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• 11. [Article] Analysis of Transit Signal Priority Using Archived TriMet Bus Dispatch System Data

  This paper presents findings on changes in bus running times, on-time performance, and excess passenger wait times following implementation of transit signal priority in select bus corridors in the Portland ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Analysis of Transit Signal Priority Using Archived TriMet Bus Dispatch System Data Author: Kimpel, Thomas J., Strathman, James G., Bertini, Robert L., Callas, Steve Year: 2005 This paper presents findings on changes in bus running times, on-time performance, and excess passenger wait times following implementation of transit signal priority in select bus corridors in the Portland metropolitan region. Analysis of the effectiveness of transit signal priority is often undertaken using simulation techniques or empirical studies that are either limited in scope and/or data availability. The present research uses an abundance of trip-level data collected from TriMet’s Bus Dispatch System. The study focuses on the most common performance measures of interest to both transit operators and passengers. Our study shows that the expected benefits of TSP are not consistent across routes and time periods, nor are they consistent across the various performance measures. We believe that benefits of transit signal priority will accrue only as the result of extensive evaluation and adjustment initial deployment. In most cases, an ongoing performance monitoring and adjustment program should be implemented in order to maximize the benefits of transit signal priority. Title: Analysis of Transit Signal Priority Using Archived TriMet Bus Dispatch System Data Author: Kimpel, Thomas J., Strathman, James G., Bertini, Robert L., Callas, Steve Year: 2005 This paper presents findings on changes in bus running times, on-time performance, and excess passenger wait times following implementation of transit signal priority in select bus corridors in the Portland metropolitan region. Analysis of the effectiveness of transit signal priority is often undertaken using simulation techniques or empirical studies that are either limited in scope and/or data availability. The present research uses an abundance of trip-level data collected from TriMet’s Bus Dispatch System. The study focuses on the most common performance measures of interest to both transit operators and passengers. Our study shows that the expected benefits of TSP are not consistent across routes and time periods, nor are they consistent across the various performance measures. We believe that benefits of transit signal priority will accrue only as the result of extensive evaluation and adjustment initial deployment. In most cases, an ongoing performance monitoring and adjustment program should be implemented in order to maximize the benefits of transit signal priority. Close

• 12. [Article] Tracking Trucks to Improve Performance

  Freight transportation is an important part of Oregon’s economy, and the Oregon Department of Transportation, or ODOT, continually observes the highway system to make sure it is running as smoothly as ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Tracking Trucks to Improve Performance Author: Cetin, Mecit, Monsere, Christopher M. Year: 2013 Freight transportation is an important part of Oregon’s economy, and the Oregon Department of Transportation, or ODOT, continually observes the highway system to make sure it is running as smoothly as possible. By monitoring the progress of individual trucks, ODOT can obtain performance metrics such as travel time, travel delays, and origin-destination flows. This information can help identify slow passages or bottlenecks in the highway system. Typical ways of obtaining these metrics, however, may involve purchasing expensive equipment, and may also raise privacy concerns if each truck is required to carry a tracking unit. To avoid these difficulties, Portland State University researcher Chris Monsere explored a simpler way to get freight performance measures using a probabilistic approach. Title: Tracking Trucks to Improve Performance Author: Cetin, Mecit, Monsere, Christopher M. Year: 2013 Freight transportation is an important part of Oregon’s economy, and the Oregon Department of Transportation, or ODOT, continually observes the highway system to make sure it is running as smoothly as possible. By monitoring the progress of individual trucks, ODOT can obtain performance metrics such as travel time, travel delays, and origin-destination flows. This information can help identify slow passages or bottlenecks in the highway system. Typical ways of obtaining these metrics, however, may involve purchasing expensive equipment, and may also raise privacy concerns if each truck is required to carry a tracking unit. To avoid these difficulties, Portland State University researcher Chris Monsere explored a simpler way to get freight performance measures using a probabilistic approach. Close

• 13. [Article] Webinar: Transit Signal Priority Evaluation and Performance Measures

  Transit signal priority (TSP) can reduce transit delay at signalized intersections by making phasing adjustments. TSP is a relatively inexpensive tool to provide faster and more reliable transit service. ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Webinar: Transit Signal Priority Evaluation and Performance Measures Author: Figliozzi, Miguel Year: 2016 Transit signal priority (TSP) can reduce transit delay at signalized intersections by making phasing adjustments. TSP is a relatively inexpensive tool to provide faster and more reliable transit service. This webinar addresses TSP real-word performance measures as well as data integration and evaluation challenges. Results of the TSP evaluation in an arterial corridor in Portland, Oregon indicate that a timely and effective TSP system requires a high degree of sophistication, monitoring, and maintenance. TSP timing is crucial to reduce transit delay. Key takeaways include: performance measures, methodology, analysis of early green and red extension pros and cons, novel real-world results. Title: Webinar: Transit Signal Priority Evaluation and Performance Measures Author: Figliozzi, Miguel Year: 2016 Transit signal priority (TSP) can reduce transit delay at signalized intersections by making phasing adjustments. TSP is a relatively inexpensive tool to provide faster and more reliable transit service. This webinar addresses TSP real-word performance measures as well as data integration and evaluation challenges. Results of the TSP evaluation in an arterial corridor in Portland, Oregon indicate that a timely and effective TSP system requires a high degree of sophistication, monitoring, and maintenance. TSP timing is crucial to reduce transit delay. Key takeaways include: performance measures, methodology, analysis of early green and red extension pros and cons, novel real-world results. Close

• 14. [Article] Track Time and Monetary Costs of Transportation as a Comprehensive Performance Measure: Development and Application of Transportation Cost Index

  As federal and state policies place increasing emphasis on using comprehensive transportation performance measures to guide transportation decision making, there is a gap in such measures of transportation ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Track Time and Monetary Costs of Transportation as a Comprehensive Performance Measure: Development and Application of Transportation Cost Index Author: Wang, Liming Year: 2016 As federal and state policies place increasing emphasis on using comprehensive transportation performance measures to guide transportation decision making, there is a gap in such measures of transportation and land use systems. This seminar reports the results from a research project aiming to fill the gap in the type of applications and policy areas covered by existing measures. Modeled after the popular Consumer Price Index, the project refines and develops a transportation cost index (TCI) measure for transportation and land use systems by tracking the time and monetary costs of transportation for households as they travel to satisfy their daily needs. The TCI can be used in applications ranging from monitoring historical and projected trends (benchmarking), to evaluating and comparing scenarios outcomes (scenario evaluation), and it is capable of representing policy areas not sufficiently covered by existing similar measures. The seminar will review similar performance measures, describe the rationale, design and implementation of TCI, and present results of its applications in Portland and Corvallis, Oregon, as well as nation-wide in the US. The project is sponsored by National Institute of Transportation Communities (NITC) and Oregon DOT. Title: Track Time and Monetary Costs of Transportation as a Comprehensive Performance Measure: Development and Application of Transportation Cost Index Author: Wang, Liming Year: 2016 As federal and state policies place increasing emphasis on using comprehensive transportation performance measures to guide transportation decision making, there is a gap in such measures of transportation and land use systems. This seminar reports the results from a research project aiming to fill the gap in the type of applications and policy areas covered by existing measures. Modeled after the popular Consumer Price Index, the project refines and develops a transportation cost index (TCI) measure for transportation and land use systems by tracking the time and monetary costs of transportation for households as they travel to satisfy their daily needs. The TCI can be used in applications ranging from monitoring historical and projected trends (benchmarking), to evaluating and comparing scenarios outcomes (scenario evaluation), and it is capable of representing policy areas not sufficiently covered by existing similar measures. The seminar will review similar performance measures, describe the rationale, design and implementation of TCI, and present results of its applications in Portland and Corvallis, Oregon, as well as nation-wide in the US. The project is sponsored by National Institute of Transportation Communities (NITC) and Oregon DOT. Close

• 15. [Article] Oregon Freight Data Mart

  Increasing freight volumes are adding pressure to the Oregon transportation system. Monitoring the performance of the transportation system and freight movements is essential to guarantee the economic ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Oregon Freight Data Mart Author: Figliozzi, Miguel, Bertini, Robert Year: 2010 Increasing freight volumes are adding pressure to the Oregon transportation system. Monitoring the performance of the transportation system and freight movements is essential to guarantee the economic development of the region, the efficient allocation of resources, and the quality of life of all Oregonians. Freight data is expensive to collect and maintain. Confidentiality issues, the size of the datasets, and the complexity of freight movements are barriers that preclude the easy access and analysis of freight data. Data accessibility and integration is essential to ensure successful freight planning and consistency across regional partner agencies and planning organizations. In relation to Internet-based mapping technology in freight data collection and planning, the main objectives of this project are: (a) address implementation issues associated with data integration, (b) present a system architecture to leverage existing publically-available interfaces and web applications to accelerate product development and reduce costs, (c) describe an existing web-based mapping prototype and its capabilities, (d) state lessons learned and present suggestions to streamline the integration and visualization of freight data, and (e) discuss load-time and display quality issues associated with the visualization of transportation data on internet-based mapping applications. The strategies and methodologies described in this report are equally applicable to the display of areas such as states or counties as well as linear data such linear data such as highways, waterways, and railways. Despite data integration challenges, Internet-based mapping provides a cost effective and appealing tool to store, access, and communicate freight data as well as enhance our understanding of freight issues. Institutional barriers, not technology, are the most demanding hurdles to widely implementing a freight data web-based mapping application in the near future. Title: Oregon Freight Data Mart Author: Figliozzi, Miguel, Bertini, Robert Year: 2010 Increasing freight volumes are adding pressure to the Oregon transportation system. Monitoring the performance of the transportation system and freight movements is essential to guarantee the economic development of the region, the efficient allocation of resources, and the quality of life of all Oregonians. Freight data is expensive to collect and maintain. Confidentiality issues, the size of the datasets, and the complexity of freight movements are barriers that preclude the easy access and analysis of freight data. Data accessibility and integration is essential to ensure successful freight planning and consistency across regional partner agencies and planning organizations. In relation to Internet-based mapping technology in freight data collection and planning, the main objectives of this project are: (a) address implementation issues associated with data integration, (b) present a system architecture to leverage existing publically-available interfaces and web applications to accelerate product development and reduce costs, (c) describe an existing web-based mapping prototype and its capabilities, (d) state lessons learned and present suggestions to streamline the integration and visualization of freight data, and (e) discuss load-time and display quality issues associated with the visualization of transportation data on internet-based mapping applications. The strategies and methodologies described in this report are equally applicable to the display of areas such as states or counties as well as linear data such linear data such as highways, waterways, and railways. Despite data integration challenges, Internet-based mapping provides a cost effective and appealing tool to store, access, and communicate freight data as well as enhance our understanding of freight issues. Institutional barriers, not technology, are the most demanding hurdles to widely implementing a freight data web-based mapping application in the near future. Close

• 16. [Article] Continuous Data Integration for Land Use and Transportation Planning and Modeling

  There is an urgent need for improved models that address the interdependencies between land use and transportation, and considerable new work is underway to develop such models in Oregon and elsewhere. ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Continuous Data Integration for Land Use and Transportation Planning and Modeling Author: Wang, Liming, Kim, Kihong Year: 2014 There is an urgent need for improved models that address the interdependencies between land use and transportation, and considerable new work is underway to develop such models in Oregon and elsewhere. These models and planning practices to integrate land use into the process, however, require the integration of massive amounts of land use data that is messy and incomplete. There have been considerable advances in the treatment of such data problems in other domains, drawing on data mining and machine-learning techniques to address issues in various domains. To date, however, little systematic effort has applied these technological advances to the problem domain of land use and transportation data. Experience suggests that as much as 70% of the total effort in developing integrated land use and transportation models is directly or indirectly associated with data development, integration and cleaning, yet there is remarkably little systematic research focused on the development of reusable methods and tools to support this problem domain. In coordination with an ongoing project of similar theme funded by University of California Transportation Center (UCTC), this project will focus on bringing interdisciplinary methods to develop land use datasets for integrated land use and transportation planning and modeling, with special attention on preserving temporal dimension of the data and monitoring data quality through indicators. Utilizing statistics and machine-learning techniques, we will develop reusable tools that will create a harmonized and coherent land use database from various public and private sources. These tools will be made available to the public and can be used by cities, counties, metropolitan planning agencies, state agencies, universities or anyone else needing to develop a usable database for use in integrated planning and modeling. All of the resulting data, with the exception of proprietary or confidential input data where there is no viable alternative, would be public and reusable for planning and research. Title: Continuous Data Integration for Land Use and Transportation Planning and Modeling Author: Wang, Liming, Kim, Kihong Year: 2014 There is an urgent need for improved models that address the interdependencies between land use and transportation, and considerable new work is underway to develop such models in Oregon and elsewhere. These models and planning practices to integrate land use into the process, however, require the integration of massive amounts of land use data that is messy and incomplete. There have been considerable advances in the treatment of such data problems in other domains, drawing on data mining and machine-learning techniques to address issues in various domains. To date, however, little systematic effort has applied these technological advances to the problem domain of land use and transportation data. Experience suggests that as much as 70% of the total effort in developing integrated land use and transportation models is directly or indirectly associated with data development, integration and cleaning, yet there is remarkably little systematic research focused on the development of reusable methods and tools to support this problem domain. In coordination with an ongoing project of similar theme funded by University of California Transportation Center (UCTC), this project will focus on bringing interdisciplinary methods to develop land use datasets for integrated land use and transportation planning and modeling, with special attention on preserving temporal dimension of the data and monitoring data quality through indicators. Utilizing statistics and machine-learning techniques, we will develop reusable tools that will create a harmonized and coherent land use database from various public and private sources. These tools will be made available to the public and can be used by cities, counties, metropolitan planning agencies, state agencies, universities or anyone else needing to develop a usable database for use in integrated planning and modeling. All of the resulting data, with the exception of proprietary or confidential input data where there is no viable alternative, would be public and reusable for planning and research. Close

• 17. [Article] Assessment and Refinement of Real-Time Travel Time Algorithms for Use in Practice

  The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has set a high priority on the use of existing dynamic message signs (DMS) to provide travel time estimates to the public. The Oregon Department of Transportation ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Assessment and Refinement of Real-Time Travel Time Algorithms for Use in Practice Author: Tufte, Kristin A., Kothuri, Sirisha Murthy Year: 2008 The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has set a high priority on the use of existing dynamic message signs (DMS) to provide travel time estimates to the public. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) currently has three DMS in the Portland metropolitan area configured to display travel time information. In the near future, ODOT would like to make travel time estimates available on additional DMS, over the Internet on tripcheck.com and via 511. Travel time estimates are valuable to the traveling public; however, the estimates must be accurate to be useful. The FHWA indicates that 90% accuracy is ideal and suggests a minimum accuracy of 80%. Thus, in order to display travel time estimates, it is essential to understand the accuracy of the estimates. The purpose of this study is to extend prior travel time research conducted at Portland State University with additional data collection and analysis to provide statistical confidence in travel time estimates and to determine the best travel time estimation approach for ODOT. Ground truth data in the form of probe vehicle runs will be collected and travel time estimates will be evaluated using that data. Several travel time estimation algorithms will be evaluated and modifications to existing algorithms will be proposed. In addition, this project will provide analysis to help understand the reliability and performance of the algorithms under various conditions (free-flow, congestion, incidents). A methodology will be developed for determining if travel time estimates fall within an acceptable accuracy limits. At the conclusion of the project, it is desired that a methodology can be recommended that will provide accurate measures of travel time for use with DMS, the Internet and 511 applications. Title: Assessment and Refinement of Real-Time Travel Time Algorithms for Use in Practice Author: Tufte, Kristin A., Kothuri, Sirisha Murthy Year: 2008 The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has set a high priority on the use of existing dynamic message signs (DMS) to provide travel time estimates to the public. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) currently has three DMS in the Portland metropolitan area configured to display travel time information. In the near future, ODOT would like to make travel time estimates available on additional DMS, over the Internet on tripcheck.com and via 511. Travel time estimates are valuable to the traveling public; however, the estimates must be accurate to be useful. The FHWA indicates that 90% accuracy is ideal and suggests a minimum accuracy of 80%. Thus, in order to display travel time estimates, it is essential to understand the accuracy of the estimates. The purpose of this study is to extend prior travel time research conducted at Portland State University with additional data collection and analysis to provide statistical confidence in travel time estimates and to determine the best travel time estimation approach for ODOT. Ground truth data in the form of probe vehicle runs will be collected and travel time estimates will be evaluated using that data. Several travel time estimation algorithms will be evaluated and modifications to existing algorithms will be proposed. In addition, this project will provide analysis to help understand the reliability and performance of the algorithms under various conditions (free-flow, congestion, incidents). A methodology will be developed for determining if travel time estimates fall within an acceptable accuracy limits. At the conclusion of the project, it is desired that a methodology can be recommended that will provide accurate measures of travel time for use with DMS, the Internet and 511 applications. Close

• 18. [Article] Tri-Met's Experience With Automatic Passenger Counter and Automatic Vehicle Location Systems

  The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (Tri-Met) is one of about 30 metropolitan transit agencies that have deployed both automatic vehicle location (AVL) and automatic passenger ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Tri-Met's Experience With Automatic Passenger Counter and Automatic Vehicle Location Systems Author: Strathman, James G. Year: 2002 The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (Tri-Met) is one of about 30 metropolitan transit agencies that have deployed both automatic vehicle location (AVL) and automatic passenger counter (APC) systems (Casey, 1999). These technologies are important components of the agency’s new automated bus dispatching system (BDS). The AVL and APC systems at Tri-Met recover comprehensive operations and passenger activity data at the bus stop level that is archived for later analysis. The agency has gained a reputation as an industry leader in the areas of data archiving and the application of archived data to performance monitoring and analysis. Prior to the implementation of AVL and APC technology, Tri-Met, like others in the transit industry, relied on costly manual data recovery. During lean budget years in the early 1980s, the agency began using stand-alone APCs instead of ride checkers, and recovered very little operating data beyond what was required for Federal Transit Administration reporting. With its AVL and APC systems, Tri-Met is now automatically collecting and archiving over 500,000 stop and event data records per day. Offline analysis of this data supports a wide array of agency activities. The transformation from scarce to abundant data has contributed to a variety of functional changes that have both enhanced service quality and improved efficiency. This report examines factors related to the development of Tri-Met’s BDS that have contributed to its success in data archiving and analysis. The organization of the report includes a description of the BDS, a review of the types of analyses that have been supported by archived data, a discussion of factors that influenced decisions made on the design of the system, reflections on unrealized expectations and missed opportunities, and concluding observations. Title: Tri-Met's Experience With Automatic Passenger Counter and Automatic Vehicle Location Systems Author: Strathman, James G. Year: 2002 The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (Tri-Met) is one of about 30 metropolitan transit agencies that have deployed both automatic vehicle location (AVL) and automatic passenger counter (APC) systems (Casey, 1999). These technologies are important components of the agency’s new automated bus dispatching system (BDS). The AVL and APC systems at Tri-Met recover comprehensive operations and passenger activity data at the bus stop level that is archived for later analysis. The agency has gained a reputation as an industry leader in the areas of data archiving and the application of archived data to performance monitoring and analysis. Prior to the implementation of AVL and APC technology, Tri-Met, like others in the transit industry, relied on costly manual data recovery. During lean budget years in the early 1980s, the agency began using stand-alone APCs instead of ride checkers, and recovered very little operating data beyond what was required for Federal Transit Administration reporting. With its AVL and APC systems, Tri-Met is now automatically collecting and archiving over 500,000 stop and event data records per day. Offline analysis of this data supports a wide array of agency activities. The transformation from scarce to abundant data has contributed to a variety of functional changes that have both enhanced service quality and improved efficiency. This report examines factors related to the development of Tri-Met’s BDS that have contributed to its success in data archiving and analysis. The organization of the report includes a description of the BDS, a review of the types of analyses that have been supported by archived data, a discussion of factors that influenced decisions made on the design of the system, reflections on unrealized expectations and missed opportunities, and concluding observations. Close

• 19. [Article] Overlooked Destinations: Suburban Nodes, Centers, and Trips to Strips

  This study looks at travel to typical suburban commercial strips by residents living within one-third of a mile of the strip by focusing on six sites – four in the Portland, OR., metro area and two in ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Overlooked Destinations: Suburban Nodes, Centers, and Trips to Strips Author: Larco, Nico, Parker, Robert Year: 2013 This study looks at travel to typical suburban commercial strips by residents living within one-third of a mile of the strip by focusing on six sites – four in the Portland, OR., metro area and two in the Atlanta, GA., metro area. The study mapped pedsheds around the commercial strips in these sites and found significant increases in network extents when formal and informal pedestrian paths were added to street centerline data. Informal networks such as goat paths through vacant land and cuts in fences were widespread and suggest a pent-up demand for route directness. Travel surveys of residents found significant amounts of walking and biking in these areas – just over one-third of all trips to the commercial strip – with travel distance and walking along or across arterials affecting mode choice. This suggests network extent and connectivity to be a critical factor in increasing walking and biking in these suburban areas. Resident motivations behind mode choice included convenience (which mode is easiest); cost (active travel is less expensive than auto travel); and culture (a pattern of driving or active travel, regardless of ease or cost). There was little variation across sites, suggesting that this level of active travel and the motivations behind it are fairly consistent, with a few variations, across income and geography. Title: Overlooked Destinations: Suburban Nodes, Centers, and Trips to Strips Author: Larco, Nico, Parker, Robert Year: 2013 This study looks at travel to typical suburban commercial strips by residents living within one-third of a mile of the strip by focusing on six sites – four in the Portland, OR., metro area and two in the Atlanta, GA., metro area. The study mapped pedsheds around the commercial strips in these sites and found significant increases in network extents when formal and informal pedestrian paths were added to street centerline data. Informal networks such as goat paths through vacant land and cuts in fences were widespread and suggest a pent-up demand for route directness. Travel surveys of residents found significant amounts of walking and biking in these areas – just over one-third of all trips to the commercial strip – with travel distance and walking along or across arterials affecting mode choice. This suggests network extent and connectivity to be a critical factor in increasing walking and biking in these suburban areas. Resident motivations behind mode choice included convenience (which mode is easiest); cost (active travel is less expensive than auto travel); and culture (a pattern of driving or active travel, regardless of ease or cost). There was little variation across sites, suggesting that this level of active travel and the motivations behind it are fairly consistent, with a few variations, across income and geography. Close

• 20. [Article] 2012 Portland Metropolitan Region Transportation System Performance Report

  Our transportation system is a key ingredient in the economy, quality of life and urban fabric of the Portland metropolitan area. It has been stated in the past that it is not possible to manage our transportation ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: 2012 Portland Metropolitan Region Transportation System Performance Report Author: Bertini, Robert L., George, Dean, Downey, Matthew Year: 2013 Our transportation system is a key ingredient in the economy, quality of life and urban fabric of the Portland metropolitan area. It has been stated in the past that it is not possible to manage our transportation system tomorrow unless we understand how it is performing today. In this spirit, Portland State University has been working with regional and statewide partners to develop new capabilities to measure, monitor and track the performance of the transportation system in real time and using archived data sources. We believe that it is possible to leverage these disparate data sources toward providing better transportation system performance information for planners, engineers, citizens, researchers and decision-makers. Using this information, we can collaboratively develop policies and programs that can help make our transportation system more efficient, equitable and effective. With this in mind, we are pleased to present the 2012 Portland Metropolitan Region Transportation System Performance Report. We have attempted to make this report comprehensive and multimodal in spirit. We truly view this as a starting point, a work in progress, and we intend to continue to improve the content and format of this report in years to come. Of the new charts that were added for this years’ report, several relate to environmental health or sustainability (air quality, drive-alone commuters, etc.). We are also in the process of developing other “green” performance measures such as motor vehicle emissions, fuel consumption, and person-miles traveled. These new performance measures will appear in future versions of this report. Title: 2012 Portland Metropolitan Region Transportation System Performance Report Author: Bertini, Robert L., George, Dean, Downey, Matthew Year: 2013 Our transportation system is a key ingredient in the economy, quality of life and urban fabric of the Portland metropolitan area. It has been stated in the past that it is not possible to manage our transportation system tomorrow unless we understand how it is performing today. In this spirit, Portland State University has been working with regional and statewide partners to develop new capabilities to measure, monitor and track the performance of the transportation system in real time and using archived data sources. We believe that it is possible to leverage these disparate data sources toward providing better transportation system performance information for planners, engineers, citizens, researchers and decision-makers. Using this information, we can collaboratively develop policies and programs that can help make our transportation system more efficient, equitable and effective. With this in mind, we are pleased to present the 2012 Portland Metropolitan Region Transportation System Performance Report. We have attempted to make this report comprehensive and multimodal in spirit. We truly view this as a starting point, a work in progress, and we intend to continue to improve the content and format of this report in years to come. Of the new charts that were added for this years’ report, several relate to environmental health or sustainability (air quality, drive-alone commuters, etc.). We are also in the process of developing other “green” performance measures such as motor vehicle emissions, fuel consumption, and person-miles traveled. These new performance measures will appear in future versions of this report. Close