The TSP Favorability Score: A Planning Tool to Prioritize Transit Signal Priority Investments

Transit agencies are increasingly looking to prioritize investments that can be implemented at relatively low-cost, such as Transit Signal Priority (TSP). This project examined traffic signal and surface transit routes in Philadelphia and developed a method of scoring road segments on their likelihood for successful and cost-effective TSP investments. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the bi-state Philadelphia region, developed a proposed set of criteria to evaluate and compare prospective TSP corridors. The criteria are based on a review of industry best practices and available data sources, drawing on measures that are a) available at the corridor or county level, b) simple and legible, and c) transparently related to anticipated TSP success, either positively or negatively. The criteria were input into a geographic information system (GIS) model where they were mapped to a network of 1-mile road segments, making it possible to score and rank each segment across all of the criteria. The outcome of this analysis identifies the road segments and corridors where TSP is likely to be the most cost effective and have the greatest operational benefits for transit and all road users. The approach described here is intended to be adaptable for future regional and national projects.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AP025 Public Transportation Planning and Development. Alternate title: Transit Signal Priority Favorability Score: Planning Tool to Rank Transit Signal Priority Investments.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Bernknopf, Amy
  • Rocks, Joshua
  • Lawrence, Sean
  • Krykewycz, Gregory R
  • He, Elizabeth
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 13p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cost effectiveness; Evaluation; Geographic information systems; Public transit; Routes; Traffic signal priority; Transportation planning
• Identifier Terms: Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
• Geographic Terms: Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01516296
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-1051
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 28 2014 1:32PM