Overview
A strategic approach to planning for operations that is guided by specific objectives and regular performance measurement will help ensure that the most effective operations strategies are incorporated into transportation plans. In many regions around the country, agencies are already applying elements of this approach in a variety of ways. This case study is just one example of where this is being done.
The Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC) uses a broad and integrated approach for transportation planning in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy (New York) metropolitan area. This approach encompasses issues critical to the future of the Capital District, such as land use planning, development patterns, and general quality of life and economic development issues. These concerns are reflected in the agency's Congestion Management Process (CMP). While congestion is an important issue, the public views many other issues as more important to its quality of life. To reflect this perspective, the metropolitan transportation plan focuses transportation investments to encourage urban reinvestment, mixed use, transit-oriented development, and context sensitive design. Likewise, performance measures balance congestion mitigation with a wide range of other measures. Moreover, by linking the CMP and planning process—in terms of input, data, performance measures, and regional objectives—the CDTC is able to engage a variety of groups in the regional decisionmaking process. Thus, the CDTC is able to ensure that broader regional goals, and the greater public interest, are met.