FDOT Transit Office Modeling Initiatives

1
FDOT Transit Office Modeling Initiatives

• The Transit Office has undertaken a number of
  initiatives in collaboration with the Systems
  Planning Office and the Model Task Force to
  improve transit modeling in Florida, including
• An Assessment of Transit Modeling in Florida
• FSUTMS Mode Choice Modeling Factors Affecting
  Transit Use and Access
• Development of a Regional Transit Feasibility
  Analysis and Simulation Tool (RTFAST)  
• Development of the Transit Level of Service
  Software

2
FDOT Transit Office Modeling Initiatives

• Development of the Integrated Transit Demand and
  Supply Model (ITSUP/T-BEST)
• Development of the Florida Activity Mobility
  Simulator (FAMOS)
• Development of the Florida Transit Information
  System (FTIS)
• Study on Issues and Implications of the FTA
  User Benefits Requirements for Floridas New
  Starts Initiatives

3
An Assessment of Transit Modeling in Florida

• 1996 Study identified the need for improvement to
  FSUTMS Transit Modeling
• Surveyed MPOs and Transit Agencies on Transit
  modeling Issues
• Recommended Short, medium and long term transit
  modeling improvements
• Recommended among other things the
  investigation of alternative modeling packages
  such as TRANSCAD and EMME/2

 

4
Some Recommendations from the Transit Modeling
Assessment Study
 

• Collect Detailed Travel Behavior Data to Enhance
  Transit Models
• Develop transit models for special Market
  Segments
• Integrate Transportation and land use models to
  capture the two cyclical relationship between
  transportation and land use
• Develop time-of-day models of transit demand

5
Some Recommendations from the Transit Modeling
Assessment Study
 

• Develop an integrated transit demand and supply
  model
• Develop statistical models of trip generation and
  trip chaining
• Improve Transit Network coding procedures
• Develop activity-based travel modeling Tools

6
FSUTMS Mode Choice Modeling Factors Affecting
Transit Use and Access

•  

• Study investigated variables other than time and
  cost that can be incorporated into FSUTMS mode
  choice models
• Used on-board survey data from the 2000 Southeast
  Florida Travel Characteristics survey
• Developed a regression model to examine the
  effects of land use, demographic, socioeconomic
  and transit supply characteristics on transit use
• Developed a GIS methodology for estimating
  transit walk accessibility that overcomes the
  problems associated with barriers and uneven
  distribution of population

7
Key Findings from the FSUTMS Mode Choice Study

• Transit supply factors such as headway, the
  number of daily bus runs, and regional transit
  accessibility were better predictors of transit
  use than demand factors such as density and land
  use mix
• By using the GIS methodology developed in this
  study, more realistic estimates of transit walk
  accessibility can be obtained
• Transit use deteriorated exponentially with
  walking distance to transit stops
• Mode share estimation can be improved through
  better estimation of transit walk and auto
  accessibility

•  

8
Regional Transit Feasibility Analysis and
Simulation Tool (RTFAST)
 

• A regional transit planning tool capable of
  identifying feasible regional transit corridors
• Can be used to analyze a wide range of regional
  transit scenarios
• Analyzes origin-destination travel patterns by
  purpose, mode, distance, and travel time
• Estimates regional transit route ridership given
  socioeconomic and transit service conditions

9
Transit Level of Service (TLOS) Software
 

• The Transit Level of Service software measures
  Transit availability by route, corridor or
  neighborhood
• Transit mobility by address or transit stop
• Labels and phone numbers by service or new
  service area
• Cost comparison worksheet for changes in service,
  ped access
• Stop level ridership predictive model

10
Transit Boardings Estimation and Simulation Tool
(T-BEST)
 

• Provides a powerful framework for modeling
  transit ridership at the stop level
• Incorporates effects of accessibility and
  connectivity on ridership
• Sophisticated accessibility and impedance
  computations
• More precisely accommodates effects of service
  span and frequency (temporal aspects)

11
Transit Boardings Estimation and Simulation Tool
(T-BEST)
 

• Model estimates number of boardings at stop by
  route direction and time period
• Model estimates two types of boardings direct
  boardings and transfer boardings
• Will interface with both ArcGIS and TransCAD
• Focus on ease of use and quick response capability

12
The Florida Activity Mobility Simulator (FAMOS)
 

• An activity-based microsimulation model system
• Simulates activity travel patterns at the level
  of the individual traveler
• Utilizes zonal socio-economic, network and
  household travel data sets
• Model structure includes a Household Attributes
  Generation System (HAGS)
• Produces activity travel records for each person
  using a Prism Constrained Activity Travel
  Simulator

13
The Florida Activity Mobility Simulator (FAMOS)
 

• Accounts for the inter-dependency of trips due to
  trip chaining
• Outputs O-D matrices by trip purpose and time of
  day
• Designed to operate as a stand-alone or interface
  with FSUTMS
• Current version estimated and calibrated using
  the 2000 South-east Florida household travel
  survey data
• FAMOS is currently in final testing and will be
  released by the end of April 2004

14
The Florida Transit Information System (FTIS)
Integrated National Transit Database Analysis
System
 
Florida Transit Geographic Information System
Transit Asset Management System
Florida Transit Planning Library

Florida Transit Planning Web Links
Email Contact
Report Problems
Users Guide and Online Help
15
FDOT User Benefits Analysis Study
 

• Provide a general history and background of the
  technical requirements for application under the
  FTA New Starts Process.
• Explain the concepts, criteria and measures used
  in the User Benefits analysis
• Provide guidance on how to meet the requirements
  of the rule using the FSUTMS model package
• Develop recommendations for a short-term strategy
  for implementation of User Benefits analysis
  within FSUTMS
• Establish a framework to help the competitive
  stance of Florida New Starts

16
Some Findings from the FDOT User Benefit Analysis
Study

• User benefit analysis presents challenges and
  opportunities
• Florida Models need to be more compatible with
  SUMMIT
• The SUMMIT requirement that the same trip tables
  be used for both baseline and build alternatives
  presents problems for models designed to use
  different trip tables for different alternatives

17
Some Findings from the FDOT User Benefit Analysis
Study

• Including benefit to existing users while
  beneficial to areas with established transit
  systems may disadvantage emerging transit areas
• Definition of the baseline alternative continues
  to be a problem

18
Conclusions
 

• Much work has been done at both the state and
  local levels to improve transit modeling in
  Florida
• Much more still needs to be done because we are
  not yet where we want to be
• Attracting Federal funding to Florida for new
  starts requires technically robust models that
  meet FTA requirements
• We have various pieces of the puzzle but they
  need to be brought together in more reliable
  models
• The adoption of TransCAD with its powerful GIS
  capabilities is a step in the right direction