May 7, 2013

Yagnesh Jarmarwala Phani Jammalamadaka Michael CopelandManeesh Mahlawat

14th TRB National Transportation Planning Applications Conference

Development and Implementation of Congestion Pricing Triggers on Toll Roads to

Manage Congestion

TRB National Planning Applications Conference

Overview

• Background• Congestion pricing/capacity expansion triggers• Implementation process• Test scenarios/results• Summary

2

BACKGROUND ON ROADWAY CONGESTION

State of Roadway Congestion

• Yearly delay per auto traveler– 14 hours (1982)– 34 hours (2010)

• Congestion cost per auto traveler (2010 $)

– $310 (1982) – $713 (2010)In most urban areas, congestion is expected to worsen.

*Ratio of the peak and off-peak travel timesSources: - 2010, 2011 Annual Mobility Report, Texas Transportation Institute Report- David T. Hartgen and M. Gregory Fields, Building Roads to Reduce Traffic Congestion in America's Cities, Reason Foundation.

4

*

Why Congestion Pricing?

• Increased roadway demand– Alternative demand management strategies

• Challenges to increasing roadway capacity– Funding– Air quality impacts– Right of way, etc.

• Increased roadway capacity results in “Triple Convergence”– Temporal– Spatial– Modal

• Congestion pricing is one of the tools available to address triple convergence

Source: Anthony Downs. Stuck in Traffic (1992), pp. 27-295

Roadway Congestion Pricing

• A traffic demand management tool• Could eliminate discretionary trips and shift peak period trips to

off-peak periods, alternative routes or other modes• Could assist with meeting air quality compliance goals• Types:

– Traditional toll facilities– Managed lane facilities– Cordon tolling

• Could be very prevalent tool in future• Congestion pricing based triggers can aid in meeting national

performance goals (MAP-21)

6

Where congestion pricing is successfully implemented? • Airline industry , airports, parking• Cell phone industry• Shipping and logistics industry• Utilities like electricity industry• Movie theaters• Museums, hotels and resorts Congestion pricing can be feasible on toll roads

7

What are types of congestion pricing on roadways?

• Facility specific– Traditional toll facilities– Managed lane facilities– Cordon tolling

• Pricing specific– Static pricing– Dynamic pricing

Congestion pricing could be a prevalent tool in future

8

CONGESTION PRICING & CAPACITY EXPANSION TRIGGERS

Trigger Mechanism

10

Goals

Performance Measures

Triggers

Pricing

• Safety

• Reliability

• Financial viability

• Environmental sustainability

• Delay facility expansion

• Average speed

• Average delay

• Travel time

• Reliability

• Emissions

• Duration and extent

• Revenue

• Queue length

• Traffic density

• Level of service

• Traffic volume

• Traffic flow rate

• Trigger event

Level of Service > D

Travel Speed < 15 mph below lesser of either free

flow speed or posted speed limit

Flow Rate > 2150* vehicles per hour per lane

* depends on geometry and location of facility

• Duration of the trigger event

Measure congestion duration continuously

for three months

If trigger event happens for more than 10

percent of the time

P-CPR A-CPR

Preliminary Congestion Pricing Regime Aggressive Congestion Pricing Regime

Congestion Pricing Triggers

• Sample triggers and pricing regimes• First pricing trigger (FPT)

– 10 mph below posted speed over a two hour period on a 5 mile section• Second pricing trigger (SPT)

– 20 mph below posted speed over a two hour period on a 5 mile section• Preliminary congestion pricing regime (P-CPR)

– Implemented after FPT• Aggressive congestion pricing regime (A-CPR)

– Implemented after SPT, after PCPR is already in place• Capacity expansion trigger (CET)

– 20 mph below posted speed over a two hour period on a 5 mile section after the ACPR is implemented

11

Congestion Pricing Triggers

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0

Sp

eed

(in

mp

h)

Time

A-CPR

12

IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

Stakeholders

Congestion Pricing Policy

Input/BeneficiaryPublic

City

County

State

ImplementationTolling Agency

DOT

MPO

ResourcesFHWA

FTA

MPO

14

Congestion Pricing Planning

15

Congestion Pricing Implementation

Planning Pilot Evaluation

Communication Plan

TechnologicalNeeds

Implementation Plan

Monitoring & Reporting

Feedback

Results/Effects

Customer Survey

Update Congestion Management Policy and

Plan

Where to start Pilot?

When to start Pilot?

How to implement Pilot?

All congestion management activities including monitoring, triggers, reporting, pricing shall be defined by Congestion

Management Implementation Plan (CMIP)and implemented by CMIP developed in

the planning phase

16

TEST SCENARIOS/MODEL RESULTS

Test Model

• 1,029 Zones• 7,476 Links• Urban area highway model• Traditional toll facility system

– Toll facility 1• Segments 1,2,3

– Toll facility 2• Segments 4,5

• Time periods analyzed– AM Shoulder 1 (1 hour)– AM Peak (1 hour)– AM Shoulder 2 (1/2

hour)

18

Modeling Methodology

• AM period traffic assignments• Binary choice (toll path vs. non-toll path) model

– Embedded in equilibrium assignment• Probability of toll road usage dependent on

– Toll rates– Congestion/travel time savings– Traveler values of time– Operating costs

19

Scenarios Tested

The above alternatives were tested under• No expansion scenario• After expansion of sections 1,4, and 5

90% P P P P P95% P P P P PBase P P P P P P P105% P P P 110% P P P

Tri

p T

ab

le

Test Scenarios

-50% -30%

Base 30% 50%100%

200%300%

Toll Rates

20

AM Peak Delay (Before Expansion)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300%

Toll (% of Base)

Ave

rag

e D

ela

y (i

n m

in)

Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 5 System

21

System Traffic (Before Expansion)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300%

Toll (% of Base)

Tra

ffic

(in

th

ou

san

ds)

Base TT 90% TT 95% TT 105% TT 110% TT

22

System Revenue (Before Expansion)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300%

Toll (% of Base)

Re

ven

ue

(in

$ t

ho

usa

nd

s)

Base TT 90% TT 95% TT 105% TT 110% TT

23

AM Peak Speed (Before Expansion)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300%

Ave

rag

e S

pee

d (

mp

h)

Toll (% of Base)

Section 1 Section 2

Section 3 Section 4

Section 5 System

Bas

e

24

System AM Peak Speed (Before Expansion)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300%

Ave

rag

e S

pee

d (

mp

h)

Toll (% of Base)

90% TT 95% TT

Base TT 105% TT

110% TT

Bas

e

25

26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300%

Ave

rag

e S

pee

d (

mp

h)

Toll (% of Base)

Section 1 Section 2

Section 3 Section 4

Section 5 System

Bas

e

AM Peak Speed (Before Expansion)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300%

Ave

rag

e S

pee

d (

mp

h)

Toll (% of Base)

Section 1 Section 2

Section 3 Section 4

Section 5 System

Bas

e

AM Peak Speed (After Expansion)

System AM Peak Speed (Before Expansion)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300%

Ave

rag

e S

pee

d (

mp

h)

Toll (% of Base)

90% TT 95% TT

Base TT 105% TT

110% TT

Bas

e

27

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300%

Ave

rag

e S

pee

d (

mp

h)

Toll (% of Base)

90% TT 95% TT

Base TT 105% TT

110% TT

Bas

e

System AM Peak Speed (After Expansion)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

50% 70% 100% 130% 150% 200% 300%

Re

ven

ue

(in

$ t

ho

us

an

ds)

Tra

ffic

(in

th

ou

sa

nd

s)

Toll (% of Base)

Traffic Facility 1 Traffic Facility 2

Revenue Facility 1 Revenue Facility 2

T&R By Facility (Before Expansion)

28

T&R By Facility (After Expansion)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

50% 70% 100% 130% 150% 200% 300%

Re

ven

ue (i

n $

tho

usa

nd

s)

Tra

ffic

(in

tho

usa

nd

s)

Toll (% of Base)

Traffic Facility 1 Traffic Facility 2

Revenue Facility 1 Revenue Facility 2

29

SUMMARY

Summary

• Need for establishing triggers– Congestion pricing– Facility expansions

• Trigger criteria– Performance measures such as average speed, delay,

revenue, etc.– Duration of monitoring– Roadway section lengths

• Implementation process

31

Summary

• Congestion pricing example– Impacts on a toll system

• Toll rate changes, trip table changes and expansion• Speeds, delay, transactions and revenue

• Future research– Explore impacts on other performance measures

such as density, queue lengths, emissions, etc.– Revenue neutral congestion pricing strategies

• Impacts of off-peak discounts

32