Snow and ice maintenance operations are among the most critical functions of state transportation... more Snow and ice maintenance operations are among the most critical functions of state transportation agencies and municipalities in cold regions. The use of snow removal performance metrics is of increasing interest to transportation practitioners and academics. For this paper, a comprehensive literature review and a survey were conducted to gather information on the performance metrics used in winter highway maintenance activities by different transportation agencies. Performance goals for snow and ice control were identified in the survey, with average rankings as follows (in descending order): safety, mobility, economy, essential functions, environment, infrastructure, and livability. The survey results were also tabulated and analyzed to identify best practices and future trends in the agencies. Restoring safety and mobility consistently remains a priority of nearly all agencies. At present, the time taken to reach an established level of service is the most commonly used metric of different agencies. Because of the relatively high effectiveness, reliability, and timeliness of outcome-based and severity index–based performance metrics, more agencies are moving toward these types of metrics. Performance measurement by geographic area was also investigated but no clear trend was found. Effective and efficient snow and ice removal is a challenge to many transportation agencies in charge of winter highway operations. Assessing the current snow and ice removal performance metrics and data will help to measure service levels, compare service across regions, and justify budget allocations. In this context, it is important to establish service standards and performance metrics for winter highway operations. Transportation agencies continue looking for new approaches to evaluate winter maintenance operations, and performance measurement is an important focus of the new approaches (1, p. 12). To evaluate how well they are doing in snow and ice removal operations, departments of transportation (DOTs) and others need standardized measurements and methods that take into consideration diverse road weather conditions and other factors (2). As such, performance measurements are of increasing interest to transportation practitioners and academics. Many agencies measure the performance of their snow removal operations and use a variety of performance metrics (3–5; 6, p. 92). States such as Idaho and Minnesota have researched the success of their own winter maintenance practices through the use of performance metrics (7–9). In addition, some groups, such as Clear Roads, the I-80 Winter Operations Coalition, and the I-95 Corridor Coalition, are looking at innovations and establishing a structure for sharing information and coordinating winter maintenance operations across jurisdictional boundaries (10–12). Nearly all agencies have established level of service (LOS) guidelines for the various classifications of highways and major roads (13). LOS is a qualitative measure used to assess traffic flow by ranking traffic service according to speed, density, and other measures. In recent years, agencies have realized that LOSs need to be better defined to produce common, easily understood criteria for evaluating performance (14). NCHRP Project 6-17 identified both methods and measures for the assessment of agency and contractor performance in snow and ice control operations (15). This research provided a snapshot of how agencies were measuring snow and ice performance and a framework for future practices. However, some of the information in that report needs to be updated with current practices. Moreover, technological advances in maintenance operations have allowed for the enhanced collection and processing of data from the field and have drastically altered the ability to assess metrics (16, 17). The objective of this paper is to identify effective performance metrics for snow and ice maintenance operations. To achieve this goal, existing information in both the published domain and the winter road maintenance community was gathered, and then the information was analyzed in depth, with a focus on the performance measures of snow and ice maintenance operations, the measures' temporal evolution and effectiveness, the costs of gathering and analyzing the performance data, and the methods of communicating inside the organization and beyond. The paper is organized as follows. The section after this introduction explains the approach. The third section provides the literature review from both national and international sources. The fourth section presents the results and the discussion of the survey to capture the experience and insights of the winter maintenance community and practitioners. The fifth section comprises analysis and matrix development based on the survey and the literature. Finally, summary and conclusions are provided.
This document presents the results of a state-of-practice survey of transportation agencies that ... more This document presents the results of a state-of-practice survey of transportation agencies that are installing intelligent transportation sensors (ITS) and other devices along with their environmental sensing stations (ESS) also referred to as roadway weather information system (RWIS) assets.
Under the NCHRP 06-17 project, the research team surveyed snow and ice control organizations in t... more Under the NCHRP 06-17 project, the research team surveyed snow and ice control organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia to determine the current trends in performance measurement. The team also inquired about the methods used in developing these programs in order to determine a practical, user friendly method to assist snow and ice control managers in developing
Trunk Highway 10 (TH10) is a major arterial roadway connecting the Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. C... more Trunk Highway 10 (TH10) is a major arterial roadway connecting the Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Cloud metropolitan areas in Minnesota. TH10 (signed as US Highway 10) runs parallel to Interstate 94 along this entire route, but the two are separated by the Mississippi River; river crossings are limited. The TH10 corridor is developing rapidly as suburban growth radiates rapidly outward
Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2014
Traffic safety culture does not merely focus on risky behaviors and their consequences, but also ... more Traffic safety culture does not merely focus on risky behaviors and their consequences, but also on change in social norms, values, and beliefs. Past research has recommended establishing a comprehensive program to shape a safer traffic safety culture in the United States. In 2011, a cell phone and landline survey regarding traffic safety culture was disseminated across the state of Iowa. The survey gauged opinions from 1088 participants on driving experience, covering a wide range of traffic safety topics including law enforcement, driver education program, various driving behaviors, and attitudes toward traffic safety policies and programs.
Snow/ice maintenance operation is one of the most critical functions of state transportation agen... more Snow/ice maintenance operation is one of the most critical functions of state transportation agencies and municipalities in cold regions. The use of snow removal performance metrics is of increasing interest to transportation practitioners and academics. In this paper, a comprehensive literature review and a survey were conducted to gather information on performance metrics used by different transportation agencies in winter highway maintenance activities. The performance goals for snow/ice control were identified in the survey, with average rankings as follows (in descending order): Safety, Mobility, Economy, Essential Functions, Environment, Infrastructure, and Livability. The survey results were also tabulated and analyzed to identify best practices and future trends in the agencies. The key themes of the analysis were: Restoring safety and mobility consistently remains a priority of nearly all agencies. At present, time to established level of service is the most commonly used metric of different agencies. Due to their relatively high effectiveness, reliability and timeliness, more agencies are moving toward outcome-based and severity index-based performance metrics. Performance measurement by geographic area was also investigated, but no clear trend was found.
Snow and ice maintenance operations are among the most critical functions of state transportation... more Snow and ice maintenance operations are among the most critical functions of state transportation agencies and municipalities in cold regions. The use of snow removal performance metrics is of increasing interest to transportation practitioners and academics. For this paper, a comprehensive literature review and a survey were conducted to gather information on the performance metrics used in winter highway maintenance activities by different transportation agencies. Performance goals for snow and ice control were identified in the survey, with average rankings as follows (in descending order): safety, mobility, economy, essential functions, environment, infrastructure, and livability. The survey results were also tabulated and analyzed to identify best practices and future trends in the agencies. Restoring safety and mobility consistently remains a priority of nearly all agencies. At present, the time taken to reach an established level of service is the most commonly used metric of different agencies. Because of the relatively high effectiveness, reliability, and timeliness of outcome-based and severity index–based performance metrics, more agencies are moving toward these types of metrics. Performance measurement by geographic area was also investigated but no clear trend was found. Effective and efficient snow and ice removal is a challenge to many transportation agencies in charge of winter highway operations. Assessing the current snow and ice removal performance metrics and data will help to measure service levels, compare service across regions, and justify budget allocations. In this context, it is important to establish service standards and performance metrics for winter highway operations. Transportation agencies continue looking for new approaches to evaluate winter maintenance operations, and performance measurement is an important focus of the new approaches (1, p. 12). To evaluate how well they are doing in snow and ice removal operations, departments of transportation (DOTs) and others need standardized measurements and methods that take into consideration diverse road weather conditions and other factors (2). As such, performance measurements are of increasing interest to transportation practitioners and academics. Many agencies measure the performance of their snow removal operations and use a variety of performance metrics (3–5; 6, p. 92). States such as Idaho and Minnesota have researched the success of their own winter maintenance practices through the use of performance metrics (7–9). In addition, some groups, such as Clear Roads, the I-80 Winter Operations Coalition, and the I-95 Corridor Coalition, are looking at innovations and establishing a structure for sharing information and coordinating winter maintenance operations across jurisdictional boundaries (10–12). Nearly all agencies have established level of service (LOS) guidelines for the various classifications of highways and major roads (13). LOS is a qualitative measure used to assess traffic flow by ranking traffic service according to speed, density, and other measures. In recent years, agencies have realized that LOSs need to be better defined to produce common, easily understood criteria for evaluating performance (14). NCHRP Project 6-17 identified both methods and measures for the assessment of agency and contractor performance in snow and ice control operations (15). This research provided a snapshot of how agencies were measuring snow and ice performance and a framework for future practices. However, some of the information in that report needs to be updated with current practices. Moreover, technological advances in maintenance operations have allowed for the enhanced collection and processing of data from the field and have drastically altered the ability to assess metrics (16, 17). The objective of this paper is to identify effective performance metrics for snow and ice maintenance operations. To achieve this goal, existing information in both the published domain and the winter road maintenance community was gathered, and then the information was analyzed in depth, with a focus on the performance measures of snow and ice maintenance operations, the measures' temporal evolution and effectiveness, the costs of gathering and analyzing the performance data, and the methods of communicating inside the organization and beyond. The paper is organized as follows. The section after this introduction explains the approach. The third section provides the literature review from both national and international sources. The fourth section presents the results and the discussion of the survey to capture the experience and insights of the winter maintenance community and practitioners. The fifth section comprises analysis and matrix development based on the survey and the literature. Finally, summary and conclusions are provided.
This document presents the results of a state-of-practice survey of transportation agencies that ... more This document presents the results of a state-of-practice survey of transportation agencies that are installing intelligent transportation sensors (ITS) and other devices along with their environmental sensing stations (ESS) also referred to as roadway weather information system (RWIS) assets.
Under the NCHRP 06-17 project, the research team surveyed snow and ice control organizations in t... more Under the NCHRP 06-17 project, the research team surveyed snow and ice control organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia to determine the current trends in performance measurement. The team also inquired about the methods used in developing these programs in order to determine a practical, user friendly method to assist snow and ice control managers in developing
Trunk Highway 10 (TH10) is a major arterial roadway connecting the Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. C... more Trunk Highway 10 (TH10) is a major arterial roadway connecting the Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Cloud metropolitan areas in Minnesota. TH10 (signed as US Highway 10) runs parallel to Interstate 94 along this entire route, but the two are separated by the Mississippi River; river crossings are limited. The TH10 corridor is developing rapidly as suburban growth radiates rapidly outward
Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2014
Traffic safety culture does not merely focus on risky behaviors and their consequences, but also ... more Traffic safety culture does not merely focus on risky behaviors and their consequences, but also on change in social norms, values, and beliefs. Past research has recommended establishing a comprehensive program to shape a safer traffic safety culture in the United States. In 2011, a cell phone and landline survey regarding traffic safety culture was disseminated across the state of Iowa. The survey gauged opinions from 1088 participants on driving experience, covering a wide range of traffic safety topics including law enforcement, driver education program, various driving behaviors, and attitudes toward traffic safety policies and programs.
Snow/ice maintenance operation is one of the most critical functions of state transportation agen... more Snow/ice maintenance operation is one of the most critical functions of state transportation agencies and municipalities in cold regions. The use of snow removal performance metrics is of increasing interest to transportation practitioners and academics. In this paper, a comprehensive literature review and a survey were conducted to gather information on performance metrics used by different transportation agencies in winter highway maintenance activities. The performance goals for snow/ice control were identified in the survey, with average rankings as follows (in descending order): Safety, Mobility, Economy, Essential Functions, Environment, Infrastructure, and Livability. The survey results were also tabulated and analyzed to identify best practices and future trends in the agencies. The key themes of the analysis were: Restoring safety and mobility consistently remains a priority of nearly all agencies. At present, time to established level of service is the most commonly used metric of different agencies. Due to their relatively high effectiveness, reliability and timeliness, more agencies are moving toward outcome-based and severity index-based performance metrics. Performance measurement by geographic area was also investigated, but no clear trend was found.
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