Traditionally, transportation planners have been charged with envisioning the future version of a region’s transportation network, while transportation operators have been responsible for optimizing the performance of the existing network and ensuring road safety.
Both perspectives are working toward the same objective: a transportation system that optimizes mobility, safety, equity, and reliability through practice and technology. But the more disconnected these domains are in practice, the harder it is to take advantage of opportunities to fundamentally improve the system as a whole. With the complexity of solutions deployed in today’s environment it is essential to remain focused on what the desired outcomes are and work with tools that provide a holistic view.
As the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), states, “Greater coordination and collaboration among planners and operators help span the differing planning horizons between them.”
This coordination and collaboration includes everything from better information sharing, to combined working groups, to shared data and tools, to integrated initiatives that span the entire project lifecycle from planning through operations. For example, scenario planning is an essential part of effective TSMO practice.
And it’s become even more critical as States, Cities, MPOs, and Communities have broadened the definition of what a “better” transportation system is. Decades ago, better most often translated to moving more cars more quickly. Because induced demand was far less understood, it was common practice to task planners with building more capacity and operators with ensuring traffic flowed smoothly and safely on that newly expanded infrastructure.
Today, “better” is more ambitious and far more nuanced. Non-motorized modes, public transit, safety, emissions, access, affordability, and equity all factor into what makes a transportation system great.
Replica alone can't single-handedly create a better transportation system. Any vendor claiming they can is likely overpromising. Transportation networks, particularly in busy urban areas or across entire states, are far too complex and locally nuanced for a one-size-fits-all solution.
However, for the past 5 years at Replica we have been dedicated to tackling a crucial piece of the puzzle: building better data and tooling that serves both planners and operators. Our relentless focus remains on providing a shared understanding, best-in-class analytic capabilities, and more efficient workflows.
We’re highlighting a few of those tools here:
- Road Closure Scenarios: Replica’s Road Closure Scenario App allows users to simulate traffic patterns with custom road closures to understand the impact on travel behavior and the network. Unlike traditional models, this fully self-service approach enables rapid, efficient, and iterative forecast planning.
Planners and operators are often dependent on siloed forecasting tools, each with their own challenges. Operators, for instance, may need answers too quickly to wait for a “full model run” and be forced to spin up expensive, one-off efforts to plan for construction shutdowns. Planners, on the other hand, who need the detailed outputs from a full run from the model-of-record, may not get to test the full range of options they’d like to explore, because each run is expensive and slow.
That’s exactly why Replica developed the Road Closure Scenario Application — so that local agencies could get accurate, detailed traffic scenario outputs faster, and for less budget. We leverage the full capabilities of our nationwide activity-based model, while delivering answers to customers in under a week. (Check out a case study we completed in LA here.)
- Active Transportation Planner: The Active Transportation planner provides multi-modal insight for those looking to expand walking and biking infrastructure toward both safety AND mode-shift objectives. The tool not only provides segment level data for walking and biking volumes, but estimates the amount of vehicular trips that might be shifted to active modes with new infrastructure (due to specific purposes, short distances, etc.)
The app allows users to draw their own proposed projects and see the potential impact on mode shift and the network, as well as changes to VMT, carbon emissions, and congestion — all of which can help to justify investments and prioritize between multiple options for implementation.
Replica also provides driving event data and speeds data for the same corridors, allowing planners and operators to see conditions on-the-ground and holistically look for ways to improve throughput, safety, and access, while measuring progress against specific objectives like VMT reduction.
These tools are just a few of the Applications to which Replica customers have access, giving multiple teams within a large agency a shared data language to tackle complex problems. We’re working with DOTs and others across the country to implement TSMO strategies, including
- Work Zone Management
- Traveler Information
- Ramp Management
- Transportation Demand Management
- Congestion Pricing
- Active Transportation and Demand Management
- Parking Management
- Integrated Corridor Management
Reach out to join the growing list of agencies who are using Replica to plan for the transportation system of the future while optimizing conditions on the road today.
