variables, a regression tree analysis was completed. The analysis showed that weaving intensity increased as the system was converted from HOV to HOT. However, illegal weaving decreased significantly once the HOT system was in place, perhaps due to stricter enforcement or perhaps due to driver response to illegally entering and leaving tolled lanes. The regression tree analyses indicated that weaving intensity was highly dependent upon whether it was legal or illegal to weave and upon the phase of conversion during which the weave occurred.

The purpose of this research dissertation is to compare the effects of using small, medium, and large cordon designs in road tolling on residential and commercial neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon. Changes in land use patterns are assessed by comparing the projected output of each cordon scenario to a "no toll" alternative in 2035. The performance of each cordon design is tested using two different prices ($1.65 and $8) and compared to a default scenario 25 years after the initial implementation in MetroScope's year 0, 2010. The following areas embedded within the cordon perimeter were considered in determining changes in land use: all the zones closest to the boundaries, the entire city of Portland, and the neighborhood towns surrounding Portland. Understanding the impact of choosing the "right" cordon size on economic development and residential location choices can be of utmost interest to lawmakers when they assess economic development policies. Unanswered questions remain regarding the impact a cordon scheme has on economic development and business location decisions, as well as its effect on the spatial pattern in the city. While studies on optimal toll pricing are abundant, there are very few studies that determine the optimal cordon location and size for a particular network. Accordingly, a critical question is whether cordon pricing will influence the centralization or decentralization of land use and affect jobs, population, and economic activities. The implementation of a cordon scheme is expected to affect areas both inside and outside of the designated perimeter and is further expected to contribute to changes that will affect land use. Existing studies have ignored land use effects and, instead, assume a monocentric city model. What sets this study apart is that instead of using a monocentric model to test the hypothetical cordon scenarios, the MetroScope model is used to predict changes in economy, demographics, and land use. The MetroScope model is one of only a few models that can assist in forecasting changes in both land use and prices. This study found primary evidence that the implementation of diverse sizes of cordon designs differently affect residential and non-residential land use patterns and trends.

No description available.