GENERATING ALTERNATIVES FOR ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS

Alternatives analysis is the planning process mandated by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration for the assessment of major transit investments. The alternatives analysis process is a means of ensuring comparability between rapid transit planning studies across the nation. Up to now, the focus of attention has been on the results or products of the process. Interest has centered on the selection of a recommended alternative and its costs and impacts. This paper examines an earlier stage in the planning process that has critical importance in the validity of alternatives analysis studies. The basic concern is with the ways that alternatives are derived and described. If alternatives are the central feature of the process, we should know more about what they are and where they come from. The investigation reviews a group of alternatives analysis reports to establish the state of the art in generating alternatives for major transit studies. Ten potential inputs to alternatives generation are identified. In addition, the paper assess the use of specific techniques or methodologies for the generation of alternatives. Specifications for alternatives and the properties of alternative sets are reviewed. The paper includes an examination of the ways that transportation system management and baseline alternatives have been defined and used in past studies. Conclusions on the state of the art in alternatives generation and its expression in alternatives analysis studies are presented as the results of the investigation. (Author)

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  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1980/751/751-003.pdf
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Transportation Systems Design. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Herald, William S
• Conference:
  • 59th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1980-1-21 to 1980-1-25
• Publication Date: 1980

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 17-27
• Monograph Title: Transportation system analysis and planning 1980
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 751
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Analysis; Rapid transit; Resistance (Electricity); Specifications; Transportation planning; Transportation system management; Urban transportation; Validity
• Uncontrolled Terms: Static resistance
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00322230
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309030617
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jan 19 1981 12:00AM