Managing Travel for

Planned Special Events

Handbook: Executive Summary
Managing Travel for
Planned Special Events
Handbook: Executive Summary
Notice
This document is disseminated under the
sponsorship of the Department of
Transportation in the interest of information
exchange. This United States Government
assumes no liability for its contents or use
thereof. This report does not constitute a
standard, specifcation or regulation.
The United States Government does not
endorse products or manufacturers. Trade
and manufacturers names appear in this
report only because they are considered
essential to the object of the document.
Introduction 1
Defnition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Examples of Planned Special Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Goals and Benefts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Purpose of Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
FHWA Program Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Organization of Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Event Characteristics 7
Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Phases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Practitioner Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Operations Planning Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Event Impacts and Stakeholders 17
Event Consequence Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Travel Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Organization and Coordination of Stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Travel Choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Regional Planning and Coordination 24
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Regional Initiatives and Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Funding Mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Planning, Implementing, Operating, and Evaluating 30
Event Operations Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Implementation Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Day-of-Event Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Post-Event Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Decision Makers Vision 41
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LISt Of tabLES aND fIguRES
figures
Figure 1-1: City of Chicago Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Figure 2-1: Event Operations Planning Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Figure 3-1: Planned Special Event Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Figure 3-2: Planned Special Event Stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Figure 3-3: Planned Special Event Activity Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Figure 5-1: Traffc Flow Route Planning Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Figure 5-2: Traffc Management Team Command Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
tables
Table 1-1: Reasons to Manage Travel for Planned Special Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Table 1-2: Stakeholder Challenges and Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Table 1-3: Sample Annualized Economic Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Table 1-4: FHWA Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Table 1-5: Decision Makers Role Relative to Chapter One Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Table 1-6: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Table 2-1: Categories of Planned Special Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Table 2-2: Considerations in Managing Travel for a Discrete/Recurring Event at a Permanent Venue . . . . 9
Table 2-3: Considerations in Managing Travel for a Continuous Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Table 2-4: Considerations in Managing Travel for a Street Use Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Table 2-5: Considerations in Managing Travel for a Rural Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Table 2-6: Decision Makers Role in Planned Special Events Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Table 2-7: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Table 2-8: Decision Makers Role in Planned Special Events Phases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Table 2-9: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Table 2-10: Decision Makers Role in Fulflling Purposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Table 2-11: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Table 2-12: Decision Makers Role in Managing the Planning Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Table 2-13: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Table 3-1: Decision Makers Role in Event Impact Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Table 3-2: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Table 3-3: Decision Makers Role in Relation to Stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Table 3-4: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Table 3-5: Decision Makers Role in Successful Stakeholder Coordination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Table 3-6: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Table 3-7: Groups Requiring Special Accommodations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Table 3-8: Decision Makers Role in Travel Choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Table 3-9: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
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Table 4-1: Decision Makers Role in Regional Planning and Coordination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Table 4-2: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Table 4-3: Regional Initiative and Activity Focus Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Table 4-4: Decision Makers Role in Regional Initiatives and Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Table 4-5: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Table 4-6: Cost Management Program for Planned Special Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Table 4-7: Planned Special Event Funding Mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Table 4-8: Louisville, KY Criteria for Providing Free Services for a Special Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Table 4-9: Decision Makers Role in Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Table 4-10: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Table 5-1: Traffc Management Plan Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Table 5-2: Decision Makers Role in Event Operations Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Table 5-3: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Table 5-4: Decision Makers Role in Implementation Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Table 5-5: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Table 5-6: Decision Makers Role in Day-of-Event Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Table 5-7: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Table 5-8: Event Management Measures of Effectiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Table 5-9: Decision Makers Role in Post-Event Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Table 5-10: Decision Makers Responsibility to Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Table 6-1: Purposes for Planned Special Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Table 6-2: Decision Makers Role in Managing Travel for Planned Special Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Table 6-3: Decision Makers Responsibility to the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
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Chapter 1: Introduction
1
Introduction
DEfINItION
Planned Special Event
A planned special event (PSE) is a public activity with
a scheduled time, location and duration that may
impact the normal operation of the surface transpor-
tation system due to increased travel demand and/or
reduced capacity attributed to event staging.
A planned special event represents the only type of
event that can generate an increase in traffc demand
and cause a temporary reduction in roadway capac-
ity because of event staging. For example, a parade or
bicycle race may require street closures extending over
a signifcant distance, and other events may warrant
isolated road closures to accommodate pedestrian fow.
Differences of Planned and
unplanned Special Events
The term planned special event is used to describe
these activities because of their known locations,
scheduled times of occurrence, and associated oper-
ating characteristics. Emergencies, such as a severe
weather event or other major catastrophe, represent
special events that can induce extreme traffc de-
mand under an evacuation condition. However, these
events occur at random and with little or no advance
warning, thus contrasting characteristics of planned
special events.
EXaMPLES Of PLaNNED SPECIaL EVENtS
types of Planned Special Events
Planned special events include sporting events,
concerts, festivals, and conventions occurring at
permanent multi-use venues (e.g., arenas, stadiums,
racetracks, fairgrounds, amphitheaters, convention
centers). They also include less frequent public events
such as parades, freworks displays, bicycle races,
sporting games, motorcycle rallies, seasonal festivals,
and milestone celebrations at temporary venues.
Temporary venues include parks, streets, and other
open spaces with limited roadway and parking capac-
ity and may not have a defned spectator capacity.
gOaLS aND bENEfItS
Need for Special attention
If 520 peak commuter periods occur each year less
holidays, then consider the impact on transportation
system operations when a locale hosts 1000+ (San
Diego), 2000+ (Los Angeles), 4000+ (Philadelphia),
and even 5000+ (New York City) planned special
events annually. The effect of PSEs is multi-dimen-
sional: by time, by space, and by magnitude of effect.
Time effects include event time, event duration, and
event time of occurrence. Space effects include event
location. Magnitude effects include expected atten-
dance and event market area. Other PSE characteris-
tics, such as audience accommodation, infuence time
and magnitude effects, and event type infuence time,
space, and magnitude effects.
The following lesson learned, as reported by the
Hollywood Reporter.com for a one-night concert event
at Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, CA,
exemplifes the need for proactive traffc and travel
management for planned special events: Venue staff-
ers said that the concert was oversold, and indeed
it drew more than 40,000 peoplein becoming a
stadium-level show, but not a festival with people
showing up at different times, there was apparently no
effort to accommodate a massive arrival all at once.
Traffc on the I-15 was backed up 10-12 miles south
of the venue with the crossing freeway 215 apparently
no better. Many decided to park sporadically near the
freeway exits and simply walk miles rather than sit in
the snails pace of the bumper-to-bumper snarl.
Every agency wants to prevent the occurrence of such
a problem so that everyone will remember the success-
ful travel management of the planned special event.
These situations emphasize the need for a planned
special events feasibility study and traffc manage-
ment plans, which present policies, guidelines, proce-
dures, strategies, and resource applications that assure
the successful management of travel for planned
special events.
As a result, the overall benefts that can be realized
through managing travel for planned special events
include 1) reduce delay, 2) reduce traffc demand,
and 3) improve safety. Thus, the good news that all
decision makers want to hear is represented by the
following lesson learned as reported by the Wisconsin
DOT for the opening of Miller Park in Milwaukee:
Despite the triple whammy of rush hour, an opening
day crowd of 42,000 and a presidential motorcade,
offcials reported few problems along freeway routes
leading to Miller Park Friday.
Stakeholder Challenges and goals
Table 1-1 indicates the purposes of managing travel
for planned special events.
Table 1-1: Reasons to Manage Travel for Planned
Special Events
Purposes
n Need to manage intense travel demand
n Need to mitigate potential capacity constraints
n Need to infuence attractiveness of alternative travel
choices
n Need to accommodate potential for heavy pedestrian
fow and transit vehicles
n Need to manage increased demand for emergency
services and associated travel demand
n Need to facilitate ongoing commercial enterprises
and associated commercial deliveries
The purposes listed in Table 1-1 should be viewed as
challenges that can be met by realizing the established
goals. Table 1-2 lists the challenges and goals of man-
aging travel for planned special events. Techniques
to achieve predictability include: (1) perform a multi-
modal travel forecast, (2) defne the area and trans-
portation system components impacted, (3) conduct
analyses of parking demand and traffc demand, and
(4) identify and correct roadway capacity defciencies.
Techniques for maximizing effciency include using
all available resources and excess transportation (road
and transit) capacity.
Table 1-2: Stakeholder Challenges and Goals
Challenges goals
n Need to manage intense travel demand
n Need to mitigate potential capacity constraints
n Need to infuence attractiveness of alternative travel
choices
n Need to accommodate potential for heavy pedestrian
fow and transit vehicles
n Achieve predictability
n Ensure safety
n Maximize effciency
n Minimize regional traffc effects from events
n Meet public and event patron expectations
Stakeholder and System Operations benefts
The proactive and coordinated management of travel
for planned special events yields numerous benefts
to transportation stakeholders and transportation
system operations:
n Meet other staffng requirements;
n Provide expanded and effcient control;
n Upgrade transportation system infrastructure;
n Improve management of future events; and
n Transfer strategies to day-to-day operations.
n Leverage support for new resources or initiatives
Another key stakeholder beneft involves forming
partnerships and building trust among stakeholders
representing different disciplines and jurisdictions.
This applies not only to coordination for future
planned special events but highway incident manage-
ment and day-to-day operations as well.
Economic and tourism benefts
Planned special events present economic and tour-
ism benefts to the community. For instance, as a
mechanism for rejuvenating and profling downtown
areas, many cities have established special events
committees and use planned special events such as
marathons, street fairs, festivals, car rallies, outdoor
music concerts or any other temporary gathering of
merchants, craftspeople, and/or artists for the publics
interest. Planned special events generate income
through tax revenue and may also spur development.
Also, showcasing a successful special event could lead
to increased future tourism for the community
Many major cities have Planned Special Events offces
as part of the city government. Cities such as Boston,
Dallas, Chicago and Los Angeles have websites that
provide information on planned special events. Figure
1-1 shows information from the CityofChicago.org
website on the Mayors Offce of Special Events.
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Chapter 1: Introduction

Figure 1-1: City of Chicago Website

Special events provide an opportunity to showcase
your city/area for future tourism opportunities and
if you rise to the challenge this could lead to future
fnancial benefts. For example, due to the overwhelm-
ingly positive response from businesses and golf fans
to the PGA (Professional Golfers Associations) 86
th

Championship at Whistling Straits Golf Course in
Wisconsin, the Sheboygan County course will likely
host several more major golf tournaments in the fu-
ture. In fact, Whistling Straits will host the 2007 U.S.
Senior Open, 2010 PGA Championship, 2015 PGA
Championship and 2020 Ryder Cup.
Many communities have recognized the economic
and tourism advantages of staging or attracting
future planned special events to help revitalize the
downtown area. The planned special event brings
more people into a community to watch the planned
special event and at the same time stimulates sales
in stores and restaurants. Furthermore, many com-
munities desire to improve business within their area
as well as to work for the improvement of the general
economic and cultural welfare of the region.
The Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce
on eastern Long Island, New York has taken a
proactive role in the scheduling of planned special
events to attract more people into the downtown
Village of Westhampton Beach so that the stores,
businesses, delicatessens and restaurants can also
gain from the infux of potential customers that are
attracted by the planned special event. The Greater
Westhampton Chamber of Commerce prepares a
calendar of special events and works
with groups such as the Rotary,
churches and the Westhampton
Performing Arts Center to co-spon-
sor antique shows, fea markets,
and concerts in the downtown area.
Accordingly, merchants extend their
hours of business operations to co-
incide with the times of the planned
special events.
Examples of achieved benefts
Planned special events can provide
a substantial fnancial income to the
community in which they occur.
In fact, the economic impact of
the North American International
Auto Show (NAIAS) and the 2006
Super Bowl combined was antici-
pated to generate nearly $1 billion
to Southeast Michigan. Table 1-3
presents a breakdown of some major events and their
typical annualized economic impact.
Table 1-3: Sample Annualized Economic Impact
Events
annualized
Economic Impact
Summer Olympics $700 million
NAIAS* $580 million
Daytona 500* $554 million
Super Bowl XXXVII $367 million
Indianapolis 500* $336.6 million
New York International Auto
Show*
$187 million
Ryder Cup $114 million
Oscars* $63 million
Kentucky Derby* $53 million
Major League Baseball
All-Star Game
$52.5 million
World Series* $40 million
*Estimated annual economic impact.
Source: www.naias.com
Information on the regional economic impact of
constructing the new Arizona Cardinals Stadium in
Glendale, AZ (Phoenix Metro Area) revealed:
n Construction phase added 3,500 jobs and $400
million in economic benefts to area.
n Arizona State General Fund received $20 million
over construction period.
n The NFL (National Football League) Arizona
Cardinals contribute $150 million to the economy
each year.
n The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl contributes $140 mil-
lion each year. The new BCS (Bowl Championship
Series) formula which adds a second game every
four years will have an additional positive impact.
n Super Bowl XXX in Tempe in 1996 was seen by
900 million people around the globe.
n Super Bowl XLII in 2008 will add $400 million to
the economy.
A review of the U.S. Census Bureau, 2002 Service
Annual Survey, Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
Services, revealed the magnitude of the nationwide
benefts:
n The estimated revenue for 2002 was $137 billion
for arts, entertainment and recreation services.
n The performing arts and spectator sports sector
had an estimated revenue of $50 billion.
n The museums, historical sites and similar
institutions sector had an estimated revenue
of $7.7 billion.
n The amusement, gambling and recreation indus-
tries sector had an estimated revenue of $79 billion.
PuRPOSE Of EXECutIVE SuMMaRY
Need for this Document
This Managing Travel for Planned Special Events
Handbook: Executive Summary is written to com-
municate new and proven institutional and high-level
operational techniques and strategies for achieving a
coordinated, proactive approach to managing travel
for all planned special events in a region in addition
to facilitating successful and cost-effective manage-
ment of specifc planned special events.
This technical reference provides a working knowl-
edge of the techniques and strategies that practitio-
ners may use to successfully: (1) plan for and operate
a particular planned special event or (2) manage all
planned special events in a region. In turn, individual
managers and decision makers gain an understand-
ing of the collective tasks to develop and implement
solutions for managing travel during a planned
special event. Transportation operations vary during
a planned special event and identifying issues and
advance planning activities to use can lead to the suc-
cessful travel management for a planned special event.
target audience
The associated target audience of this document is de-
cision makers such as elected and appointed offcials,
and other senior level professionals whose agencies,
departments, or organizations are involved in the
planning, design, implementation and management of
travel for planned special events. These organizations
include transportation, planning, transit, law enforce-
ment, and event organizers. Typically, the target users
possess the following backgrounds: (1) little or no
knowledge of the concept, importance, and challenges
of managing travel for planned special events and (2)
working knowledge of the issues and challenges in
managing travel for planned special events and seek-
ing institutional-level solutions toward effecting an
expanded, effcient, and cost-effective approach to pro-
active travel management for planned special events.
fHWa PROgRaM DOCuMENtS
Other useful Documents
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) es-
tablished a program devoted to managing travel for
planned special events. Table 1-4 lists the other docu-
ments available.
Table 1-4: FHWA Documents
n Handbook, Managing Travel for
Planned Special Events
n Practical Checklists
n Outreach Material
Brochure; Publication No. FHWA-OP-04-033, EDL
Doc. #13903
Fact sheet; Publication No. FHWA-OP-04-034,
EDL Doc. #13904
Technical presentation available on the TMC
(transportation management center) Pooled-
Fund Study website
n Available at http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/
program_areas/sp-evnts-mgmt.htm
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Chapter 1: Introduction

Managing travel for Planned

Special Events Handbook
The Managing Travel for Planned Special Events
Handbook was written to assist responsible agencies
in managing the ever-increasing number of planned
special events impacting transportation system opera-
tions in rural, urban, and metropolitan areas. It leads
practitioners step-by-step through all phases of manag-
ing travel for planned special events, and it serves to:
n Bridge the gap between the state-of-the-practice
and state-of-the-art;
n Provide a framework for establishing an integrated
and stakeholder coordinated practice;
n Recommend proven and innovative techniques; and
n Profle successful practices.
The 448-page handbook consists of 15 chapters, the
fnal fve of which detail and contrast advance plan-
ning and operations activities for each of the fve
defned categories of planned special events. The
handbook discusses aspects of planned special events
including 1) characteristics and categories of planned
special events, 2) regional and local coordination,
3) event operations planning, 4) implementation
activities, 5) day-of-event activities, and 6) post-event
activities.
The handbook appendix contains multiple examples
of venue maps, traffc control plans, sample permits,
interagency agreements, website screen shots, and
event information brochures. Throughout the hand-
book, there exist examples of interagency coordina-
tion, successful event management ideas, resource
applications, and best practices. It is available on the
TMC Pooled-Fund Study web site at http://tmcpfs.ops.
fhwa.dot.gov and the ITS (Intelligent Transportation
Systems) Electronic Document Library (EDL) at
http://www.its.dot.gov as publication no. FHWA-OP-
04-010 or EDL Doc. #13883.
Practical Checklists
This product supplements the PSE Handbook and
consists of practical checklists (i.e., action plans) that
practitioners may customize and apply in manag-
ing all planned special events in a region in order to
consistently identify and address event-specifc travel
demand and transportation operations impacts that
infuence each step in the process of advance plan-
ning, operations, and evaluation for a specifc category
and size of planned special event. An evaluation plan
for categorizing and sizing an incident in addition to
practical checklists for each travel management phase
may be applied to successive planned special events,
similar to written criteria, guidelines, and procedures
for managing other types of planned and unplanned
events, and modifed as necessary based on results
of post-event evaluation activities. This product also
includes example tabletop exercises tailored to adver-
tise, promote, pilot test, and customize the practical
checklists for use by agencies and regional groups.
Courses to assist Practitioners
National Highway Institute Course No. 133099
Managing Travel for Planned Special Events repre-
sents a new course with planned special events as its
central focus. The course will advertise the Managing
Travel for Planned Special Events handbook and
guide participants on how to use it and apply key con-
cepts contained in the handbook. The second-day of
the course aims to guide practitioners through all the
phases of managing travel for planned special events
for a specifc event category. In turn, course instruc-
tion and group exercises can meet participant needs
in planning and managing a similar, future event for a
specifc locale.
ORgaNIZatION Of EXECutIVE SuMMaRY
Document Organization
This frst chapter is designed to:
n Defne a planned special event;
n Provide examples of planned special events;
n Present stakeholder challenges and goals;
n Identify numerous benefts of successfully manag-
ing travel for planned special events;
n Emphasize the need for this Executive Summary;
and
n Advise useful, companion documents and courses
prepared under the FHWA program of Managing
Travel for Planned Special Events.
The remainder of this Executive Summary document
is devoted to:
n Chapter Two, Event Characteristics, examines
categories, phases, practitioner perspective, and
operations planning schedule.
n Chapter Three, Event Impacts and Stakeholders,
looks at major event impact factors, stakehold-
ers functions and coordination, and travel choice
considerations.
n Chapter Four, Regional Planning and
Coordination, covers policies, agreements and
planned special event permitting.
n Chapter Five, Planning, Implementing, Operating
and Evaluating, examines the key activities of event
operations planning, implementation, day-of-event
and the post-event.
n Chapter Six, Decision Makers Vision, reviews the
key actions that decision makers should take to
meet the challenges to successfully manage travel
for a planned special event.
Within each section of Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 a head-
ing is included to discuss the decision makers role
relative to the topic discussed. A table follows listing
the major actions that should be considered in the
decision makers role in meeting the challenges of
that topic. These tables are highlighted with a yel-
low background throughout this document for ease
of reference. Table 1-5 illustrates the decision makers
role relative to material presented in Chapter 1,
Introduction.
Table 1-5: Decision Makers Role Relative to
Chapter One Material
n Understand what a planned special event is.
n Realize the major impacts on the transportation
system that planned special events can cause.
n Make sure that your staff realizes the need for a
PSE Feasibility Study and traffc management plans,
which present policy guidelines, procedures, strate-
gies, and resource applications that assure the suc-
cessful management of travel for PSEs.
n Recognize the economic and tourism benefts to the
community.
n Foster your staffs use of the FHWA Handbook Man-
aging Travel for Planned Special Events and the
Practical Checklists.
n Encourage your key employees to attend and partici-
pate in the NHI Course Managing Travel for Planned
Special Events.
The decision maker should always be aware of his/her
responsibility to the community and the region where
the planned special event is held. Within appropriate
sections of Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5; a table presents
actions that the decision maker should be aware of
relating to what a planned special event means to the
community so that they infuence each of the decision
makers roles. These tables are highlighted with a light
blue background throughout this document for ease
of reference.
Table 1-6 illustrates the decision makers responsibil-
ity to the community relative to material presented in
Chapter 1, Introduction.
Table 1-6: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Assure that the normal activities of businesses and
the day-to-day lives of the residents of the region
continue while meeting the expectations of the
event patrons.
n Recognize that potential, major traffc impacts
can be identifed and mitigated by proper planning
and implementation activities that will result in a
successful traffc management plan with benefts to
the community and region.
n Select mitigation measures to convert potential
negative impacts to positive impacts that are real-
ized by the community.
n Manage travel for a planned special event so that
economic and tourism benefts to the community
are realized.
n Recognize that showcasing a successful planned
special event could lead to increased future tourism
for the community.
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CatEgORIES
five Categories of Planned Special Events
The fve categories of planned special events and as-
sociated distinguishing characteristics, as well as their
impact to the community, are listed in Table 2-1.
Table 2-1: Categories of Planned Special Events
Category Characteristics Effect on Community
Discrete/Recurring
Event at a
Permanent Venue
n Predictable starting and ending
times
n Known venue capacity
n Anticipated demand typically
known
n Advance ticket sales
n Concentrated arrival and departure
demands
n Need to give special attention to weekday events
due to their potential impacts on commuter traf-
fc, transit operations, businesses and residents.
n Need to minimize impacts on access to businesses
and residents due to concentrated arrival and
departure demands.
n Need to identify ways to minimize community im-
pacts and improve transportation system opera-
tions during future venue events.
n Need to consider parking restrictions or issu-
ance of residence parking stickers so that event
patrons do not impact residences by parking on
residential streets in the vicinity of the venue.
Continuous Event n Occurrence often over multiple days
n Patrons arrive and depart during
the event day
n Less reliance on advance ticket
sales
n Capacity of venue not always
known
n Occurrence sometimes at temporary
venues
n Parking availability varies
n Need to assure that the signifcant level of per-
sonnel required over the multiple days of opera-
tion can be provided to minimize impacts to the
community.
n Need to apply changes made in the traffc man-
agement plan to minimize community impacts for
future continuous events.
Event Characteristics
Category Characteristics Effect on Community
Street use Event n Occurrence on roadway requiring
closure
n Specifc starting and predictable
ending times
n Capacity of spectator viewing area
not known
n Spectators typically not charged or
ticketed
n Parking availability varies
n Impact on emergency access and
local services
n Need to consider effect on access and parking of
residents and businesses of a street along which
the event will be held.
n Need to consider communicating with and involv-
ing the participation of businesses and residents
on the street that will be closed for the event.
n Need to assure that bus transit stop relocations
during the event are communicated in advance to
residents and businesses.
n Need to require adequate sidewalk passage area
and fre lanes at all times to permit access of
emergency vehicles to adjacent residents and
businesses along the streets utilized by the street
use event.
n Need to notify all businesses and residents
located on the street to be used or closed of the
event dates and times.
Regional/Multi-
Venue Event
n Occurrence of events at multiple
venues at or near same time
n Ingress and egress operations for
concurrent events may occur at
same time
n Parking areas may service demand
from different events over day
n Need to coordinate activities of the events in or-
der to minimize traffc impact on the community.
n Need to offset occurrence of ingress and egress
times to minimize effect on traffc, parking,
resources and the community.
n Need to examine event scheduling to avoid
departing traffc from one event coinciding with
arriving traffc from another event to minimize
effect on traffc, parking, resources, and the com-
munity.
Rural Event n Rural area and possible tourist
destination
n High attendance events attracting
event patrons from a regional area
n Limited roadway capacity
n Area lacking regular transit service
n Need to meet with residents and businesses to
minimize effect on adjacent roadways.
n Need to use public surveys to assess all com-
munity effect and incorporate successful lessons
learned to apply to the next event.
In recognizing the unique characteristics of each
category of planned special event regarding trip gen-
eration and event impact on transportation system
operations, many jurisdictions across the country
have developed distinct planning processes, policies,
and regulations specifc to particular event categories.
The balance of this section describes each of the fve
defned event categories.
Discrete/Recurring Event at a Permanent Venue
Table 2-2 presents travel demand, road/site capacity,
event operation, and other considerations specifc to
managing travel for a discrete/recurring event at a per-
manent venue. High peak arrival rates occur because
of event patrons urgency to arrive by a specifc start
time and possession of a reserved seat. However,
general admission or tailgating produce lower, yet
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Table 2-2: Considerations in Managing Travel for a Discrete/Recurring Event at a Permanent Venue
Event Impact factor Consideration
travel Demand n High peak arrival rates
n High peak pedestrian and traffc departure rates
Road/Site Capacity n Exclusive off-street parking areas generally exist
n Permanent access generally exists between parking areas and freeway/arterial routes
n Transit stations may exist in vicinity of venue
n Self-contained traffc and pedestrian circulation
Event Operation n General admission seating or tailgating
n Known venue capacity and advance ticket sales
n Weekday event occurrences
External factors and
Other Considerations
n Use of transferable historical data
n Improvement in identifcation and mitigation of roadway capacity defciencies in each
successive event
pronounced, peak arrival rates. Known venue capacity
and advance ticket sales yield more accurate demand
forecasts, and the use of transferable historical data
improves predictability in feasibility study analyses.
Weekday event occurrences have potential impact on
commuter traffc and transit operations, especially dur-
ing already busy peak hour periods. High peak pedestri-
an and traffc departure rates happen because the event
ends abruptly. As with events under other categories, the
type of crowd attending the event can infuence on-site
staffng of police, medical, and emergency workers.
Table 2-3: Considerations in Managing Travel for a Continuous Event
Event Impact factor Consideration
travel Demand n Daily attendance diffcult to estimate
n Most events do not have an attendance capacity or defned sell-out
n High attendance events in downtown areas require extensive planning
Road/Site Capacity n Potential limited access to transit stations and adjacent high-capacity arterials and
freeways
n Temporary venues may lack suffcient on-site facilities for access, parking, and transit
bus accommodation
Event Operation n Major events generate trips from a multi-county region
n Traffc generation characteristics and market area of different events may vary
considerably
External factors and
Other Considerations
n Day-of-event weather conditions and attendance
n Potential weather impacts require consideration of a wide range of contingency plans
Continuous Event
Table 2-3 presents travel demand, road/site capacity,
event operation, and other considerations specifc to
managing travel for a continuous event. Use of his-
toric data may be limited by the variability of traffc
generation characteristics and market area of different
continuous events. Day-of-event weather conditions
may signifcantly affect attendance. Potential weather
impacts require consideration of a wide range of contin-
gency plans for site access, parking, pedestrian access,
traffc control, and traffc incident management.
Table 2-4: Considerations in Managing Travel for a Street use Event
Event Impact factor Consideration
travel Demand n Daily attendance diffcult to estimate
n High attendance events in downtown areas require extensive planning
Road/Site Capacity n Parking areas and traffc fow routes serve an expanded site area
n Spectator viewing areas may have limited access to transit stations and high-capacity
arterials and freeways
Event Operation n Parade or race route represents the event venue
n Race events or rallies often require temporary closure of roadways over a signifcant
distance
n Major events generate trips from a multi-county region
External factors and
Other Considerations
n Day-of-event weather conditions and attendance
n Impact to neighborhood access and parking
n Temporary road closures impact transportation system users
Street-use Event
Table 2-4 presents travel demand, road/site capacity,
event operation, and other considerations specifc to
managing travel for a street use event. As with con-
tinuous events, day-of-event weather conditions may
signifcant affect attendance. Impacts on transporta-
tion system users may include background traffc,
transit service, emergency vehicle access, and other
local services.
Regional/Multi-Venue Event
This event category is unique in that it involves two
or more distinct planned special events occurring at
separate venues with traffc and/or parking demand
generated by one event impacting traffc and/or
parking operations in the vicinity of the other event
venue(s). Individual events are categorized by any of
the following categories: discrete/recurring event at
a permanent venue, continuous event, or street use
event. Multiple events may represent a subset of a
larger planned special event. This category targets
considerations in coordinating, or lack thereof, traffc
and travel management for multiple events.
Rural Event
Table 2-5 presents travel demand, road/site capacity,
event operation, and other considerations specifc to
managing travel for a rural event. Rural events are
categorized by any of the following categories: dis-
crete/recurring event at a permanent venue, continu-
ous event, or street use event. An underlying challenge
in managing travel for rural events involves personnel
and equipment resource availability.
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Table 2-5: Considerations in Managing Travel for a Rural Event
Event Impact factor Consideration
travel Demand n Travel demand characteristics of discrete/recurring event at a permanent venue, con-
tinuous event, or street use event
Road/Site Capacity n Limited road and parking capacity
n Lack of in-place transit service and fewer alternate routes to accommodate event/
background traffc
n Limited or no permanent infrastructure for monitoring and managing traffc
Event Operation n Generation of trips from a multi-county region
n Event operation characteristics of discrete/recurring event at a permanent venue,
continuous event, or street use event
External factors and
Other Considerations
n Need for stakeholders to assume new and/or expanded roles
n Need to work closely with all affected stakeholders
Decision Makers Role in Planned Special Events
Categories
Table 2-6 presents the major efforts that should be
considered in the decision makers role in meeting
the challenges pertinent to planned special events
categories.
Table 2-6: Decision Makers Role in Planned Special
Events Categories
n Become familiar with each of the fve categories
and their characteristics.
n Assure that your agency examines possible scenar-
ios that can accommodate arrivals peaking rather
than being spread out throughout the day that
could turn a continuous event into a discrete/recur-
ring event.
n Foster regional coordination and regional interac-
tion to advise of a planned special event and deter-
mine if other events are also occurring that results
in multiple events as part of a regional/multi-venue
event.
The decision makers responsibility to the community
relative to the planned special events categories is
listed in Table 2-7.
Table 2-7: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Need to meet with residents and businesses to
minimize impacts on adjacent roadways.
n Need to notify all businesses and residents located
near the event or on a traffc fow route of the
event dates and times.
n Need to minimize impacts on access to businesses
and residents.
n Need to consider parking restrictions or issuance
of residence parking stickers so that event patrons
do not impact residences by parking on residential
streets in the vicinity of the venue.
n Need to apply changes made in the traffc man-
agement plan to minimize community impacts for
future events.
n Need to identify ways to minimize community
impacts and improve transportation system opera-
tions during future events.
n Need to use public surveys to assess all community
impacts and incorporate successful lessons learned
to apply to the next event.
PHaSES
five Phases of Managing travel for Planned
Special Events
The fve phases of managing travel for planned special
events, in chronological order, include:
n Regional planning and coordination;
n Event operations planning;
n Implementation activities;
n Day-of-event activities; and
n Post-event activities.
Integration of lessons learned from post-event activi-
ties into future event planning and operations creates
a seamless process allowing for continuous improve-
ment of transportation system performance from one
event to the next.
Regional Planning and Coordination Phase
Regional Planning and Coordination encompasses
advance planning activities completed months prior
to a single, target event or activities related to a series
of future planned special events. This level of advance
planning involves the participation and coordination
of stakeholders serving an oversight role in addition
to agencies directly responsible for event planning and
day-of-event traffc management. Decision makers
should 1) build off of existing relationships with other
localities in their region, and 2) use the planning
for an event as a jumping off point for enhanced
regional planning and coordination.
Event Operations Planning Phase
Event operations planning encompasses advance
planning and stakeholder coordination activities
conducted for a specifc planned special event. Event
operations planning activities are undertaken to:
n Establish a planning framework and team;
n Predict transportation system operations defcien-
cies and develop strategies to mitigate; and
n Assess and plan for unexpected, high-impact
scenarios.
These activities facilitate stakeholder coordination
and collaboration across disciplines and jurisdictions
and ensure compliance with community needs and
requirements.
Implementation Phase
Implementation activities involve strategizing traffc
management plan deployment in addition to conduct-
ing necessary testing and training activities. This rep-
resents a transition phase between event operations
planning and day-of-event activities. Implementation
activities are designed to:
n Improve the effciency of traffc management plan
deployment;
n Identify unknown and potential problems before
the event; and
n Increase traffc management team preparedness.
Activities under this phase create a more responsive
traffc management team and fuid team operation
on the day-of-event. In turn, transportation system
performance improves on the day-of-event.
Day-of-Event activities Phase
Day-of-event activities involve the actual implemen-
tation and operation of the traffc management plan
during the day-of-event. Day-of-event activities focus
on:
n Implementation of the traffc management plan in
conjunction with real-time traffc monitoring;
n Plan revisions as conditions warrant;
n Rapid, proactive response to any unplanned situa-
tion; and
n Data for performance evaluation and future plan-
ning activities.
Post-Event activities Phase
Post-event activities cover the evaluation of local and
regional transportation operations based on stake-
holder debriefngs and an analysis of traffc data col-
lected during the day-of-event. These activities:
n Compare plan specifcations and resources alloca-
tions to actual day-of-event operations;
n Evaluate transportation system performance;
n Review traffc management team activity;
n Identify key successes and lessons learned; and
n Facilitate an iterative planning, operations, and
evaluation process.
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Post-event activities represent the frst step in plan-
ning for future, successive events and can contribute
toward proactively improving travel management for
all planned special events in a region.
Decision Makers Role in Planned
Special Events Phases
Table 2-8 presents the key actions that the decision
maker should consider for the fve phases of planned
special events.
Table 2-8: Decision Makers Role in Planned Special
Events Phases
n Assure that your staff treats the fve phases as an
iterative process where the lessons learned from
one event is applied to the frst phase of the next
planned special event.
n Encourage your staff to refer to sections of the
FHWA handbook Managing Travel for Planned Spe-
cial Events and follow the step-by-step guidelines
for each phase.
n Require your staff to utilize the FHWA Practical
Checklists to assure every step is considered.
n Incorporate local and specifc requirements of your
agency to customize the Practical Checklists for
the needs of your agency.
The decision makers responsibility to the community
relative to the fve phases of planned special events are
presented in Table 2-9.
Table 2-9: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Assure that the fve phases are part of an itera-
tive process so that lessons learned and successful
approaches from the Post-event phase are incor-
porated into the Regional Planning and Coordina-
tion phase so that impacts to the community are
minimized for future events.
n Need to identify potential negative impacts on the
community, in the Event Operations phase, and
mitigate them in the Implementation phase to cre-
ate positive impacts and/or minimal impacts to the
community during the Day-of-Event phase.
PRaCtItIONER PERSPECtIVE
Purpose of Managing travel for
Planned Special Events
The purpose of managing travel for planned special
events involves:
n Managing intense travel demand;
n Mitigating potential capacity constraints;
n Infuencing the utility (i.e., attractiveness travel
time, cost, comfort) associated with available travel
choices; and
n Accommodating heavy pedestrian fow safely.
Key resource considerations infuencing traffc and
travel management for planned special events include
(1) quantity and portability of equipment resources
affect scope and span of control, (2) quantity and
experience of personnel for day-of-event operations
affect responsiveness, and (3) implementation of
certain travel management strategies require specifc
resources. The most important resource that practitio-
ners must plan for involve personnel resources.
The scope of transportation management activi-
ties for a major planned special event may warrant
application of the Incident Command System (i.e.,
Unifed Command) for the purpose of creating an
integrated traffc management team that consists of
multi-disciplinary and potentially multi-jurisdictional
stakeholders. Unifed Command helps traffc manage-
ment team supervisors monitor resources under a very
fuid situation and make consensus decisions without
delay when real-time conditions demand adjustments
to the traffc management plan. Two approaches for
managing a large venue site area characteristic of
major planned special events include dividing the site
into distinct geographic areas and either (1) assign-
ing a different agency(s) with the same functional
authority(s) to each of the areas, and establishing a
Unifed Command structure consisting of a represen-
tative from each involved agency or (2) establishing a
Unifed Command structure for each defned area for
the purpose of implementing tactical operations appli-
cable to that area, provided a Unifed Area Command
exists for managing the overall planned special event
objectives and strategies.
Managing travel for Planned Special Events today
The following characterize the state-of-the-practice in
managing travel for planned special events:
n Manage traffc and parking for planned special
events;
n Focus on traffc management team needs;
n Secure verbal coordination among stakeholders;
n Focus on single planned special events;
n Conduct periodic ad-hoc event planning;
n Focus on event-specifc planning and operation
only;
n Obtain periodic participation and contribution from
community interest and event support stakeholders;
n Use fxed freeway and arterial management infra-
structure to monitor and manage traffc during a
planned special event; and
n Conduct location-specifc traffc and parking man-
agement using feld personnel.
advancing the State-of-Practice
The following describe the state-of-the-art in manag-
ing travel for planned special events:
n Manage travel for planned special events by adopt-
ing an intermodal approach and utilizing travel
demand management strategies;
n Form multidisciplinary stakeholder groups and
solicit public input;
n Develop a joint operations policy or mutual-aid
agreement between stakeholders;
n Create a committee on planned special events to
monitor and plan travel management activities for
all special events that occur within a region;
n Follow an established event operations planning
process;
n Develop standard street use event routes and venue
traffc fow routes;
n Integrate event evaluation results into future plan-
ning activities to facilitate continuous improvement
of transportation system performance;
n Establish stakeholder groups specifc to advance
planning and day-of-event activities to strengthen
stakeholder coordination and commitment;
n Utilize mobile devices such as portable traffc
management systems, portable traffc signals, and
portable traffc management centers; and
n Deploy automated systems such as parking man-
agement systems, dynamic trailblazer signs, lane
control signs, and blank-out signs.
Decision Makers Role in fulflling the Purposes
Table 2-10 presents the key actions that the decision
maker should consider for fulflling the purpose of
managing travel for planned special events.
Table 2-10: Decision Makers Role in Fulflling
Purposes
n Foster the achievement of early, constant input and
participation of involved agencies.
n Emphasize the importance of predicting event-gen-
erated travel impacts to your staff.
n Assure that your staff develops an integrated trans-
portation management plan that can accommodate
a range of traffc demand and other contingencies.
n Ensure successful traffc management plan imple-
mentation by your staff.
n Assure that your agency deploys a well-organized
traffc management team equipped with the ability
to communicate seamless between agencies.
n Emphasize to your staff the importance of conduct-
ing continuous traffc monitoring on the day-of-
event and maintaining protocol for modifying the
traffc management plan to accommodate real-time
conditions.
n Transfer event management successes into daily ap-
plications, and translate lessons learned into future
event planning and operations needs.
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Table 2-11 presents the decision makers responsibility
to the community concerning fulflling the purposes
of managing travel for planned special events.
Table 2-11: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Recognize that managing the potential, intense
travel demand will achieve predictability for the
public, businesses, and residents as well as all other
transportation users.
n Realize that safety can be assured to the traveling
public and event patrons through more active traf-
fc management and reduced motorist frustration.
n Gain the input and support of local politicians who
can advise of alternatives to minimize quality of life
impacts on represented residents and businesses.
OPERatIONS PLaNNINg SCHEDuLE
Initiation of advance Planning
Figure 2-1 illustrates a high-level event operations
planning schedule for an event planning stakeholder
group. The fgure lists advance planning activities and
potential stakeholder meetings and public hearings in
a timeline relative to the planning deliverables. The
schedule indicates other stakeholder planning initia-
tives, such as the development of a specialized transit
plan to reduce event traffc demand.
The planning schedule provides a generic timeline,
recognizing that actual event operations planning
schedules vary considerably. For instance, some major,
roving planned special events, such as the U.S. Golf
Open, require an event operations planning phase
spanning more than one year.
Propose
Event
Perform
Feasibility
Study
Develop
Traffic
Management
Plan
Advance to
Implementation
Activities
EVENT OPERATIONS PLANNING TIMELINE
Submit Permit
Application

Meeting on
Event Concept
and Review Past
Lessons Learned

Meeting on
Traffic Management
Plan Requirements

Meeting on
Traffic Management
Plan Review

Hearing with
Public to
Assess Needs

Develop Travel Demand Management Initiatives

Conduct Public Outreach

Develop Transit Plan

Issue Permit
Approval

MONTHS WEEKS DAYS

6
0

D
a
y
s
3
0

D
a
y
s
1
4

D
a
y
s
N.T.S.
Perform Situation Analysis and
Risk Assessment

Approve
Mitigation

Establish Policies and Agreements

Event
Figure 2-1: Event Operations Planning Schedule
Decision Makers Role In the Planning Schedule
Table 2-12 lists considerations for establishing and
managing a planning schedule.
Table 2-12: Decision Makers Role in Managing the
Planning Schedule
n Assure that your staff develops a schedule of activi-
ties from time of event proposal to traffc manage-
ment plan completion.
n See that your staff sets deadlines for key planning
products.
n Emphasize the need to allow suffcient time for
implementation activities and pre-event traveler
information dissemination.
Table 2-13 identifes the decision makers responsibil-
ity to the community relative to managing the plan-
ning schedule.
Table 2-13: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Adhere to all deadlines established so that activi-
ties are completed on time while allowing suffcient
time to gain the input of the community and to dis-
seminate information to them so they can modify
their travel schedules to make sure their daily trips
are not adversely impacted.
Decision makers representing different agencies and
jurisdictions must develop a working trust with each
other. Clear understanding of which stakeholders
have input, development participation, and review of
activities and planning products builds interagency
coordination and an understanding of each agencys
responsibility.
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EVENt CONSEQuENCE ISSuES
Stakeholders responsible for planning and manag-
ing travel for planned special events must gauge the
potential severity of a planned special event. Agencies
must determine with certainty if a planned special
event will affect or impede the normal fow of traf-
fc and if yes, how much impact will the event have.
Answers to these questions determine the scope of the
transportation management plan required to mitigate
event-generated impacts on travel in addition to the
number of stakeholders that become involved in ad-
vance planning and day-of-event travel management
activities. Planned Special Events will happen even if
it has been determined that the effect will be great,
especially when elected offcials see that economic
and other benefts to the community surpass the
potential negative consequences. For such events the
need to fnd ways to mitigate and manage the trans-
portation demand will be even greater.
Figure 3-1: Planned Special Event Factors
Figure 3-1 presents factors infuencing the impact
severity level of a planned special event. Three core
factors to consider include travel demand, road/site
capacity, and event operation. When determining the
level of impact each of the fve stated planned special
event factors has on travel, consider each of the fol-
lowing components:
n Duration temporal impact;
n Extent spatial impact or scope of area affected; and
n Intensity volume of impact.
tRaVEL DEMaND
Travel demand refers to the expected number of event
patrons and their arrival and departure rates. Key
considerations in planning include (1) event atten-
dance, (2) rate of event patron arrivals and departures,
(3) modal split, and (4) vehicle occupancy. Modal
split has a signifcant infuence on the level of event
impact, particularly on traffc operations. Modal split
Event Impacts and Stakeholders
Travel
Demand
External
Factors
Road/Site
Capacity
Event
Operation
Available
Resources
refers to the methods by which event patrons may
travel to the event, which include via personal ve-
hicle, transit, walking, or a combination of modes. A
planned special event travel forecast involves estimat-
ing travel demand magnitude, travel demand rate, and
modal split.
Road/Site Capacity
Road/site capacity concerns the available venue access
and parking background capacity in addition to the
capacity of roadways and transit serving the event
venue. This factor addresses the concept: if a planned
special event took place at a particular venue, then
how much existing transportation system capacity
is available to service spectators and participants
traveling to/from the venue? Key considerations in
planning include (1) available parking areas and site
access points, (2) available traffc fow routes to serve
event traffc, (3) roadway, parking area and site access
capacity, (4) background traffc and transit conditions,
and (5) site circulation. Capacity infuences travel de-
mand to a limited extent, as seasoned event patrons
in some locales may choose to use transit to access an
event venue, because of severe traffc congestion expe-
rienced in the past, although they may not represent
regular transit users.
Event Operation
Event operation essentially defnes the scope of
travel demand, including market area, and may
reduce available background capacity because of
event staging requirements. Event operation activi-
ties refer to any aspect of operating the event or
venue that impacts spectator travel to/from the
event. Key considerations in planning include
(1) expected attendance and market area, (2) event
location and venue confguration, (3) event staging
requirements affecting capacity, (4) security require-
ments, (5) advance information provided to event
patrons, and (6) pre-and post-event activities affect-
ing demand. In some cases, the event operator has
control over event operation activities, such as venue
opening time, dissemination of advance parking
passes/information, and use of venue parking areas.
available Resources
Available resources refer to the quantity of person-
nel and equipment available to plan for and conduct
day-of-event travel management operations. A single
major planned special event places demands on
equipment and staffng of stakeholders agencies.
Furthermore, the occurrence of regional/multi-venue
events or other unplanned events that occur at the
same time may place a strain on the availability of
stakeholder resources needed to manage a particular
planned special event. The agencys available staff
may have to handle both of the planned special
events as well as their day-to-day work responsibili-
ties. It is important to understand the high demand
on resources these planned special events will have.
The occurrence of regional/multi-venue events will
happen and special consideration must be given to
manage and supplement existing staff resources.
Some successful approaches include:
n Gain help from other agencies for staffng and
equipment;
n Use volunteer staff; and
n Rent/lease equipment.
External factors
External factors include concurrent roadway construc-
tion activities on roadway corridors serving a venue,
other concurrent events in the region, and prevail-
ing weather conditions on the day-of-event. Weather
conditions have a signifcant impact on attendance or
the rate of arrivals and departures at some events (i.e.,
travel demand). For example:
n Event patrons will attend an open-air sporting
event in extremely hot weather, but patrons may
bypass arriving at the venue early to tailgate, thus
concentrating patron arrivals.
n Rain events may food unpaved parking lots and
venue access roads, rendering them impassable and
reducing available road/site capacity. Rain events
may also cause sharp arrival and departure rates in
addition to safety problems.
Decision Makers Role
Table 3-1 presents the major efforts that should be
considered in the decision makers role in meeting
the challenges pertinent to characteristics of event
impact factors.
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Table 3-1: Decision Makers Role in
Event Impact Issues
n Be aware of the issues and the ramifcations of each
event impact factors.
n Make sure that your staff determines the transpor-
tation impacts of the planned special events.
n Make sure that your staff determines the mitigation
measures that must be implemented to accommo-
date the additional traffc generated by the planned
special event.
n Encourage your agency to develop and maintain a
list of available equipment that can be supplied by
your agency and other agencies, as well as can be
rented or leased from private companies.
n Emphasize the need to plan for and to expect the
unexpected.
n Recognize that special consideration must be given
to managing staff resources for regional/multi-ven-
ue events where available staff may have to handle
both of the planned special events as well as their
day-to-day work responsibilities.
n Consider actions to 1) acquire help from other agen-
cies for staffng and equipment, 2) use volunteer
staff, and 3) rent/lease equipment.
The decision makers responsibility to the community
relative to the planned special events event impact
issues is listed in Table 3-2
Figure 3-2: Planned Special Event Stakeholders
Table 3-2: Decision Makers
Responsibility to Community
n Need to remember that the event impact factors
have potential enormous traffc impacts on the
community that can be addressed and mitigated in
the preparation of a Feasibility Study.
StaKEHOLDERS
The advance planning and management of travel for
planned special events requires the consistent involve-
ment and coordination of stakeholders throughout all
phases planning, operations, and evaluation of
the event. Figure 3-2 presents common stakeholders,
representing various disciplines and jurisdictions that
play an active role in managing travel for planned
special events. Transportation, law enforcement,
and event organizers represent the core stakeholders
typically involved in all phases of managing travel for
planned special events. These stakeholders typically
take the lead in organizing an event operations plan-
ning team and traffc management team day-of-event
operations.
functions of Stakeholder groups
n Transportation agencies own and operate the trans-
portation system.
Law
Enforcement
Transportation
Agencies
Media
Public
Safety
Event
Organizer
Private
Industry Regional Organizations
Government
Agencies
Public
Elected
Officials
n Law enforcement agencies facilitate event security
and traffc control and enforcement.
n Event organizers own the event and/or venue.
n Elected offcials serve the community interest.
n Public safety agencies, such as fre and EMS, pro-
vide emergency services and advise on emergency
access routs to/from the venue.
n Media functions to disseminate traveler informa-
tion and information on real-time conditions.
n Private industry includes traffc engineering consul-
tants and traffc control contractors.
n Regional organizations include Metropolitan
Planning Organizations that may oversee planning
and implementation of multi-modal transportation
management strategies.
n Government agencies include a government offce
on planned special events or a participating emer-
gency management agency for major, high-profle
events.
n Public represents community residents, businesses,
and associated community groups potentially af-
fected by the event.
Decisions Makers Role in Relation to
Stakeholders
Table 3-3 lists the major efforts that should be con-
sidered in the decision makers role in meeting the
challenges pertinent to stakeholders.
Table 3-3: Decision Makers Role in Relation to
Stakeholders
n Make sure that your agency assembles all the key
stakeholders at the earliest planning stages and
continues their involvement in all fve phases of
managing travel for planned special events.
n Understand the roles and functions of each stake-
holder.
n Foster the active involvement of stakeholders on a
local and a regional basis.
The decision makers responsibility to the community
relative to the functions of stakeholders groups are
presented in Table 3-4.
Table 3-4: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Need to include the public (community residents,
businesses, and associated community groups) in
the Stakeholder Groups.
n Need to include elected offcials who serve the
community interest.
ORgaNIZatION aND COORDINatION Of
StaKEHOLDERS
A stakeholder team charged with event-specifc opera-
tions planning may initially organize through coor-
dination among affected/participating transportation
agencies, law enforcement, and event organizers. In
identifying pertinent jurisdictions, this event plan-
ning team may consider contacting stakeholders
within a certain distance of the event venue. Its roles
and responsibilities include:
n Consists of a diverse group of stakeholders;
n Involves mid-level stakeholder representatives;
n Develops event operations planning products, such
as an event feasibility study, traffc management
plan, and travel demand management initiatives, if
necessary; and
n Sets performance goals and objectives.
Elements of Stakeholder Coordination for
Planned Special Events
Key actions for achieving broad stakeholder coordina-
tion during event operations planning include:
n Develop working trust among stakeholders;
n Establish interagency agreements;
n Identify performance goals and objectives;
n Achieve consensus on team actions; and
n Eliminate jurisdictional barriers and resource and/
or funding constraints.
Interagency agreements may identify common
goals and responsibilities of partnering agencies.
Interagency agreements include a joint operations
policy, memorandum of understanding, or mutual-aid
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Chapter 3: Event Impacts and Stakeholders
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agreement between two or more stakeholders for the
purpose of identifying stakeholder duties and respon-
sibilities, team organization and command, resource
sharing, and funding reimbursement. Some innova-
tive policies and agreements include:
n Standard street use event routes, including
specifcation of starting and ending points, route,
and staging areas for participant assembly and
disbanding;
n Toll facility congestion policy for suspending toll
collections on turnpikes and other toll facilities
during periods of heavy congestion; and
n Towing agreements for securing on-site towing
and recovery services prior to, during, and after a
planned special event for the purpose of rapidly re-
sponding to and removing illegally parked/disabled
vehicles affecting venue ingress and egress routes.
Considerations for establishing performance goals
and objectives as part of initial stakeholder planning
activities include:
n Establish performance objectives specifc to dif-
ferent classes of transportation system users (e.g.,
spectators, non-attendee road users, and transit
users);
n Identify impacts to the local residential/commercial
area surrounding the event venue;
n Identify measures of effectiveness and acceptable
thresholds for traffc fow, safety, and parking op-
erations; and
n Use measures of effectiveness for day-of-event traffc
conditions monitoring and post-event evaluation.
Decision Makers Role in Successful
Stakeholder Coordination
The success of stakeholders meeting the goals of
managing travel for planned special events depends
on three criteria: integration, adaptability, and
transferability.
Table 3-5 lists the major efforts that the decision
maker should consider in measuring and effecting suc-
cessful stakeholder coordination.
Table 3-5: Decision Makers Role in Successful
Stakeholder Coordination
n Assure that your agency fosters integration, which
refers to achieving stakeholder cooperation and
coordination across disciplines and jurisdictional
boundaries. Interagency resource sharing repre-
sents a product of such stakeholder coordination.
n Emphasize the need for adaptability, which con-
cerns the ability of stakeholders to adapt to new
roles and responsibilities unique to managing travel
for planned special events. These new roles may in-
volve changes in stakeholder authority compared to
roles under other types of planned and unplanned
events.
n Establish transferability, which refers to maintain-
ing continuous interagency communication, sharing
of expertise to effect interagency training, and
exchanging observations and lessons learned rela-
tive to stakeholder experiences.
Table 3-6 presents the decision makers responsibility
to the community concerning organization and coor-
dination of stakeholders for the purposes of managing
travel for planned special events.
Table 3-6: Decision Makers
Responsibility to Community
n Need to assure that towing agreements include re-
covery services prior to, during, and after a planned
special event to remove illegally parked vehicles af-
fecting venue ingress and egress as well as residen-
tial and business parking needs.
n Need to identify and mitigate impacts to the local
residential/commercial area surrounding the event
venue.
n Need to initiate public outreach activities early in
the event operations planning process in order to
reveal important issues, such as parking and traffc
concerns that local residents and businesses may
have.
n Need to use public involvement via meetings with
residents, community groups, and local offcials
to improve community relations and day-of-event
operations.
n Need to meet the publics expectations.
n Need to communicate with the traveling public to
inform them of travelers traffc information so they
can make decisions on their trips based on current,
real-time traffc conditions.
The discussed criteria facilitates good management
that, in turn, helps meet the needs of spectators and
participants in addition to achieving satisfactory out-
comes for each involved stakeholder.
tRaVEL CHOICES
typical travel Choices
Common spectator travel choices to/from a planned
special event include:
n Personal automobile where associated consider-
ations include route and parking selection;
n Transit options including regular service and ex-
press/charter options; and
n Alternative modes including walking or bicycling.
Infuencing travel Choices
Planned special event practitioners can optimize
traffc operations by infuencing (via traffc control,
signing, and information dissemination) spectator
route selection to/from the venue and choice of park-
ing areas. Transit initiatives may reduce event traffc
demand and optimize transportation system opera-
tions. Certain venue locations, particularly downtown
areas, may attract signifcant walking or bicycle trips.
Consider walking trips from nearby hotels or, for
weekday events, nearby offce buildings.
Figure 3-3: Planned Special Event Activity Networks
Figure 3-3 outlines the various activity networks that
may serve a planned special event venue. Each activ-
ity network describes the inter-modal movements
and transfer points from origin to venue destination.
Integration of the traffc management plan compo-
nents involves meeting the service requirements of
these activity networks. For example:
n A pedestrian access plan must accommodate pedes-
trian trips connecting various modes of travel.
n A courtesy shuttle bus operation may service both
public transit stations and satellite parking areas
within the venue site area.
n Traveler information plans must account for all
activity networks.
n Impacts to non-attendee transportation system us-
ers occur on the regional level, and activity network
components within the site area level impact local
residents and businesses near the venue.
For smaller planned special events, the event planning
team may target one activity network, such as im-
proving automobile access to designated parking areas
or improving public transit usage. For larger events,
the team must coordinate and achieve seamless opera-
tion among several activity networks.
ORIGIN
REGION
SITE AREA
VENUE
Shuttle Bus
Station
Express Bus
Station
Express Bus
Station
Parking
Area
Pickup/
Drop-off
Shuttle Bus
Station
Transit
Station
Transit
Station
REGION
SITE AREA
VENUE
Auto
Auto
Taxi/Limo/
Charter Bus
Express
Bus
Auto/
Walk
Shuttle
Bus
Transit
Shuttle
Bus
Walk
Walk
Walk
Walk
Walk
Walk
= Mode Transfer
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Special travel Considerations
Table 3-7 lists the various groups that either attend or
have a direct interest in a planned special event and
may require special accommodations. Professional
golfers represent an example of event participants
who not only require secure transport but maintain-
ing their travel itinerary is of critical importance.
Dignitaries may travel using a motorcade, which may
represent a planned special event in itself. Roadside
street vendor activities during planned special events
may impede traffc fow as arriving/departing specta-
tors slow or stop to conduct transactions.
Table 3-7: Groups Requiring Special Accommodations
group
n Dignitaries
n Event participants
n Media
n Street vendors

Decision Makers Role in travel Choices
Table 3-8 presents the major efforts that should be
considered in the decision makers role in meeting
the challenges pertinent to travel choices for planned
special events.
Table 3-8: Decision Makers Role in Travel Choices
n Foster consideration of travel choice alternatives
by your staff when the feasibility study reveals
capacity problems in the transportation system for
a planned special event.
n Use the media as well as the internet to advise of
travel choice alternatives and their advantages as
well as specifc instructions and schedules.
The decision makers responsibility to the community
relative to the planned special events travel choices
are listed in Table 3-9.
Table 3-9: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Need to consider assigning event patrons to a par-
ticular route to a particular parking area in case ca-
pacity constraints on one of the routes is indicated
in the Feasibility Study. Disseminating parking
lot assignments and route assignments should be
included in the mailing packet with the tickets for
major events in order to enhance mobility, minimize
congestion, and minimize community impacts.
n Need to consider use of peripheral parking lots with
a free shuttle bus operation to and from the event
venue where potentially severe roadway capacity
limitations and congestion are expected in the
vicinity of the venue.
Regional Planning and Coordination
PuRPOSE
Purpose of Regional Planning and Coordination
Regional planning and coordination for planned
special events involves activities unrelated to a specifc
event. Stakeholders use regional planning initiatives
to complete event operations planning, implementa-
tion activities, day-of-event activities, and post-event
activities for individual, future planned special events
more effciently and effectively. In turn, post-event
activities (e.g., participant evaluation, stakeholder
debriefng meeting, evaluation report) performed
for specifc special events provide valuable input for
on-going regional planning and coordination activi-
ties. The following points characterize the purpose of
regional planning and coordination:
n Mechanism for agencies to coordinate activities
and work together;
n Focus on continuously improving travel manage-
ment for all planned special events in region;
n Formal multi-agency program or initiative;
n Champion and provide resources to pursue activi-
ties to improve on current practices; and
n Multi-year program plan prioritizing initiatives to
improve current practices program plan prioritizing
initiatives to improve current practices.
Regional planning and coordination activities strive
to improve travel management for all planned special
events in a region. Involved stakeholders typically
include mid-to-upper level representatives of transpor-
tation agencies and law enforcement, and additional
stakeholders include elected offcials, community
civic and business leaders, regional organizations, and
other government agencies.
Two successful examples of enhanced regional plan-
ning and coordination efforts include:
n The Anaheim TOC (Transportation Operations
Center) was established to manage and coordinate
all the planned special events in the region in a
more systematic way.
n As a result of stakeholders working success-
fully together on the Goodwill games in Seattle,
Washington, 1990, the camaraderie that resulted
led to the development of long-term regional rela-
tionships for future planned special events as well
as for day-to-day operations.
Decision Makers Role in Regional Planning and
Coordination
Table 4-1 presents the major efforts that should be
considered in the decision makers role in meeting
the challenges pertinent to regional planning and
coordination.
Table 4-1: Decision Makers Role in Regional Planning
and Coordination
n Coordinate stakeholders serving an oversight role.
n Establish a regional planned special event program.
n Develop interagency agreements and legislation.
n Establish a planned special event permit program.
n Develop event permit regulations and guidelines.
n Evaluate permanent and portable infrastructure
needs.
n Foster the use of checklists for event permit regula-
tions and guidelines.
The decision makers responsibility to the community
relative to the planned special events purpose of re-
gional planning and coordination is listed in Table 4-2.
Table 4-2: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Need to include community interest stakeholders
into the regional planning and coordination pro-
cess.
n Need to ensure that stakeholders review advance
planning and operations activities to 1) minimize
impacts on community quality of life, and 2) maxi-
mize potential social and economic benefts.
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REgIONaL INItIatIVES aND aCtIVItIES
target focus areas of Regional Initiatives and
activities
Regional planning and coordination for all planned
special events involves a dynamic set of actions initi-
ated in response to specifc stakeholder needs that
represent a common thread among all future planned
special events in the region. The need may not neces-
sarily denote a specifc transportation operations
defciency (e.g., known traffc bottleneck location,
traffc/pedestrian safety issue). Instead, these actions
create new procedures, strategies, resource applica-
tions, and infrastructure improvements that stake-
holders can take advantage of time and time again in
planning and operations activities for specifc planned
special events. The beneft of managing travel for all
planned special events in a region is not measured by
the programs impact on one planned special event but
by the cumulative beneft of improving travel manage-
ment for all future events. Continual improvement
through new actions and refnement of existing initia-
tives occurs as new evaluation results and stakeholder
feedback is obtained.
Table 4-3 presents the collective focus areas of region-
al initiatives and activities.
Table 4-3: Regional Initiative and Activity Focus Areas
n Regional manuals and interagency agreements
n Regional or consistent agency permit process
n Recommended travel management practices for
specifc categories of planned special events
n Technical teams formed to champion and carryout
specifc initiatives
n Assess and report on benefts of regional and event-
specifc activities
Elements of Regional Manual on
Planned Special Events
A regional manual on planned special events travel
management integrates regional stakeholder roles and
resources in addition to the needs of service providers
and the general public into a document, unique to the
region, for planned special event planning, operations,
and evaluation. It helps facilitate consistent planning
and operation for all planned special events in the
region. Resulting benefts to stakeholders include:
time savings, cost savings, assurance of review and
input from all affected stakeholders, and increased
effciency of transportation system operations.
The regional manual on planned special events is
similar to, and may reference, a documented planned
special event permit process and guidelines for a
particular jurisdiction. It may contain planning and
operations checklists specifc to each participating
stakeholder in addition to action plan templates that
vary by event category, event severity, and/or venue.
It may address any or all of the following topics:
n Categories and impact classifcation of planned
special events in the region;
n Stakeholder duties and responsibilities in planning
for and managing travel for planned special events
in the region;
n Application of interagency agreements and other
policies (e.g., standard street use event routes, emer-
gency access routes, traffc fow routes) to planning
and operations;
n Guidelines and regulations on traffc and transpor-
tation operations;
n Resource inventory and function;
n Planning schedule and process for developing a
traffc management plan and related products;
n Stakeholder contact list and description of poten-
tially available personnel and equipment resources;
n Guidelines for data collection and analysis;
n Guidelines for public outreach initiatives, both for
planning and operations purposes;
n Management logistics and protocol for interagency
communication; and
n Traffc control plan and implementation plan
templates.
function of a Regional Committee or
technical team on Planned Special Events
Stakeholder coordination and collaboration represents
the basis for facilitating each step necessary to man-
age travel for planned special events. However, after
the planned special event concludes, there exists a
need to sustain and nurture the established stake-
holder relationships. A transportation committee on
planned special events can carry out the iterative
process of applying successes and lessons learned from
a specifc special event to future events in a region in
addition to ensuring consistency and completeness in
planning for and operating each successive planned
special event. Participants may also work independent
of the group or within smaller technical teams to
evaluate potential new resource and technology ap-
plications (e.g., portable devices) that may improve an
agencys performance and capabilities while meeting
group objectives.
A planned special events transportation committee
may evolve from: (1) a task force or traffc manage-
ment team that handled a specifc major planned
special event or all planned special events at a partic-
ular venue, (2) a regional transportation committee,
such as a traffc incident management committee, or
(3) a regional organization or public agency acting as
a champion for managing travel for planned special
events. A champion will act through the committee
to resolve institutional or operations issues affect-
ing planned special event travel management. These
individuals typically have the authority and position
to mitigate circumstances hampering advance plan-
ning activities and/or day-of-event operations. They
also promote stakeholder buy-in, thus facilitating
committee growth.
Potential duties and responsibilities of a planned spe-
cial events transportation committee may help to:
n Develop agreements or memorandums of under-
standing for sharing agency resources or defning
agency roles in planning for and/or managing travel
on the day-of-event.
n Implement and oversee regional planned special
events programs and/or permit programs.
n Create funding mechanisms and infuencing trans-
portation improvement programs.
n Develop and coordinate public information
campaigns.
n Address technical, operational, and institutional
issues.
n Facilitate joint training and simulation exercises.
n Assess existing planning and operations perfor-
mance and recommending future needs.
n Establish and monitor measures to reduce traffc
and parking impacts to neighborhoods.
Purpose and Key Considerations of
Planned Special Event Permitting
The purpose of the special event permit is to ensure
that any changes, restrictions, or adaptations, result-
ing from such an event are managed in a safe, pru-
dent, and legal manner in order to protect the health,
safety, welfare, and convenience of the traveling public
and citizens of the area.
The development of a formal planned special event
permit program marks a key regional planning and
coordination initiative to facilitate stakeholder co-
ordination, compliance with community needs and
requirements, and effcient event operations planning.
Backed by guidelines and regulations specifed in
municipal ordinances, the program outlines a defned
planning framework and schedule for event organiz-
ers and participating review agencies to follow. It
represents an agreement between participating public
agencies (e.g., transportation, law enforcement, public
safety, etc.) to ensure, through planning activities or
review, that all planned special events meet a set of
mutually agreed upon requirements for day-of-event
travel management. A municipal permit represents ap-
proval, or agreement between a jurisdiction and event
organizer, to operate a planned special event, and it
includes provisions outside of travel management.
The permitting process can identify many of the basic
elements of the special event such as its timing, loca-
tion and expected number of event patrons. Through
a carefully constructed permitting process, transpor-
tation and public safety agencies can achieve a better
sense of what resources these stakeholders need to
handle the event.
The special event permit process serves to scope,
schedule, and direct event operations planning activi-
ties for proposed events. This reduces unnecessary de-
lay in facilitating stakeholder coordination, developing
planning deliverables (e.g., traffc management plan,
etc.), reviewing mitigation strategies, and mobilizing
personnel and equipment resources required to stage
a particular planned special event. Practitioners may
expand and contract the process in order to best ft:
(1) the area type and involved stakeholders, (2) the
special guidelines and regulations unique to a particu-
lar jurisdiction, (3) the operations characteristics of a
particular event, and (4) the purpose of a particular
event, such as community events versus commercial,
for-proft events involving event organizers from the
private sector.
Some important considerations and applications of
planned special event permitting include:
n Permitting proves particularly effective for less
frequent continuous events, street use events, and
rural events occurring at a temporary venue not
having a known spectator capacity. These events
place an emphasis on advance planning and public
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Chapter 4: Regional Planning and Coordination
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outreach to mitigate traffc operations defciencies
and community impacts.
n Jurisdictions may not require a permit for special
events held at permanent venues, such as stadiums,
arenas, and amphitheaters.
n Permitting allows jurisdictions the opportunity to
engage the event organizer at the beginning of the
event operations phase.
n Public stakeholders can size-up the event opera-
tions characteristics of a proposed event in order
to schedule adequate personnel and equipment re-
sources to accommodate the event. Resources may
include traffc control, security, and maintenance.
n From the event organizers perspective, a special
event permit application and associated regulations
outlines a general approach toward successfully
managing travel for the event, facilitates coordina-
tion with appropriate stakeholders, and gauges
resource requirements on the day-of-event.
Decision Makers Role in Regional
Initiatives and activities
Table 4-4 presents the major efforts that should be
considered in the decision makers role in effecting
regional initiatives and activities.
Table 4-4: Decision Makers Role in Regional
Initiatives and Activities
n See that ongoing programs and initiatives are used
to address general planned special event needs on a
continual basis.
n Foster the establishment at a regional planned
special event manual.
n Promote the development of interagency agree-
ments and legislation.
n Be ready to meet with decision makers from other
stakeholder agencies to emphasize the need for
buy-in from each participating agency.
n Encourage the preparation of a planned special
event permit program.
n Ensure that decision criteria and thresholds are
used to determine the need to initiate a special
event permit process in addition to event permit
requirements.
n Foster the use of checklists for event permit regula-
tions and guidelines.
n Support the discussion of control, leadership, and
turf issues.
The decision makers responsibility to the community
relative to the regional initiatives and activities are pre-
sented in Table 4-5.
Table 4-5: Decision Makers
Responsibility to Community
n Need to establish a regional planned special events
program that is an ongoing process designed to ad-
dress a regions needs for managing special events
that leads to the following community benefts:
Development of relationships that will extend to
other operational areas.
Better communication and cooperation that will
help in areas such as incident management and
construction coordination.
fuNDINg MECHaNISMS
Importance of funding
Funding is an important consideration since it is need-
ed to pay for the time of staff assigned to planning
and coordination efforts. Without an identifed source
of funding, the participation of agencies is subject to
the availability of fnancing from the home agencies
of those asked to take a role. At times of budgetary
restrictions, agencies may not choose to make staff
members available for planning and coordination, or
they may limit the time or number of staff members
who are needed to formulate a plan. This could be
especially true for agencies that are outside of the
jurisdiction where the event is being held.
In his presentation at the 2
nd
National Conference
on Managing Travel for Planned Special Events,
David Kuehn of the FHWA revealed a cost program
for Planned Special Events that has three compo-
nents, each one building on or necessary for the next:
personnel, cost management, and cost recovery. He
recommended that a decision maker include the ac-
tions listed in Table 4-6 to manage costs for planned
special events.
Table 4-6: Cost Management Program for Planned Special Events
financial Management of Costs
n Track, understand and communicate the full cost associated with supporting planned special events.
n Track expenses associated with supporting planned special events at a program level through the budgeting process
and at an event level through the use of fnancial accounting cost centers, personnel time sheets, equipment logs and
material purchases.
n Designate budget line items both for costs and revenues for federal events and non-federal planned special events.
n Create time codes for major planned special events and classes of other planned special events such as street festivals
and road races so the department and its units can designate personnel time, equipment and supplies to special events.
n Disseminate along with the codes a standard reporting spreadsheet to organizational units that includes instructions
or examples of how to calculate personnel rates and equipment costs.
Personnel rates should include regular and overtime and use a standard calculation for loaded costs or benefts
and overhead.
If possible the spreadsheet should include equipment costs for vehicles by type and materials to ensure that costs
among different units can be combined.
n Report periodically overall costs to the heads of organizational units and department leadership.
Reports should include an assessment of personnel levels during planned special events, the use of overtime and
equipment utilization.
Overtime reports should include a comparison of past years costs.
financial Management of Revenues via Cost Recovery
n Track revenue associated with supporting planned special events at a program level through the budgeting process
and at an event level through the use of fnancial codes and deposit accounts.
n Estimate revenue from planned special events.
n Assure that funds from planned special event organizers return to the Department.
Event charges need to be reconciled with actual revenues through an auditing process.
n Update accounting codes and cost centers to assure that the fees return to the Department.
In many cases an event organizer makes a single payment to a city or state for fees from multiple agencies.
A Department may need to review the revenue process and develop new accounting codes and cost centers if de-
partment fees are being combined with fees from other agencies.
n Assure that planned special event organizers are paying all fees due under current law.
A potential source of confict and underpayment is the lack of customer awareness of department fees and services
associated with planned special events. Accordingly, the department may wish to improve customer information.
n Review existing fees.
After determining the actual costs and revenues associated with the planned special events program and with
specifc planned special events, a department may wish to review the fee structure to ensure it can continue to
provide for public safety and mobility at planned special events.
n Work with other organizational units and other departments to provide consolidated billing information to event
organizers.
n Account for correct costs consistently.
n Evaluate and adjust costs.
Public agencies recover costs incurred in providing
services during the event operations planning phase
and resources on the day-of-event through event
organizer fees and other funding mechanisms. The
City of Los Angeles recognizes that the numerous
planned special events held in their City have a posi-
tive impact on their economy. Los Angeles includes a
line item in their annual budget for planned special
events relative to equipment costs and staffng costs.
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Successful approaches for Cost Recovery
Table 4-7 describes fve different approaches used
by jurisdictions to obtain cost recovery for staff and
equipment rental.
Table 4-7: Planned Special Event Funding Mechanisms
n Event organizer pays a planned special event permit
fee.
n Event organizer pays a deposit with permit applica-
tion submission.
n Public agency sends post-event invoice to the event
organizer for resources used.
n Event organizer pays for estimated, required public
agency resources before event.
n A charge on each ticket sold is set to recover ex-
penses incurred for providing extraordinary govern-
mental services.
n Event organizer posts a performance bond.
Reasons to Waive Cost Recovery Requirements
The social and economic benefts yielded by planned
special events, in addition to the purpose of select
events, result in jurisdictions as part of a political deci-
sion, periodically waiving cost recovery requirements
even for privately sponsored special events. These
decisions may be based on providing a public service
or considered as a cost of economic development. For
instance, Table 4-8 lists criteria that planned special
events in Louisville, KY must meet for City provision
of free services for event operation and management.
Table 4-8: Louisville, KY Criteria for Providing Free
Services for a Special Event
Criteria
n Ability of the City to provide all or part of requested
support services.
n Extent to which the event is economically, socially,
and culturally benefcial to the community.
n Intended use by the sponsoring organization of any
revenue over and above expenditures.
n Impact of the event (positive or negative) on normal
commercial activities.
n Extent to which the event contributes toward the
promotion of tourism.
Source: Festivals & Events: Policies & Procedures, City of
Louisville, Kentucky
Decision Makers Role in funding
Table 4-9 presents the major efforts that should be
considered in the decision makers role in funding.
Table 4-9: Decision Makers Role in Funding
n Foster the recording of personnel and equip-
ment costs incurred by each participating agency
throughout the operation, planning, implementa-
tion, day-of-event and post-event phases to deter-
mine total costs expended for use in estimating
costs and funds needed for future planned special
events.
n Examine a number of possible funding mechanisms
to recover costs expended.
n Consider the extent and ability of each agency to
provide all or part of requested support services.
n Ensure that the key participating agencies negoti-
ate with the event organizer to establish the fair
share reimbursement and responsibilities that
include permit application fees, mitigation costs,
performance bond costs, a charge on each ticket
sold, etc.
Table 4-10 presents the decision makers responsibility
to the community concerning funding mechanisms
for the purposes of managing travel for planned spe-
cial events.
Table 4-10: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Need to assure that the locality can provide the
resources of staffng and equipment necessary for
managing travel for the planned special event by
identifying the source of funding.
n Need to develop and implement a cost program
for the locality, City or agency for planned special
events that includes personnel, cost management
and cost recovery.
n Need to initiate the actions for a cost manage-
ment program listed in Table 4-6 so that funds the
locality, City or agency obtains from cost recovery
efforts can return to the Department.
EVENt OPERatIONS PLaNNINg
Event operations planning encompasses advance plan-
ning and stakeholder coordination activities con-
ducted for a specifc planned special event. Operations
planning process steps include: (1) risk assessment and
contingency planning, (2) feasibility study prepara-
tion, and (3) traffc management plan development.
Risk assessment and Contingency Planning
Potential scenarios where spectator or non-attendee
behavior may cause overcrowded conditions in the
vicinity of an event venue and/or create unplanned
road closures and traffc impacts include:
n Demonstration or protest at politically or socially
controversial events;
n Ticketless event patrons causing overcrowding at
major sporting and concert events;
n Fan celebration after team championship victory;
and
n Event security.
Event-oriented risks infuence security contingencies.
For instance, high security events may involve deploy-
ment of security checkpoints on approach to the venue.
Service time at checkpoints may induce traffc queues.
In contrast to risk assessment, contingency planning
addresses the identifed potential of an unplanned
circumstance(s) posing a signifcant, negative effect
on day-of-event traffc and transportation opera-
tions. Types of unplanned events that may require
advance contingency planning include security threat,
weather, major traffc incident, delayed or cancelled
event, absence of traffc management team personnel,
and equipment breakdown. Weather circumstances
include severe weather outbreak, fooding on roads
and in parking areas, and parking during wet weather.
Considerations in developing a planned special event
traffc management plan that addresses various con-
tingency scenarios include:
n Develop scenario-based traffc management plan;
n Consider and plan for a range of possible un-
planned circumstances and severity levels; and
n Determine changes in operation due to unplanned
circumstances.
Contingency planning represents event insurance.
The availability of contingency plans helps mitigate a
potential systematic breakdown of the transportation
system during an unexpected event occurring at or
near the same time as the planned special event.
feasibility Study
A feasibility study:
n Gauges impact of the proposed event on traffc and
parking operations;
n Assists in the decision to preliminarily approve an
event based on predicted impacts; and
n Serves as input to the traffc management plan and
development of impact mitigation strategies.
The structure and approach of a planned special event
feasibility study resembles a Traffc Impact Study re-
quired for planned developments. Initially, the study
is conducted without roadway improvements or initia-
tives to reduce travel demand.
The Feasibility Study determines 1) the additional
traffc generated by the planned special event, 2) the
origins of the event patrons, 3) the specifc destina-
tions of the event patrons at the assigned parking
lots, 4) the roadways that will be used to travel to and
from the event, 5) the capacity of the intersections
along the roadways due to the addition of the event
generated traffc to the existing traffc volumes, and 6)
the mitigating roadway improvements to maintain or
enhance the existing levels of service.
The preparation of a Feasibility Study provides the
decision maker with the ability to make decisions that
can better serve the community, the traveling public
and the event patrons.
Planning, Implementing,
Operating, and Evaluating
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Chapter 5: Planning, Implementing, Operating, and Evaluating
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traffc Management Plan Components
A planned special event traffc management plan
includes operational strategies for managing event-
generated and background traffc on the day-of-
event within the local (venue site) and regional area
impacted. A traffc management plan (1) indicates
how traffc, parking, and pedestrian operations will
be managed on the day-of-event, (2) coordinates and
mitigates transportation impacts, and (3) adapts to
traffc demand scenarios, demand management plan,
and contingencies. It may be maintained as one
interagency plan or a series of coordinated juris-
dictional or facility plans. Coordination represents
the key as major planned special events may have a
widespread effect on transportation system opera-
tions, and mitigation efforts involve multiple agen-
cies developing traffc management plans for local
streets, arterials, and freeways that span jurisdic-
tions. The challenge to stakeholders involves devel-
oping an operational strategy that does not defeat
the objectives of another.
Key components of traffc management plan develop-
ment include:
n Traffc fow route planning;
n Site access and parking planning;
n Pedestrian access planning;
n Traffc control planning;
n Travel demand management (TDM) and transit
service planning; and
n Incident management and traveler information
planning.
A successful traffc management plan satisfes the
customer requirements of all transportation users, and
optimizes use of personnel and equipment resources
assigned to day-of-event operations. It also provides
fexibility and proactive strategies for responding to
real-time conditions and events.
Elements included in each of the six components of a
traffc management plan are listed in Table 5-1.
Table 5-1: Traffc Management Plan Components
traffc flow Route Planning Site access and Parking Planning Pedestrian access Planning
n Freeway/arterial and local traffc
fow routes
n Alternate routes
n Emergency access routes
n Background traffc accommodation
n Transit accommodation
n Lot assignment
n Vehicle access and circulation
n Parking area design and operation
n Parking occupancy monitoring
n Parking regulations
n Traveler information
n Pedestrian control through routing
and crossing
n Disabled accessibility
n Shuttle bus service service design,
station design, management, and
cost
traffc Control Planning
travel Demand Management (tDM)
and transit Service Planning
Incident Management and
traveler Information Planning
n Freeway traffc control traveler
information and interchange opera-
tions
n Street traffc control alternative
lane operations (e.g., shoulder use,
reversible lane operation, contrafow
operation), route guidance, and
conditions monitoring
n Intersection traffc control traffc
fow control and traffc signal opera-
tions
tDM
n Use of alternate travel modes
n Shift in arrival and departure times
n Increase in vehicle occupancy
n Diversion of background traffc around
impacted area
transit Service
n Public transit service expansion addi-
tional vehicle hours and/or route modif-
cation
n Express bus service direct service from
park and ride facility and event venue.
n Charter service direct (contract) service
from outlying areas.
n Best driving/transit routes from
specifc origins
n Venue parking area locations and
fees
n Recommended event ingress and
egress routes
n Up-to-the-minute travel conditions
information
n Estimated travel time by different
travel modes
n Advisories and restrictions
traffc flow Route Planning
Traffc fow route planning allows stakeholders to
infuence and control spectator patterns of ingress and
egress in order to improve system operations without
affecting emergency services and neighboring resi-
dents and businesses. Key planning objectives include
ways to (1) modify predicted fow routes to maximize
system operating effciency while meeting public
safety agency needs and (2) provide advance informa-
tion to patrons and participants on best access routes
to the event. Predicted fow routes refer to anticipated
freeways, arterials, and streets that spectators will
likely use to access the event venue (or major parking
area) from a certain origin. Modifying routes strive to
take advantage of excess capacity on certain facilities,
avoid intersecting two or more ingress/egress routes or
emergency access routes.
Figure 5-1: Traffc Flow Route Planning Map
source: www.rir.com
Figure 5-1 shows a Traffc Flow Route Planning Map
for a planned special event at Richmond International
Raceway in Virginia. Motorists are advised to use the
exits on the following color coded routes to reach the
venue:
From the north: Use Purple Route
From the south: Use Orange Route
From the west: Use Red Route
From the east: Use Green Route
The website www.rir.com also provides detailed,
written directions.
Site access and Parking Planning
Site access and parking planning involves determin-
ing strategies and resource applications that facilitate
a three-step process: access, process, and park. Access
refers to streets serving a spectator destination or
parking area. Process refers to approving (e.g., mon-
ey collection) vehicles for entry into parking areas.
Park refers to handling vehicles from the process point
to a parking space.
Pedestrian access Planning
Pedestrian access planning provides for the safe and
effcient movement of pedestrians within the immedi-
ate area of the venue. Key planning objectives include
(1) accommodating pedestrian trips to/from various
mode transfer points in the vicinity of the event venue,
(2) minimizing pedestrian/vehicular
conficts, and (3) facilitating rapid
dispersion of pedestrian fow after the
end of a planned special event. Mode
transfer points include parking areas
(auto to walking), transit stations (auto
to bus or walking to bus), and pick-up/
drop-off locations. In order to ensure
pedestrian safety, a pedestrian access
plan should accommodate pedestri-
ans accessing an event via a network
of safe walking routes and minimizes
pedestrian/vehicular conficts. This
includes minimizing vehicular turning
movements at intersections with heavy
pedestrian movements.
traffc Control Planning
Traffc control planning facilitates traf-
fc fow on recommended fow routes
through service-enhancing strategies
that handle forecasted event traffc demand on these
routes. Key planning objectives include (1) specifying
freeway management strategies to minimize freeway
mainline congestion, (2) identifying capacity-enhanc-
ing strategies to facilitate throughput on local fow
routes, and (3) providing strategies for increasing
intersection traffc handling capacity.
travel Demand Management and
transit Service Planning
Travel demand management strategies aim to maxi-
mize the effciency of the transportation system, thus
reducing the volume of traffc on the roadway and
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Chapter 5: Planning, Implementing, Operating, and Evaluating

minimizing peak demand rates that contribute to

congestion. TDM goals target traveler incentives
time/money savings and comfort.
Modifcations to existing transit service for a planned
special event represent TDM strategies, and addi-
tional ridership can provide substantial additional rev-
enue while relieving traffc congestion in the vicinity
of an event venue. Key planning objectives seek to (1)
maximize use of available transit capacity, (2) increase
ridership during an event, (3) support travel demand
management goals, (4) serve the public interest, and
(5) ensure operations cost-effectiveness.
Marketing may be used to inform the public of the
availability of public transit service to/from a planned
special event and convince the public to use the ser-
vice. Marketing techniques include published guides,
information hotlines, advertising, tickets by mail, and
special incentives.
Incident Management and
traveler Information Planning
Potential traffc incident management activities that
support day-of-event operations include:
n Crash prevention through portable lighting, con-
gestion warning signs, public information safety
campaign, and enforcement;
n Use of or increase in service patrols for on-scene
incident management and clearance, traffc man-
agement plan deployment, and traffc conditions
monitoring; and
n Traffc incident quick clearance initiatives for rapid
clearance of disabled and illegally parked or aban-
doned vehicles.
A transportation management center may provide ad-
ditional support through surveillance, traveler infor-
mation dissemination, communications and informa-
tion sharing, traffc control and management, and
command post quarters.
Traveler information dissemination helps spectators
assess what transportation mode(s), route, and park-
ing area they will be using when traveling to/from
the event. Such information also assists in specta-
tors budgeting suffcient travel time in accessing the
venue. Traveler information dissemination techniques
include media (radio, television, newspaper), Internet,
Table 5-2: Decision Makers Role in Event Operations Planning
n Assure that the traffc management team assesses
the risk where spectator or non-attendee behavior
may cause overcrowded conditions in the vicinity of
an event/venue and/or create unplanned road closure
and traffc impacts (e.g., demonstrations, fan celebra-
tion after team championship victory).
n Foster the development of contingency plans to
address the identifed potential of an unplanned
circumstance posing a signifcant, negative effect on
day-of-event traffc and transportation operations
(e.g., weather, major traffc incident).
n Make sure that event planning team has the fexibility
to modify activities to create a dynamic and more
effective planning process tailored to the scope of a
specifc planned special event.
n Based on lessons learned from past special events at
a particular permanent venue, check to see that the
stakeholders consider programming new infrastructure
or adopting new policies (e.g., parking restrictions)
early in the event operations planning process.
n Assure that event planning team repeats process steps
for individual venue events comprising a regional/
multi-venue event.
n Encourage the event planning team to develop differ-
ent traffc management plan components concurrently.
n Make sure that the traffc management team estab-
lishes a planning framework and schedule.
n Assure that past successes and lessons learned are
considered.
n Establish the traffc management team in the earliest
planning stages.
n Foster continued meetings throughout all phases.
n Assure that the feasibility study is covered in suf-
fcient detail to consider a range of possible impacts
and associated mitigation to include variations in
traffc generation, directional distribution, and modal
choice.
n Make sure that the Feasibility Study examines the
benefcial impacts of establishing a free shuttle bus
operation from remote parking lots to the event venue
in order to reduce traffc congestion near the event
site.
n Support travel demand management goals.
n Encourage event patrons to arrive early or leave late
(post-event freworks or concert) in order to reduce
peak traffc demands.
n Make certain that the traffc management plan
examines the effects on agency staffng and agency
resources.
changeable message signs, highway advisory radio,
telephone information system (511), public informa-
tion campaign, event/venue guide, and kiosks.
Decision Makers Role in Event Operations Planning
Table 5-2 presents the major efforts that should be
considered in the decision makers role in Event
Operations Planning.
The decision makers responsibility to the community
relative to the planned special events event operations
planning is listed in Table 5-3.
Table 5-3: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Need to identify potential negative impacts on the
community, in the Event Operations Planning phase,
and mitigate them in the implementation phase to
create positive impacts and/or minimal impacts to
the community during the Day-of-Event phase.
n Need to include community interest stakeholders
into the regional planning and coordination process
so that they ensure and review advance planning
and operations activities to manage event generat-
ed traffc for the purpose of 1) minimizing impacts
on community quality of life, and 2) maximizing
potential social and economic benefts.
IMPLEMENtatION aCtIVItIES
Implementation activities include traffc manage-
ment plan deployment as well as testing and training
activities. The objective of a good implementation
plan is to 1) improve the effciency of traffc manage-
ment plan deployment, 2) identify and address un-
known and potential problems before the event, and
3) increase traffc management team preparedness.
Potential steps comprising implementation activities
include:
n Develop an implementation plan;
n Conduct a stakeholder simulation exercise(s);
n Establish interagency communication protocol;
n Test communication equipment compatibility;
n Test equipment resources; and
n Recruit and train volunteers.
Implementation Plan Steps
An implementation plan details the actions required
to put a traffc management plan into effect on the
day-of-event. The plan (1) defnes assignments, roles
and responsibilities of traffc management team
personnel, (2) describes a scenario-based, opera-
tions game plan at the management level, and (3)
specifes an interagency communication strategy.
Considerations in developing an implementation plan
include:
n Develop prior to review and testing exercises;
n Assign right personnel, authority, and responsibility
to effect optimal performance;
n Empower team supervisors at every level; and
n Use a quick reference format.
Review and testing
Review and testing allows the test of written assump-
tions in the traffc management plan to see what must
be changed and how the traffc management plan can
be improved. This action (1) identifes potential limi-
tations of the traffc management plan prior to the
day-of-event, (2) increases stakeholder familiarity of
the roles and capabilities of other team stakeholders,
and (3) identifes unknown and potential problems
before the event. Review and testing proves particu-
larly useful for major events involving several stake-
holders and complex traffc management and security
strategies. Activities involved in review and testing
include:
n Stakeholder simulation exercises tabletop exer-
cises held in a meeting room or feld exercises held
at the venue.
n Equipment testing communication linkages,
changeable message signs, highway advisory radio,
closed-circuit television, cellular phones and radio
frequencies.
Importance of Interagency Communication
Stakeholders should understand (1) how they can
reach other traffc management team members dur-
ing the day-of-event, (2) which channels they will be
found on, and (3) what information should be shared.
Considerations in achieving clear, uninterrupted inter-
agency communications on the day-of-event include:
n Equipment radio channel/frequencies, trunked
radio systems, cellular phones;
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n Protocol direct communication between team

personnel versus indirect via agency dispatch; and
n Information using clear language protocols (in-
stead of codes) on a multi-agency frequency.
An additional, underlying consideration concerns
communications system function (1) to share infor-
mation and/or (2) to achieve real-time coordination.
Volunteer Recruitment and training
The recruitment of temporary staff and volunteers
expands traffc management team capabilities and
elevates its operational effciency. In some cases, the
amount of personnel required to implement traf-
fc management plan strategies on the day-of-event,
coupled with equipment delivery and installation,
may exceed the staffng capabilities of agencies and
contractors involved in day-of-event operations. As a
result, volunteer recruitment and training becomes
paramount to the success of day-of-event operations.
Key planning objectives include (1) reduce personnel
cost, (2) permit public agencies to adequately meet
other daily staffng requirements, and (3) provide
expanded control over transportation operations and
greater convenience to spectators.
Considerations in recruiting and training volunteers
include:
n Activities requiring volunteer support;
n Criteria for recruiting and organizing volunteers;
n Rewards for volunteer service;
n Methods of conducting volunteer training; and
n Volunteer training activities.
Decision Makers Role in
Implementation activities
Table 5-4 presents the major efforts that should
be considered in the decision makers role in
Implementation Activities.
Table 5-4: Decision Makers Role in
Implementation Activities
n Assure that the traffc management team develops
an Implementation Plan that describes the what,
when, and where in terms of personnel and equip-
ment resource deployment.
n Assure that the Implementation Plan defnes
personnel assignments that indicate the roles and
responsibilities of individual traffc management
team personnel on the day-of-event.
n See how the traffc management team reacts to
unexpected events not accounted for in the Imple-
mentation Plan by utilizing review and testing
techniques such as a tabletop exercise held in a
meeting room or exercises held in the feld.
n Assure that interagency communication is estab-
lished and tested prior to the day-of-event.
n Assure that appropriate training is held for tempo-
rary staff and volunteers.
n Encourage the use of Intelligent Transportation
Systems solutions such as existing Transportation
Management Centers and their associated detec-
tors, Changeable Message Signs (CMS), CCTV (Closed
circuit TV) as well portable HAR (highway advisory
radio), portable CMS, portable traffc management
systems (CCTV, detectors, CMS), and mobile com-
mand posts.
n Foster the consideration of latest technologies at
the Command Post where 1) wireless and internet
connections allow remote access to CCTV, CMS, HAR,
and a portable traffc management system, 2) CCTV
can be viewed at critical locations, 3) CMS mes-
sages can be changed via a laptop computer, and
4) HAR and CMS can be changed via a cell tele-
phone call.
n Foster successful ITS solutions that were used for a
planned special event to be incorporated into day-
to-day operations for emergencies and unexpected
events.
The decision makers responsibility to the community
relative to the implementation activities are presented
in Table 5-5.
Table 5-5: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Assure that the implementation plan defnes traffc
control points that restrict neighborhood area ac-
cess to residents and business employees.
n Need to develop signing and alternative route plans
that direct customers to businesses and other traf-
fc generators.
DaY-Of-EVENt aCtIVItIES
Day-of-event activities involve the actual implementa-
tion and operation of the traffc management plan
during the day-of-event. Planned actions and manage-
ment methods support real-time traffc management
and control decisions during the day-of-event and
provide key performance evaluation data for future
planning. This readies participating staff to expect
the unexpected and effect a swift and coordinated re-
sponse to unplanned events. Key day-of-event activi-
ties include:
n Implement a team management process;
n Designate a multi-agency command post;
n Establish protocol for considering and implement-
ing traffc management plan changes;
n Conduct plan evaluation during the day-of-event;
n Perform traffc monitoring on day-of-event; and
n Interact with media.
Responsibilities and Organization of the
traffc Management team
The traffc management team includes not only many
of those stakeholders that have been involved during
the event operations planning phase but also those
who may participate for the frst time on the day-of-
event. This includes event support stakeholders (e.g.,
traffc control contractors) and volunteer person-
nel. Typical stakeholders comprising an interagency
traffc management team includes any combination
of (1) traffc operations and transit agencies, (2) law
enforcement and other public safety agencies, (3)
event organizer and venue operator, (4) transportation
consultants, (5) traffc control contractors and park-
ing operators, and (6) emergency management agency.
Operations managers (e.g., engineer, lieutenant) and
feld personnel (e.g., maintenance crews, traffc control
offcers) from these stakeholders represent the inter-
agency traffc management team.
Traffc management team responsibilities include:
n Manage travel on day-of-event;
n Determine and monitor resource requirements;
n Conduct traffc management plan evaluation and
modifcation based on real-time conditions;
n Perform traffc monitoring activities; and
n Chronicle observed successes/lessons learned.
Stakeholders must adopt a formal management pro-
cess to establish responsibilities, implement a chain-
of-command, and clarify decision-making so to ensure
successful traffc management plan deployment. The
scope of transportation management activities for
a major planned special event may warrant applica-
tion of the Incident Command System (i.e., Unifed
Command) for establishing an integrated traffc
management team that consists of multi-disciplin-
ary and potentially multi-jurisdictional stakeholders.
Unifed Command supports traffc management team
supervisors make consensus decisions without delay
when real-time conditions demand adjustments to the
traffc management plan.
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Chapter 5: Planning, Implementing, Operating, and Evaluating

Figure 5-2 shows command post (center) arrange-

ments for traffc management team operations on the
day-of-event. Command post options include primary
(interagency) and secondary (agency-specifc or in-
teragency but applicable to a sub-area of the affected
region). A TMC may function as a primary command
post, particularly if located very near the event venue.
Access to TMC communications resources and other
valuable tools (e.g., surveillance and traffc control
systems) prove advantageous when using it as a com-
mand post. Mobile command posts represent sec-
ondary, agency-specifc command posts common for
larger events for more effective management of feld
operations and improved span-of-control. Agencies
operating a mobile command post likely still staff a
ranking offcial at the interagency command post.
Managing Day-of-Event Operations
A traffc management plan should remain fexible
with the ability to modify and enhance it with neces-
sary changes based on real-time traffc conditions.
Key traffc management plan evaluation activities on
the day-of-event include:
n Establish briefng schedule and location;
n Identify ranking representative of each stakeholder
agency participating in the briefngs;
n Conduct day-of-event briefng; and
n Achieve consensus on recommended changes.
Briefng meetings may take place at regular intervals
during expected lulls in activity during the event day,
at the end of each event day for a multi-day event,
and/or at the end of a shift change at the command
post. Small-scale events or events involving few agen-
cies may not require scheduled briefng meetings.
Typical steps comprising an interagency briefng on
real-time conditions and management activities on the
day-of-event include (1) situation status, (2) objectives
and priorities, (3) current organization and resource
assignments, (4) communications, (5) concerns and re-
lated issues, and (6) recommended changes. Consensus
is paramount to ensure affected stakeholders and staff
is aware of a plan change and any concerns with the
proposed change are satisfactorily addressed.
Figure 5-2: Traffc Management Team Command Centers
Interagency
Command Post
Mobile agency
Command Post
transportation
Management
Center
Considerations for managing day-of-event feld opera-
tions include: (1) personnel performing different tasks
in different areas compared to their normal routine,
(2) frequent breaks required in diffcult conditions,
(3) schedule personnel for ingress, event period, and
egress, and (4) response to earlier/later event end.
Scheduling issues include type/quantity of skilled
personnel, deployment locations, and personnel re-
sponsibilities. Events of long duration may necessitate
an additional staff shift(s), and certain events may
end earlier than expected, thus triggering the need for
rapid response and resource mobilization for egress
operations. Advance planning eliminates potential
confusion in managing feld operations.
traffc Monitoring Needs
Traffc monitoring represents an important day-of-
event activity, serving to provide traffc and incident
management support in addition to performance
evaluation data. Timely deployment of contingency
plans developed during the event operations planning
phase depends on the accurate collection and com-
munication of real-time traffc data between traffc
management team members. Potential uses of day-of-
event traffc/conditions monitoring observations and
information include:
n Track changes in system operations during event;
n Identify locations with poor performance;
n Note potential causes and required mitigation;
n Deliver information to decision-makers and public;
n Present specifc improvements for future events;
and
n Provide input to post-event evaluation activities.
Methods for collecting traffc data on the day-of-event
include (1) CCTV systems for viewing real-time con-
ditions, (2) in-roadway or over-roadway traffc sensors,
(3) vehicle probes for surveillance and travel data, (4)
traffc signal and system detectors, (5) parking man-
agement systems, and (6) manual methods. Example
statistics or measures that can be obtained from traf-
fc monitoring on the day-of-event include congestion
delay, travel time, travel speed, change in travel mode,
and change in transit ridership.
Decision Makers Role in Day-of-Event activities
Table 5-6 presents the major efforts that should be
considered in the decision makers role in Day-of-
Event Activities.
Table 5-6: Decision Makers Role in Day-of-Event
Activities
n Consider how you, your agency, and your transpor-
tation partners can communicate and cooperate
with your regions public safety agencies to ensure
quick and effective resolution of incidents during a
planned special event.
n Require your staff to read the Simplifed Guide to
the Incident Command System for Transportation
Professionals and share the document with your
partners.
n Accelerate staff efforts to become familiar with
ICS (Incident Command System) language that
enhances communications with other public
safety/operations agencies that already use
ICS terminology.
n Assure that your staff and the traffc management
team are ready to expect the unexpected.
n Make sure that protocol has been established to
consider and implement traffc management plan
changes based on the occurrence of real-time traffc
conditions.
n Assure that a media contact has been established
to provide traffc fow conditions and updates on
the changes to the traffc management plan.
n Make sure that traffc data is collected on the day-
of-event to provide traffc incident management
support as well as for post-event evaluation.
Table 5-7 presents the decision makers responsibility
to the community concerning day-of-event activi-
ties for the purposes of managing travel for planned
special events.
Table 5-7: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Need to adopt a formal management process to en-
sure successful traffc management plan deployment
and minimal impact to transportation system users
(which includes the public).
n Need to monitor the very fuid traffc situations to
see how the plan is working and then determine
what needs to be adjusted based on real-time traf-
fc conditions.
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Chapter 5: Planning, Implementing, Operating, and Evaluating

POSt-EVENt aCtIVItIES
Post-event activities cover the evaluation of local and
regional operations based on stakeholder debriefngs
and an analysis of traffc data collected on the day-of-
event. The purpose of post event activities is to:
n Compare plan specifcations and resource alloca-
tions to actual day-of-event operations.
n Evaluate transportation system performance on
day(s)-of-event based on stakeholder debriefngs,
customer feedback, and analysis of traffc and tran-
sit data.
The benefts of post-event activities are:
n Identify key successes and lessons learned;
n Provide valuable data for input into future planned
special event feasibility studies; and
n Facilitate an iterative process of incorporating
evaluation results into planning activities for future
planned special events.
Potential steps comprising post-event activities
include:
n Review and compile measures of effectiveness;
n Conduct stakeholder debriefng;
n Conduct event patron survey;
n Conduct public survey;
n Conduct a post-event debriefng meeting; and
n Prepare a post-event report.
Table 5-8 presents common internal (stakeholder
performance) and external (identifable by public)
measures of effectiveness referenced in describing how
well the traffc management plan worked and traffc
management team performed.
Table 5-8: Event Management MOE (Measures of
Effectiveness)
INtERNaL MOEs EXtERNaL MOEs
Time required to deploy and remove strategies
No. of road/lane closures and time/duration
CMS/HAR/511 day-of-event message log
No. of traffc signal timing changes
No. and type of service patrol assists
No. of messages transmitted between personnel
Volume of traffc on facilities serving event
Travel time and delay on highways and streets
Average vehicle occupancy and modal split
Parking occupancy and arrival/departure rates
No. of traffc incidents and clearance times
Participant Evaluation
Participant evaluation represents the frst of three se-
quential products followed by post-event debriefng
and post-event report of post-event evaluation. It
involves obtaining frst-hand observations of trans-
portation system operations on the day(s)-of-event by
traffc management team feld personnel, event plan-
ners, spectators, and the general public. Methods for
conducting participant evaluations at the conclusion
of a planned special event include stakeholder debrief-
ings, event patron surveys, and public surveys produc-
ing travel data and successes and lessons learned.
Post-Event Debriefng
A post-event debriefng involves traffc management
team stakeholders interactively reviewing what took
place during the day-of-event. The debriefng exam-
ines what took place during the day-of-event and
serves to compare team activities and operations to
what was planned. Common topic areas include plan-
ning process, communications, traffc management at
and outside venue site, plan revisions during event,
traveler information, and perceived successes and
lessons learned. Participating stakeholders engage in
communicating multiple viewpoints contributing to
the identifcation of what worked well and the deter-
mination of areas of improvement for future planned
special events.
Post-Event Report
A post-event report represents a reference document
documenting planning products, actual day(s)-of-
event operations, and post-event evaluation activities
but may serve as a working document (manual) if it
recommends a planning process. The easiest way to
organize the report may involve reviewing what took
place chronologically. An alternative method involves
dividing the report into subject areas, such as traffc
management, traveler information, command post
operations, and communications. Considerations
in developing and organizing a post-event report
include a) copy of original traffc management plan,
b) chronology of event and team activities, c) analysis
and summary of internal/external MOEs, d) opera-
tional cost analysis and funding issues, e) partici-
pant evaluation results, and f) list of recommended
improvements.
If a planned special event is a repeat event, a compari-
son to the previous year should be made to determine
any signifcant changes in attendance, traffc volumes,
impacts on roadways, congestion, permitting compli-
ance, etc. This information is helpful in planning the
next repeat event for the following year.
Decision Makers Role in Post-Event activities
Table 5-9 presents the major efforts that should be
considered in the decision makers role in Post-Event
Activities.
Table 5-9: Decision Makers Role in
Post-Event Activities
n Require participation in post-event activities so
that transportation is incorporated in the planning
and implementation of planned special events.
n Make sure that the results of the post-event evalu-
ation are documented and made accessible in order
to be benefcial for future planned special events.
n For recurring events, assure that a fle is estab-
lished providing the cumulative beneft of lessons
learned to help sharpen the traffc management
plan developed for each new occurrence.
n Encourage the application of lessons learned from
the evaluation toward proactively improving travel
management for all planned special events occur-
ring in a region.
n Encourage the traffc and parking data (arrival
rates, number of occupants per vehicle, parking
lot occupancies) be summarized so that it can be
utilized in feasibility studies for future planned
special events.
n Foster the conduct of the evaluation to iden-
tify successes, lessons learned, improving future
practice, and incorporating practices to mitigate
problems encountered.
n Encourage the use of successful approaches from a
planned special event to everyday traffc manage-
ment.
The decision maker should be aware of the benefts
to the residents and businesses of the community
that can be achieved from the post-event activities as
shown in Table 5-10.
Table 5-10: Decision Makers Responsibility to
Community
n Recognize the responsibility to the community
by conducting a public survey designed to obtain
input on potential impacts of an event on affected
residents and businesses located near the event
venue and particularly located on local streets
serving the venue.
n Reach the public through 1) surveys mailed to resi-
dents and businesses in the area affected, 2) solici-
tations via websites, and 3) comments provided by
phone or mail.
n Apply survey results toward event evaluation and
improving future practice in order to minimize
impacts on nearby residents and businesses.
n Use survey results as key input into planning (e.g.,
access and parking) for the next similar event or
future events at the same venue.
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Decision Makers Vision
The frst fve chapters of this document, Executive
Summary: Managing Travel for Planned Special
Events Handbook, highlight new and proven insti-
tutional and high-level operational techniques and
strategies for achieving a coordinated, proactive
approach to managing travel for all planned special
events in a region in addition to facilitating success-
ful and cost-effective management of specifc planned
special events.
The document conveys key information to decision
makers and other senior level professionals whose
agencies, departments, or organizations are involved
in the design, planning, preparation, and management
of travel for planned special events. These include
transportation, planning, transit, law enforcement,
and event organizers. The key information is pre-
sented to familiarize the decision makers with the
concepts and procedures used by their technical staff
so that the decision makers can be ready to assure
that necessary steps are taken to achieve the success-
ful management of travel for planned special events.
Typically, decision makers possess the following
backgrounds: (1) little or no knowledge of the con-
cept, importance, and challenges of managing travel
for planned special events and (2) working knowledge
of the issues and challenges in managing travel for
planned special events and seeking institutional-level
solutions toward effecting an expanded, effcient, and
cost-effective approach to proactive travel manage-
ment for planned special events.
This technical reference provides a working knowl-
edge of the techniques and strategies that practitio-
ners may use to successfully: (1) plan for and operate
a particular planned special event or (2) manage all
planned special events in a region. In turn, individual
managers and decision makers gain an understanding
of the collective tasks facing multidisciplinary and
interjurisdictional planned special events that man-
agers and decision makers charged with developing
and implementing solutions to acute and system wide
impacts on travel during a special event may face.
Transportation operations vary during a planned spe-
cial event and identifying issues and advance planning
activities if employed can successfully manage travel
for a planned special event.
Table 6-1 indicates the purposes of managing travel
for planned special events.
Table 6-1: Purposes for Planned Special Events
Challenges
n Manage intense travel demand.
n Mitigate potential capacity constraints.
n Infuence attractiveness of alternative travel choices.
n Accommodate potential for heavy pedestrian fow
and transit vehicles.
Table 6-2 presents the major efforts that should be
considered in the decision makers role in support-
ing and guiding the agencys technical staff as well as
members of the participating agencies to successfully
manage travel for planned special events.
Table 6-2: Decision Makers Role in Managing Travel for Planned Special Events
function Decision Makers Role
Overall activities n Understand what a planned special event is.
n Realize the major impacts on the transportation system that planned special events can cause.
n Make sure that your staff realizes the need for a PSE Feasibility Study and traffc management
plans, which present policy guidelines, procedures, strategies, and resource applications that
assure the successful management of travel for PSEs.
n Recognize the economic and tourism benefts to the community.
n Foster your staffs use of the FHWA Handbook Managing Travel for Planned Special Events
and the Practical Checklists.
n Encourage your key employees to attend and participate in the NHI Course Managing Travel
for Planned Special Events.
Planned Special
Events Categories
n Become familiar with each of the fve categories and their characteristics.
n Assure that your agency examines possible scenarios that can accommodate arrivals peaking
rather than being spread out throughout the day that could turn a continuous event into a
discrete/recurring event.
n Foster regional coordination and regional interaction to advise of a planned special event
and determine if other events are also occurring that results in multiple events as part of a
regional/multi-venue event.
Planned Special
Events Phases
n Assure that your staff treats the fve phases as an iterative process where the lessons learned
from one event is applied to the frst phase of the next planned special event.
n Encourage your staff to refer to sections of the FHWA handbook Managing Travel for Planned
Special Events and follow the step-by-step guidelines for each phase.
n Require your staff to utilize the FHWA Practical Checklists to assure every step is considered.
n Incorporate local and specifc requirements of your agency to customize the Practical Check-
lists for the needs of your agency.
achievement of
Purposes
n Foster the achievement of early, constant input and participation of involved agencies.
n Emphasize the importance of predicting event-generated travel impacts to your staff.
n Assure that your staff develops an integrated transportation management plan that can ac-
commodate a range of traffc demand and other contingencies.
n Ensure successful traffc management plan implementation by your staff.
n Assure that your agency deploys a well-organized traffc management team equipped with the
ability to communicate seamless between agencies.
n Emphasize to your staff the importance of conducting continuous traffc monitoring on the
day-of-event and maintaining protocol for modifying the traffc management plan to accom-
modate real-time conditions.
n Transfer event management successes into daily applications, and translate lessons learned
into future event planning and operations needs.
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Chapter 6: Decision Makers Vision
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function Decision Makers Role
Planning Schedule n Assure that your staff develops a schedule of activities from time of event proposal to traffc
management plan completion.
n See that your staff sets deadlines for key planning products.
n Emphasize the need to allow suffcient time for implementation activities and pre-event trav-
eler information dissemination.
Event Impact
Issues
n Be aware of the issues and the ramifcations of each event impact factors.
n Make sure that your staff determines the transportation impacts of the planned special events.
n Make sure that your staff determines the mitigation measures that must be implemented to
accommodate the additional traffc generated by the planned special event.
n Encourage your agency to develop and maintain a list of available equipment that can be
supplied by your agency and other agencies, as well as can be rented or leased from private
companies.
n Emphasize the need to plan for and to expect the unexpected.
n Recognize that special consideration must be given to managing staff resources for regional/
multi-venue events where available staff may have to handle both of the planned special
events as well as their day-to-day work responsibilities.
n Consider actions to 1) acquire help from other agencies for staffng and equipment, 2) use
volunteer staff, and 3) rent/lease equipment.
Stakeholders n Make sure that your agency assembles all the key stakeholders at the earliest planning stages
and continues their involvement in all fve phases of managing travel for planned special events.
n Understand the roles and functions of each stakeholder.
n Foster the active involvement of stakeholders on a local and a regional basis.
Stakeholder
Coordination
n Assure that your agency fosters integration, which refers to achieving stakeholder cooperation
and coordination across disciplines and jurisdictional boundaries. Interagency resource shar-
ing represents a product of such stakeholder coordination.
n Emphasize the need for adaptability, which concerns the ability of stakeholders to adapt to
new roles and responsibilities unique to managing travel for planned special events. These
new roles may involve changes in stakeholder authority compared to roles under other types
of planned and unplanned events.
n Establish transferability, which refers to maintaining continuous interagency communication,
sharing of expertise to effect interagency training, and exchanging observations and lessons
learned relative to stakeholder experiences.
travel Choices n Foster consideration of travel choice alternatives by your staff when the feasibility study
reveals capacity problems in the transportation system for a planned special event.
n Use the media as well as the internet to advise of travel choice alternatives and their advan-
tages as well as specifc instructions and schedules.
function Decision Makers Role
Regional Planning
and Coordination
n Coordinate stakeholders serving an oversight role.
n Establish a regional planned special event program.
n Develop interagency agreements and legislation.
n Establish a planned special event permit program.
n Develop event permit regulations and guidelines.
n Evaluate permanent and portable infrastructure needs.
n Foster the use of checklists for event permit regulations and guidelines.
Regional
Initiatives and
activities
n See that ongoing programs and initiatives are used to address general planned special event
needs on a continual basis.
n Foster the establishment at a regional planned special event manual.
n Promote the development of interagency agreements and legislation.
n Be ready to meet with decision makers from other stakeholder agencies to emphasize the
need for buy-in from each participating agency.
n Encourage the preparation of a planned special event permit program.
n Ensure that decision criteria and thresholds are used to determine the need to initiate a spe-
cial event permit process in addition to event permit requirements.
n Foster the use of checklists for event permit regulations and guidelines.
n Support the discussion of control, leadership, and turf issues.
funding n Foster the recording of personnel and equipment costs incurred by each participating agency
throughout the operation, planning, implementation, day-of-event and post-event phases
to determine total costs expended for use in estimating costs and funds needed for future
planned special events.
n Examine a number of possible funding mechanisms to recover costs expended.
n Consider the extent and ability of each agency to provide all or part of requested support
services.
n Ensure that the key participating agencies negotiate with the event organizer to establish the
fair share reimbursement and responsibilities that include permit application fees, mitigation
costs, performance bond costs, a charge on each ticket sold, etc.
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Chapter 6: Decision Makers Vision
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function Decision Makers Role
Event Operations
Planning
n Assure that the traffc management team assesses the risk where spectator or non-attendee
behavior may cause overcrowded conditions in the vicinity of an event/venue and/or create
unplanned road closure and traffc impacts (e.g., demonstrations, fan celebration after team
championship victory).
n Foster the development of contingency plans to address the identifed potential of an un-
planned circumstance posing a signifcant, negative effect on day-of-event traffc and trans-
portation operations (e.g., weather, major traffc incident).
n Make sure that event planning team has the fexibility to modify activities to create a dynamic
and more effective planning process tailored to the scope of a specifc planned special event.
n Based on lessons learned from past special events at a particular permanent venue, check to
see that the stakeholders consider programming new infrastructure or adopting new policies
(e.g., parking restrictions) early in the event operations planning process.
n Assure that event planning team repeats process steps for individual venue events comprising
a regional/multi-venue event.
n Encourage the event planning team to develop different traffc management plan components
concurrently.
n Make sure that the traffc management team establishes a planning framework and schedule.
n Assure that past successes and lessons learned are considered.
n Establish the traffc management team in the earliest planning stages.
n Foster continued meetings throughout all phases.
n Assure that the feasibility study is covered in suffcient detail to consider a range of possible
impacts and associated mitigation to include variations in traffc generation, directional
distribution, and modal choice.
n Make sure that the Feasibility Study examines the benefcial impacts of establishing a free
shuttle bus operation from remote parking lots to the event venue in order to reduce traffc
congestion near the event site.
n Support travel demand management goals.
n Encourage event patrons to arrive early or leave late (post-event freworks or concert) in order
to reduce peak traffc demands.
n Make certain that the traffc management plan examines the effects on agency staffng and
agency resources.
function Decision Makers Role
Implementation
activities
n Assure that the traffc management team develops an Implementation Plan that describes
the what, when, and where in terms of personnel and equipment resource deployment.
n Assure that the Implementation Plan defnes personnel assignments that indicate the
roles and responsibilities of individual traffc management team personnel on the day-
of-event.
n See how the traffc management team reacts to unexpected events not accounted for in
the Implementation Plan by utilizing review and testing techniques such as a tabletop
exercise held in a meeting room or exercises held in the feld.
n Assure that interagency communication is established and tested prior to the day-
of-event.
n Assure that appropriate training is held for temporary staff and volunteers.
n Encourage the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems solutions such as existing Trans-
portation Management Centers and their associated detectors, Changeable Message Signs
(CMS), CCTV as well portable HAR, portable CMS, portable traffc management systems
(CCTV, detectors, CMS), and mobile command posts.
n Foster the consideration of latest technologies at the Command Post where 1) wireless
and internet connections allow remote access to CCTV, CMS, HAR, and a portable traffc
management system, 2) CCTV can be viewed at critical locations, 3) CMS messages can
be changed via a laptop computer, and 4) HAR and CMS can be changed via a cell tele-
phone call.
n Foster successful ITS solutions that were used for a planned special event to be incorpo-
rated into day-to-day operations for emergencies and unexpected events.
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function Decision Makers Role
Day-of-Event
activities
n Consider how you, your agency, and your transportation partners can communicate and co-
operate with your regions public safety agencies to ensure quick and effective resolution of
incidents during a planned special event.
n Require your staff to read the Simplifed Guide to the Incident Command System for Transpor-
tation Professionals and share the document with your partners.
n Accelerate staff efforts to become familiar with ICS language that enhances communications
with other public safety/operations agencies that already use ICS terminology.
n Assure that your staff and the traffc management team are ready to expect the unexpected.
n Make sure that protocol has been established to consider and implement traffc management
plan changes based on the occurrence of real-time traffc conditions.
n Assure that a media contact has been established to provide traffc fow conditions and up-
dates on the changes to the traffc management plan.
n Make sure that traffc data is collected on the day-of-event to provide traffc incident man-
agement support as well as for post-event evaluation.
Post-Event
activities
n Require participation in post-event activities so that transportation is incorporated in the
planning and implementation of planned special events.
n Make sure that the results of the post-event evaluation are documented and made accessible
in order to be benefcial for future planned special events.
n For recurring events, assure that a fle is established providing the cumulative beneft of les-
sons learned to help sharpen the traffc management plan developed for each new occurrence.
n Encourage the application of lessons learned from the evaluation toward proactively improv-
ing travel management for all planned special events occurring in a region.
n Encourage the traffc and parking data (arrival rates, number of occupants per vehicle, park-
ing lot occupancies) be summarized so that it can be utilized in feasibility studies for future
planned special events.
n Foster the conduct of the evaluation to identify successes, lessons learned, improving future
practice, and incorporating practices to mitigate problems encountered.
n Encourage the use of successful approaches from a planned special event to everyday traffc
management.
Table 6-3 emphasizes the Decision Makers
Responsibility to the Community by presenting
aspects that can result in positive impacts to the
region, city, locality and local citizens. The deci-
sion maker must keep each one of these community
aspects in mind as the decision makers role is com-
pleted for each event category and for all phases.
Table 6-3: Decision Makers Responsibility to the Community
function Decision Makers Responsibility to the Community
Overall activities n Assure that the normal activities of businesses and the day-to-day lives of the residents of
the region continue while meeting the expectations of the event patrons.
n Recognize that potential, major traffc impacts can be identifed and mitigated by proper
planning and implementation activities that will result in a successful traffc management
plan with benefts to the community and region.
n Select mitigation measures to convert potential negative impacts to positive impacts that are
realized by the community.
n Manage travel for a planned special event so that economic and tourism benefts to the com-
munity are realized.
n Recognize that showcasing a successful planned special event could lead to increased future
tourism for the community.
Planned Special
Events Categories
n Need to meet with residents and businesses to minimize impacts on adjacent roadways.
n Need to notify all businesses and residents located near the event or on a traffc fow route of
the event dates and times.
n Need to minimize impacts on access to businesses and residents.
n Need to consider parking restrictions or issuance of residence parking stickers so that event
patrons do not impact residences by parking on residential streets in the vicinity of the venue.
n Need to apply changes made in the traffc management plan to minimize community impacts
for future events.
n Need to identify ways to minimize community impacts and improve transportation system
operations during future events.
n Need to use public surveys to assess all community impacts and incorporate successful lessons
learned to apply to the next event.
Planned Special
Events Phases
n Assure that the fve phases are part of an iterative process so that lessons learned and suc-
cessful approaches from the Post-event phase are incorporated into the Regional Planning and
Coordination phase so that impacts to the community are minimized for future events.
n Need to identify potential negative impacts on the community, in the Event Operations
phase, and mitigate them in the Implementation phase to create positive impacts and/or
minimal impacts to the community during the Day-of-Event phase.
achievement of
Purposes
n Recognize that managing the potential, intense travel demand will achieve predictability for
the public, businesses, and residents as well as all other transportation users.
n Realize that safety can be assured to the traveling public and event patrons through more ac-
tive traffc management and reduced motorist frustration.
n Gain the input and support of local politicians who can advise of alternatives to minimize
quality of life impacts on represented residents and businesses.
Planning Schedule n Adhere to all deadlines established so that activities are completed on time while allowing
suffcient time to gain the input of the community and to disseminate information to them
so they can modify their travel schedules to make sure their daily trips are not adversely
impacted.
Event Impact
Issues
n Need to remember that the event impact factors have potential enormous traffc impacts on
the community that can be addressed and mitigated in the preparation of a Feasibility Study.
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Chapter 6: Decision Makers Vision
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function Decision Makers Responsibility to the Community
Stakeholders n Need to include the public (community residents, businesses, and associated community
groups) in the Stakeholder Groups.
n Need to include elected offcials who serve the community interest.
Stakeholder
Coordination
n Need to assure that towing agreements include recovery services prior to, during, and after a
planned special event to remove illegally parked vehicles affecting venue ingress and egress
as well as residential and business parking needs.
n Need to identify and mitigate impacts to the local residential/commercial area surrounding
the event venue.
n Need to initiate public outreach activities early in the event operations planning process in
order to reveal important issues, such as parking and traffc concerns that local residents and
businesses may have.
n Need to use public involvement via meetings with residents, community groups, and local of-
fcials to improve community relations and day-of-event operations.
n Need to meet the publics expectations.
n Need to communicate with the traveling public to inform them of travelers traffc information
so they can make decisions on their trips based on current, real-time traffc conditions.
travel Choices n Need to consider assigning event patrons to a particular route to a particular parking area
in case capacity constraints on one of the routes is indicated in the Feasibility Study. Dis-
seminating parking lot assignments and route assignments should be included in the mailing
packet with the tickets for major events in order to enhance mobility, minimize congestion,
and minimize community impacts.
n Need to consider use of peripheral parking lots with a free shuttle bus operation to and from
the event venue where potentially severe roadway capacity limitations and congestion are
expected in the vicinity of the venue.
Regional Planning
and Coordination
n Need to include community interest stakeholders into the regional planning and coordination
process.
n Need to ensure that stakeholders review advance planning and operations activities to
1) minimize impacts on community quality of life, and 2) maximize potential social and
economic benefts.
Regional
Initiatives and
activities
n Need to establish a regional planned special events program that is an ongoing process
designed to address a regions needs for managing special events that leads to the following
community benefts:
Development of relationships that will extend to other operational areas.
Better communication and cooperation that will help in areas such as incident management
and construction coordination.
funding n Need to assure that the locality can provide the resources of staffng and equipment neces-
sary for managing travel for the planned special event by identifying the source of funding.
n Need to develop and implement a cost program for the locality, City or agency for planned
special events that includes personnel, cost management and cost recovery.
n Need to initiate the actions for a cost management program listed in Table 4-6 so that funds
the locality, City or agency obtains from cost recovery efforts can return to the Department.
function Decision Makers Responsibility to the Community
Event Operations
Planning
n Need to identify potential negative impacts on the community, in the Event Operations Plan-
ning phase, and mitigate them in the implementation phase to create positive impacts and/or
minimal impacts to the community during the Day-of-Event phase.
n Need to include community interest stakeholders into the regional planning and coordination
process so that they ensure and review advance planning and operations activities to manage
event generated traffc for the purpose of 1) minimizing impacts on community quality of life,
and 2) maximizing potential social and economic benefts.
Implementation
activities
n Assure that the implementation plan defnes traffc control points that restrict neighborhood
area access to residents and business employees.
n Need to develop signing and alternative route plans that direct customers to businesses and
other traffc generators.
Day-of-Event
activities
n Need to adopt a formal management process to ensure successful traffc management plan
deployment and minimal impact to transportation system users (which includes the public).
n Need to monitor the very fuid traffc situations to see how the plan is working and then
determine what needs to be adjusted based on real-time traffc conditions.
Post-Event
activities
n Recognize the responsibility to the community by conducting a public survey designed to ob-
tain input on potential impacts of an event on affected residents and businesses located near
the event venue and particularly located on local streets serving the venue.
n Reach the public through 1) surveys mailed to residents and businesses in the area affected,
2) solicitations via websites, and 3) comments provided by phone or mail.
n Apply survey results toward event evaluation and improving future practice in order to mini-
mize impacts on nearby residents and businesses.
n Use survey results as key input into planning (e.g., access and parking) for the next similar
event or future events at the same venue.
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Managing Travel for Planned Special Events Handbook: Executive Summary
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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Offce of Operations
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov
June 2007
FHWA-HOP-07-108