2445 - Multifaceted Transportation Performance Integrating Mobility, Safety, Air Quality, Physical Activity and Public Health

Abstract

Background While mobility, safety, and environmental friendliness have been major interests in transportation systems, recently people have started to pay more attention to public health related to transportation. Emphasis has been shifted from mobility and convenience to environmental friendliness and public health. However, traditional performance measures are insufficient in addressing such changes. Therefore, there is a need to provide a multifaceted approach to integrate such performance measures. Method This study proposed an assessment framework that integrates four aspects: mobility or network performance, traffic safety, environmental impact, and physical activity. In order to demonstrate its applicability, the proposed framework was employed and tested in Michigan as a case study. Data in individual categories were collected and analyzed. Delay costs, metabolic equivalent (MET), the number of crashes, and concentration of O3 were used as performance measures representing network performance, physical activity, safety, and environmental impact, respectively. Result Using the multifaceted assessment framework, this study compared performance measures by region (Bay Region, Grand Region, Metro Region, North Region, Southwest Region, and University Region) in Michigan. The result with data in 2015 showed that the Metro region, the most populated area in Michigan, was weaker than other reasons with respect to network performance, traffic safety and physical activity. By producing a multidimensional spider diagram, the strengths and weaknesses of each region's transportation performance results were analyzed and visualized. The results demonstrated its capacity to present multifaceted performance measures and their relative performances among regions. Conclusion This study proposed an integrated approach and presented a case example using the observed data in Michigan. The method was useful researchers understanding transportation performances in a comprehensive manner integrating multifaceted measures. The approach is expected to help decision-makers in developing traffic management strategies by allowing analyses of traffic-related public health strategies based on traffic exposure measures. In order to examine the effects of alternative strategies, performance measures could be derived from activity-based travel demand models or simulations. Simulation-based assessments can serve as a decision supporting tool for evaluating and/or selecting various treatment options for public health strategies prior to actual implementation. The application of activity-based travel demand models makes it possible to quantify various measures in the proposed approach by providing the effects of alternative strategies.