Transportation Planning Data

This chapter describes how transportation planning is a complex process that involved the evaluation and selection of highway or transit facilities in order to serve present and future demand. Studies are conducted in order to gather information for transportation modeling efforts or to evaluate the potential impacts of specific programs and projects. The data deeded for these studies usually included information about population and economic activity, travel characteristics, and transportation facilities. The data needed for these studies usually includes information about population and economic activity, travel characteristics, and transport facilities. The data are often organized and analyzed to: (1) identify the scale of present system inadequacies; (2) provide a basis to forecast future land use and travel; (3) derive population, land use, and travel relationships; and (4) calibrate travel demand models. The data needed for a study vary according to the scope and nature of the proposed project, past planning activities, cost of data collection, and so on. Generally, the transportation planning process requires that data from a wide variety of sources be compiled, organized, and analyzed. Data collection efforts can include most of the operational surveys described in this book, including volume, speed, travel time, transit, goods movement studies and inventories of land use, traffic control, geometrics, and other characteristics.