2008 Transportation MAP Report

Transportation MAP Report Contact: Valentin Vulov, AICP, Senior Project Manager Georgia Regional Transportation Authority 245 Peachtree Center Avenue, NE, Suite 900 Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1223 Phone: 404-463-2434 E-mail: vvulov@grta.org
Cover photo by Rob Alexander

2008 Transportation Metropolitan Atlanta Performance Repo rt
The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority 245 Peachtree Center Ave., NE Atlanta, GA 30303 404-463-3000 www.grta.org

CONTENTS
Executive Summary, 1
Overview, 3
Mobility, 4 Freeway Travel Time Index, 4 Freeway Planning Time Index, 10 Freeway Buffer Time Index, 15 Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled per Licensed Driver / Person, 19 Pavement Condition Rating, 20 Transit Passenger Miles Traveled, 21 Annual Transit Passenger Boardings, 22
Transit Accessibility, 23 Population and Employment within Walk Distance to Transit, 23 Transit Service Revenue Hours, 24 Passenger Trips per Transit Service Hour, 26 Number of Vanpools, 27
Air Quality, 28 Daily Vehicle Emissions, 28
Safety, 29 Traffic Crash Fatalities, 29 Pedestrian and Bicyclist Fatalities, 30 Roadway Clearance Time, 32
Transportation System Performance, 34 Atlanta Transportation Performance Index, 34
Summary of 2008 Transportation MAP Measures, 36
Appendix: Freeway Travel Time, Planning Time Index, and Buffer Time Index, 38

GRTA's MISSION, PURPOSE AND VALUES
Mission: It is the mission of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority to improve
Georgia's Mobility, Air Quality, and Land Use Practices.
Purpose: Focus the Atlanta region on congestion and mobility by ensuring that the region sets goals and targets, and measures progress. Advocate, plan, implement and measure public transportation services in the Atlanta region.
Values: Connect transportation with land use. Remove barriers, implement best practices, and maximize the investment in transportation. Operate as an open, accountable, efficient and effective public authority. Operate within a decision-making framework that values public participation. Base decisions upon fact-based analysis that provides the greatest public benefits for the resources invested. Work for the best interest of the region in cooperation with federal, state, regional and local partners. Advocate and implement a transportation system that is multi-modal, seamless and accessible to all.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) acknowledges and thanks the following partner organizations which contributed to compiling the 2008 Transportation MAP (Metropolitan Atlanta Performance) Report:
U.S. Department of Transportation The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) The Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources The Atlanta Regional Commission Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).
The Transportation MAP Report is updated and produced annually by GRTA. To access this report and its appendix online, visit http://www.grta.org under the "Mobility" section.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The 2008 Transportation MAP Report updates the annual Transportation MAP Report, which sets performance measures for tracking the performance of the transportation system in Metropolitan Atlanta. Measures are set in five general categories--Mobility, Transit Accessibility, Air Quality, Safety, and Transportation System Performance.
The 2008 report reveals a mixed picture for the Metropolitan Atlanta transportation system, with some progress and some slippage in the areas of Mobility, Transit Accessibility, Air Quality, Safety, and Transportation System Performance.
More specifically, the pavement condition rating of Atlanta deteriorated critically from 2006 to 2007. Freeway congestion during the morning and evening peak period, as measured by the travel time index, improved slightly compared to 2006 but it has worsened as measured against the 2002 baseline. The same relative changes are also true for the two travel time reliability measures--the planning time index and the buffer time index. Daily vehicle miles traveled per person decreased again in 2007, continuing a trend that began in 1998.
MARTA revenue service hours continued their downward trend in 2006. The annual revenue service hours provided by the other transit providers--Cobb Community Transit (CCT), Douglas County Rideshare (DCR), GRTA, and Gwinnett Transit-- continued to increase robustly. The transit passenger miles traveled increased while the transit passenger boardings simultaneously decreased in 2006. This shows that transit riders in the region make less transit trips but longer ones. The passenger trips per transit service hour--a measure of transit efficiency--has leveled off for both MARTA and the other transit providers. Finally, the overall number of vanpools in the region continued its unbroken upward trend in 2007.
On the air quality front, the efforts to improve air quality will have to continue in light of the new, tougher 8-hour ozone and the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) standards. The emissions measures--daily vehicle emissions of volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and primary fine particulate matter--show that vehicle emissions in 2007 were 67, 67 and 71 percent of their respective year 2000 level--a drop of about a third over six years.
Safety did not improve in 2006 with the absolute number and rate of traffic crash, pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities remaining at elevated levels. Roadway clearance time, which contributes heavily to reducing congestion in metropolitan Atlanta, adds a positive touch on the region's transportation picture with roadway clearance time for tractor-trailers of 57 minutes and 30 minutes for vehicles in 2006.
The Atlanta transportation performance indices synthesize the state of the roadway services, roadway safety, roadway emissions, and transit services in the Atlanta region. The roadway emissions index of 134.4 and the transit services index of 105.0 for 2006 contributed to improvement in the transportation system. The roadway services index and the roadway safety index paint worsening picture of these aspects of the system's performance with values of 93.8 and 86.5 for 2006, respectively. Figure 1 on the next page depicts the four indices.

2008 Transportation MAP (Metropolitan Atlanta Performance) Report
Figure 1: Atlanta Transportation Performance Indices

Index, % (going up indicates improvement)

145 135 125 115 105
95 85
2002

Roadway Services Index Transit Services Index Roadway Emissions Index Roadway Safety Index

107.8 100.2
97.3 92.0 2003

113.0
102.9
98.4 94.0
2004 Year

124.6
103.1 95.9 88.0 2005

2
134.4
105.0 93.8
86.5 2006

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OVERVIEW
Metropolitan Atlanta will make significant investments in its transportation system over the next 25 years. In order to assess the effectiveness of those investments, a group of agencies responsible for managing those investments has developed a set of measures for tracking the performance of those investments. This is the fifth annual Transportation Metropolitan Atlanta Performance (MAP) Report summarizing those measures and targets. The measures and targets focus on five areas: Mobility, Transit Accessibility, Air Quality, Safety, and Transportation System Performance. These measures are obtained for the 13county Atlanta area consisting of Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, and Rockdale Counties.
The agencies tracking these measures are the U.S. Department of Transportation, GDOT, the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Atlanta Regional Commission, GRTA, and MARTA.
Base years have been set for the measures, typically 2000 or 2001. Each year, after the data is collected and certified, the agencies present a report of the region's progress in meeting the targets that have been set. New measures are developed and added to this report as they become necessary.

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MOBILITY
The mobility measures listed below track highway and transit system mobility:
Freeway travel time index,
Planning time index,
Buffer time index
Daily vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per person or driver,
Pavement condition rating,
Transit passenger miles traveled,
Annual transit passenger boardings.
The first five measures address the ease and reliability with which an individual vehicle can travel over the roads, the distances the average person or driver drives each day, and the physical condition of the roadway. The final two measures track how far people in the region travel on public transit in a year, which is roughly analogous to annual vehicle miles traveled, and the number of trips that people make using public transit each year.
The freeways are at the heart of Atlanta's highway system. The roads that move traffic onto and off the freeway are called arterials. The amount of traffic a road is designed to handle is the road's capacity. The traffic actually on the road is its volume. The volume, capacity and travel time are used to calculate mobility measures.
FREEWAY TRAVEL TIME INDEX
Measuring congestion on the region's freeways is a difficult task that can be approached using a variety of tools. The 2008 report updates the travel time index (TTI) as a measure for congestion on the Atlanta region's freeways. TTI is the ratio of the average travel time over the free-flow travel time obtained for a certain portion or segment of the freeway system. For this report, measurements were created using GDOT's NaviGAtor video detection cameras. The Metropolitan Atlanta freeway network covered by the Georgia NaviGAtor system is split into 18 bidirectional segments (segments 17 and 18 came online in 2007). Coverage is determined by the functioning NaviGAtor infrastructure across the Metropolitan Atlanta freeway system as depicted on Figure 2 on page five.
These cameras are strategically placed to monitor speeds and volumes, with each camera taking a measurement every 20 seconds. As many as 1.5 billion measurements are taken by these cameras each year. The measurements are examined and aggregated into 15minute intervals for the morning peak period (6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.) and evening peak period (3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) for the weekdays only. Subsequently, the freeway travel time index during the slowest region-wide one-hour morning (7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.) and evening peak (5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) period is obtained for each of the 16 segments. The regional travel time index is then obtained as the weighted average of the freeway segment TTIs with VMT used as weight. In cases when a segment TTI is less than one the respective segment TTI is assumed equal to one. The higher the TTI number the worse the congestion is. Figure 3 on page 6 depicts the Metropolitan Atlanta TTI for the slowest one-hour morning and afternoon peak period, respectively.

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The freeway travel time index measure is the VMT-weighted average of the freeway segments' TTIs for the one-hour morning and evening peak period with the slowest regional freeway travel speed, averaged across all directional freeway segments.

Figure 2: NaviGAtor Video Detection Coverage

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For the 2002 base year, during the morning peak period, TTI was 1.22. This TTI increased to 1.34 in 2006 and then declined slightly to 1.31 in 2007. Similarly, during the afternoon peak period the average TTI worsened from 1.26 in 2002 to 1.36 in 2006 and dropped to 1.33 in 2007.
The worst performing morning segment in 2007 was northbound I-75 between I-85 and I-20, with an average TTI of 2.47. The worst performing evening segment was southbound I-75/I-85 between I-85 and I-20, with TTI of 2.41. The actual travel times by freeway segment used in obtaining the regional TTI are summarized in the Appendix.
It is important to recognize that the regional TTI measure is a VMT-weighted average. With speeds on some segments of the freeway network in excess of 70 mph and others at less than 30 mph, at the same time of day, the average TTI may seem low to those who regularly travel the segments with slower speeds. The freeway travel time index, by creating a weighted average TTI for the slowest one-hour periods of the day, provides a constant by which the performance of the freeway network can be compared from year to year. Additionally, the measure provides a record of the performance of individual segments of the network, thus making it easier for the region to assess the impacts on congestion of improvements or degradations to individual segments of the freeway network.
In order to put the regional TTI measure in context, the travel time index, by individual segment, is summarized in Table 1 on page seven. Additionally, the 2007 TTIs, depicted by freeway segment, are presented in Figure 4 (morning peak hour) and Figure 5 (evening peak hour) on pages eight and nine, respectively.

Freeway Travel Time Index

Figure 3: Freeway Travel Time Index
1.40

1.35

1.33

1.36 1.34

1.30

1.30 1.29

1.30

1.26

1.26

1.27

1.25

1.22

1.33 1.31

1.20 1.15

AM (7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.)

PM (5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.)

2002

2003

2004

2005

Year

2006

2007

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Table 1: 2007 Travel Time Index by Freeway Segment (Segment-Specific Peak Hour)

Freeway Segment Description 1: I-75 NB (from I-285 to Wade Green Road) 1: I-75 SB (from Wade Green Road to I-285) 2: I-75 NB (from I-85 to I-285) 2: I-75 SB (from I-285 to I-85) 3: I-75/I-85 NB (from I-20 to I-85) 3: I-75/I-85 SB (from I-85 to I-20) 4: I-75 NB (from I-85 to I-20) 4: I-75 SB (from I-20 to I-85) 5: I-75 NB (from I-285 to I-85) 5: I-75 SB (from I-85 to I-285) 6: I-75 NB (from Hudson Bridge Road to I-285) 6: I-75 SB (from I-285 to Hudson Bridge Road) 7: I-85 NB (from I-285 to Old Norcross Road) 7: I-85 SB (from Old Norcross Road to I-285) 8: I-85 NB (from I-75 to I-285) 8: I-85 SB (from I-285 to I-75) 9: I-85 NB (from Camp Creek Parkway to I-75) 9: I-85 SB (from I-75 to Camp Creek Parkway) 10: GA-400 NB (from I-285 to Old Milton Parkway) 10: GA-400 SB (from Old Milton Parkway to I-285) 11: I-285 EB (from I-75 to GA-400) 11: I-285 WB (from GA-400 to I-75) 12: I-285 EB (from GA-400 to I-85) 12: I-285 EB (from I-85 to GA-400) 13: I-285 NB (from US-78 to I-85) 13: I-285 SB (from I-85 to US-78) 14: I-285 NB (from I-20 to US-78) 14: I-285 SB (from US-78 to I-20) 15: I-20 EB (from I-285 to I-75/I-85) 15: I-20 WB (from I-75/I-85 to I-285) 16: I-20 EB (from I-75/I-85 to I-285) 16: I-20 WB (from I-285 to I-75/I-85) 17: I-285 NB (from Airport Tunnel to I-675) 17: I-285 SB (from I-675 to Airport Tunnel) 18: I-285 NB (from I-675 to I-20) 18: I-285 SB (from I-20 to I-567)

Segment Length (miles) 14.00 14.55
8.45 7.86 4.41 4.40 3.88 3.75 4.00 4.12 14.53 14.45 10.71 10.66 9.96 10.45 4.86 4.20 13.14 13.16 6.82 7.21 6.48 6.37 5.37 5.89 8.20 7.45 6.43 7.12 9.85 9.39 6.22 6.26 5.98 6.14

Morning Peak Hour

Morning Peak Hour
TTI

Evening Peak Hour

9:00

1.00

17:00

7:30

1.84

15:15

9:00

1.00

17:00

8:15

1.00

17:45

8:00

1.41

17:30

8:30

1.16

17:00

8:00

2.47

15:45

9:00

1.00

17:00

7:45

1.07

18:00

6:00

1.00

17:15

7:00

1.10

17:00

6:00

1.00

17:15

7:15

1.09

17:15

7:45

1.82

17:15

8:15

1.00

17:15

8:15

1.09

17:00

7:15

1.00

15:30

8:30

1.00

17:00

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

8:00

1.34

17:30

9:00

1.00

17:15

7:45

1.00

17:15

8:00

1.62

17:15

8:00

1.64

16:15

8:15

1.00

17:00

7:30

1.63

16:30

9:00

1.00

16:45

8:00

1.00

15:30

8:00

1.00

17:15

6:00

1.00

17:15

7:45

1.30

17:45

8:00

1.00

17:30

7:30

1.00

17:45

7:30

1.00

17:00

7:15

1.00

17:30

Evening Peak Hour
TTI 1.91 1.00 1.13 1.00 1.29 2.41 1.08 1.00 1.00 1.08 1.00 1.54 2.36 1.02 1.00 1.18 1.00 1.00 N/A N/A 1.00 1.87 2.17 1.25 1.00 2.33 1.08 1.14 1.00 1.00 1.04 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

The TTIs presented in this table are the VMT-weighted average TTI for each of the segments during the one-hour segment-specific peak period with the slowest average speed.

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Figure 4: 2007 Travel Time Index Morning Peak (7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m.)

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Figure 5: 2007 Travel Time Index Afternoon Peak (5 p.m. 6 p.m.)

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FREEWAY PLANNING TIME INDEX
Travel time reliability can be defined as how much trip travel times vary over the course of time. This variability in travel times from one day to the next is due to the fact that underlying conditions vary widely. Consequently, travelers must plan for these unreliable conditions on congested roadways by leaving earlier than normal just to avoid being late.
Measuring the travel time reliability is based on obtaining the average travel time and the size of the "buffer" time the extra time needed by travelers to ensure a predetermined rate of on-time arrival. Based on this idea, two travel time reliability measures are reported the planning time index (PTI) and the buffer time index (BTI).
PTI is the ratio of the 95th percentile travel time, also known as planning time, over the free-flow travel time obtained for a certain portion or segment of the freeway system. In other words PTI tells a traveler how much longer it is going to take to make a trip under congested conditions compared to free-flow conditions so that this traveler arrives on-time 95 percent of the time.
Measurements for the planning time index were created using GDOT's NaviGAtor video detection cameras as described in the freeway travel time index section of the report. The Metropolitan Atlanta freeway network covered by the Georgia NaviGAtor system is split into 18 bidirectional segments. Coverage is determined by the functioning NaviGAtor infrastructure across the Metropolitan Atlanta freeway system as depicted on Figure 1 on page five. The measurements are examined and aggregated into 15-minute intervals for the morning peak period (6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.) and evening peak period (3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) for the weekdays only. Subsequently, the freeway planning time index during the slowest region-wide one-hour morning (7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.) and evening peak (5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) period is obtained for each of the 18 segments. The regional planning time index is then obtained as the weighted average of the freeway segment PTIs with VMT used as weight. In cases when a segment PTI is less than one the respective segment PTI is assumed equal to one. The higher the PTI number the less reliable the travel time is. Figure 6 on page 11 depicts the Metropolitan Atlanta PTI for the slowest one-hour morning and afternoon peak period, respectively.
The freeway planning time index measure is the VMT-weighted average of the freeway segments' PTIs for the one-hour morning and evening peak period with the slowest regional freeway travel speed, averaged across all directional freeway segments.
For the 2002 base year, during the morning peak period, PTI was 1.53. This PTI increased to 1.80 in 2006 and then decreased slightly to 1.72 in 2007. Similarly, during the afternoon peak period the average PTI worsened from 1.83 in 2002 to 2.02 in 2006 and then improved to 1.93 in 2007.
The worst performing morning segment in 2007 was northbound I-75 between I-85 and I-20, with an average PTI of 3.55. The worst performing evening segment was southbound I-285 between I-85 and US-78, with PTI of 3.80. The actual planning time index by freeway segment used in obtaining the regional PTI are summarized in the Appendix.

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The freeway planning time index, by creating a weighted average PTI for the slowest one-hour periods of the day, provides a benchmark by which the travel time reliability of the freeway network can be compared from year to year. Additionally, the measure provides a record of the reliability of individual segments of the network, thus making it easier for the region to assess the impacts on reliability of improvements or degradations to individual segments of the freeway network.
In order to put the regional PTI measure in context, the planning time index, by individual segment, is summarized in Table 2 on page 12. Additionally, the 2007 PTIs, depicted by freeway segment, are presented in Figure 7 (morning peak hour) and Figure 8 (evening peak hour) on pages 13 and 14, respectively.

Figure 6: Freeway Planning Time Index

Freeway Planning Time Index

2.10 2.00 1.90 1.80 1.70 1.60 1.50 1.40

1.98

2.02

1.93

1.91

1.93

1.83 1.80

1.72

1.62

1.68

1.72

1.53

AM (7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.)

PM (5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.)

2002

2003

2004

2005

Year

2006

2007

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Table 2: 2007 Planning Time Index by Freeway Segment (Segment-Specific Peak Hour)

Freeway Segment Description 1: I-75 NB (from I-285 to Wade Green Road) 1: I-75 SB (from Wade Green Road to I-285) 2: I-75 NB (from I-85 to I-285) 2: I-75 SB (from I-285 to I-85) 3: I-75/I-85 NB (from I-20 to I-85) 3: I-75/I-85 SB (from I-85 to I-20) 4: I-75 NB (from I-85 to I-20) 4: I-75 SB (from I-20 to I-85) 5: I-75 NB (from I-285 to I-85) 5: I-75 SB (from I-85 to I-285) 6: I-75 NB (from Hudson Bridge Road to I-285) 6: I-75 SB (from I-285 to Hudson Bridge Road) 7: I-85 NB (from I-285 to Old Norcross Road) 7: I-85 SB (from Old Norcross Road to I-285) 8: I-85 NB (from I-75 to I-285) 8: I-85 SB (from I-285 to I-75) 9: I-85 NB (from Camp Creek Parkway to I-75) 9: I-85 SB (from I-75 to Camp Creek Parkway) 10: GA-400 NB (from I-285 to Old Milton Parkway) 10: GA-400 SB (from Old Milton Parkway to I-285) 11: I-285 EB (from I-75 to GA-400) 11: I-285 WB (from GA-400 to I-75) 12: I-285 EB (from GA-400 to I-85) 12: I-285 EB (from I-85 to GA-400) 13: I-285 NB (from US-78 to I-85) 13: I-285 SB (from I-85 to US-78) 14: I-285 NB (from I-20 to US-78) 14: I-285 SB (from US-78 to I-20) 15: I-20 EB (from I-285 to I-75/I-85) 15: I-20 WB (from I-75/I-85 to I-285) 16: I-20 EB (from I-75/I-85 to I-285) 16: I-20 WB (from I-285 to I-75/I-85) 17: I-285 NB (from Airport Tunnel to I-675) 17: I-285 SB (from I-675 to Airport Tunnel) 18: I-285 NB (from I-675 to I-20) 18: I-285 SB (from I-20 to I-567)

Segment Length (miles) 14.00 14.55
8.45 7.86 4.41 4.40 3.88 3.75 4.00 4.12 14.53 14.45 10.71 10.66 9.96 10.45 4.86 4.20 13.14 13.16 6.82 7.21 6.48 6.37 5.37 5.89 8.20 7.45 6.43 7.12 9.85 9.39 6.22 6.26 5.98 6.14

Morning Peak Hour

Morning Peak Hour
PTI

6:00

1.04

7:15

2.54

6:00

1.00

8:00

1.28

7:45

1.98

8:15

1.73

7:45

3.55

6:00

1.00

7:00

1.44

6:00

1.01

7:00

1.46

6:00

1.00

7:30

1.31

7:30

2.66

7:30

1.00

8:00

1.49

7:30

1.15

6:00

1.00

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

7:30

1.70

9:00

1.00

7:30

1.01

7:45

1.98

7:45

2.88

9:00

1.00

7:30

3.08

9:00

1.00

7:45

1.29

8:00

1.00

6:00

1.00

7:45

1.87

8:00

1.00

7:30

1.00

7:30

1.30

7:15

1.00

Evening Peak Hour 17:00 15:15 17:00 17:45 17:30 17:00 15:45 17:00 18:00 17:15 17:00 17:15 17:15 17:15 17:15 17:00 15:30 17:00 N/A N/A 17:30 17:15 17:15 17:15 16:15 17:00 16:30 16:45 15:30 17:15 17:15 17:45 17:30 17:45 17:00 17:30

Evening Peak Hour
PTI 2.71 1.09 1.93 1.31 2.12 3.21 2.67 1.32 1.33 1.54 1.21 2.89 3.13 1.21 1.26 1.64 1.00 1.15 N/A N/A 1.33 2.73 3.53 2.36 1.19 3.80 1.32 1.51 1.00 1.20 1.63 1.00 1.03 1.00 1.60 1.04

The PTIs presented in this table are the VMT-weighted average PTI for each of the segments during the one-hour segment-specific peak period with the slowest average speed.

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Figure 7: 2007 Planning Time Index Morning Peak (7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m.)

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Figure 8: 2007 Planning Time Index Afternoon Peak (5 p.m. 6 p.m.)

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FREEWAY BUFFER TIME INDEX
The buffer time index is a measure of travel time reliability based on obtaining the size of the "buffer" time the time in addition to the average time needed by travelers to ensure a predetermined rate of on-time arrival.
Buffer time is defined as the difference between the 95th percentile travel and the average travel time. BTI is the size of the buffer time expressed as a percentage of the average travel time and obtained for a segment of the freeway system. In other words, BTI tells a traveler the extra time as a percentage of the average travel time necessary for a trip so that this traveler reaches destination on-time 95 percent of the time.
Measurements for the buffer time index were created using GDOT's NaviGAtor video detection cameras as described in the freeway travel time index section of the report. The methodology for obtaining the BTI is analogous to the one used for TTI and PTI. The freeway buffer time index measure is the VMT-weighted average of the freeway segments' BTIs for the one-hour morning and evening peak period with the slowest regional freeway travel speed, averaged across all directional freeway segments. The resulting BTI for Metropolitan Atlanta is depicted on Figure 9.
For the 2002 base year, during the morning peak period, BTI was 26.1%. This BTI increased to 33.8% in 2006, and then declined to 30.7% in 2007. During the afternoon peak period the average BTI was roughly flat for the same period, ranging from 41.7% in 2002 to 40.2% in 2007.
The worst performing morning segment in 2007 was northbound I-285 between I-20 and US-78, with BTI of 88%. The worst performing evening segment was northbound I-75 between I-85 and I-20, with an average BTI of 150%. The actual buffer time index by freeway segment used in obtaining the regional BTI is summarized in the Appendix.
The buffer time index, by individual segment, is summarized in Table 3 on page 16. Additionally, the 2007 BTIs, depicted by freeway segment, are presented in Figure 10 (morning peak hour) and Figure 11 (evening peak hour) on pages 17 and 18, respectively.
Figure 9: Freeway Buffer Time Index
50

Freeway Buffer Time Index, %

45

43.3

42.9

43.9

42.9

41.7

40.2

40

35
30 26.1
25
20 2002

33.8

31.5

32.0

30.7

28.1

AM (7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.)

PM (5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.)

2003

2004

2005

Year

2006

2007

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16

Table 3: 2007 Buffer Time Index by Freeway Segment (Segment-Specific Peak Hour)

Freeway Segment Description 1: I-75 NB (from I-285 to Wade Green Road) 1: I-75 SB (from Wade Green Road to I-285) 2: I-75 NB (from I-85 to I-285) 2: I-75 SB (from I-285 to I-85) 3: I-75/I-85 NB (from I-20 to I-85) 3: I-75/I-85 SB (from I-85 to I-20) 4: I-75 NB (from I-85 to I-20) 4: I-75 SB (from I-20 to I-85) 5: I-75 NB (from I-285 to I-85) 5: I-75 SB (from I-85 to I-285) 6: I-75 NB (from Hudson Bridge Road to I-285) 6: I-75 SB (from I-285 to Hudson Bridge Road) 7: I-85 NB (from I-285 to Old Norcross Road) 7: I-85 SB (from Old Norcross Road to I-285) 8: I-85 NB (from I-75 to I-285) 8: I-85 SB (from I-285 to I-75) 9: I-85 NB (from Camp Creek Parkway to I-75) 9: I-85 SB (from I-75 to Camp Creek Parkway) 10: GA-400 NB (from I-285 to Old Milton Parkway) 10: GA-400 SB (from Old Milton Parkway to I-285) 11: I-285 EB (from I-75 to GA-400) 11: I-285 WB (from GA-400 to I-75) 12: I-285 EB (from GA-400 to I-85) 12: I-285 EB (from I-85 to GA-400) 13: I-285 NB (from US-78 to I-85) 13: I-285 SB (from I-85 to US-78) 14: I-285 NB (from I-20 to US-78) 14: I-285 SB (from US-78 to I-20) 15: I-20 EB (from I-285 to I-75/I-85) 15: I-20 WB (from I-75/I-85 to I-285) 16: I-20 EB (from I-75/I-85 to I-285) 16: I-20 WB (from I-285 to I-75/I-85) 17: I-285 NB (from Airport Tunnel to I-675) 17: I-285 SB (from I-675 to Airport Tunnel) 18: I-285 NB (from I-675 to I-20) 18: I-285 SB (from I-20 to I-567)

Segment Length (miles) 14.00 14.55
8.45 7.86 4.41 4.40 3.88 3.75 4.00 4.12 14.53 14.45 10.71 10.66 9.96 10.45 4.86 4.20 13.14 13.16 6.82 7.21 6.48 6.37 5.37 5.89 8.20 7.45 6.43 7.12 9.85 9.39 6.22 6.26 5.98 6.14

Morning Peak Hour

Morning Peak Hour
BTI

6:00

7%

7:15

41%

6:00

13%

8:00

34%

7:45

42%

8:15

51%

7:45

46%

6:00

9%

7:00

39%

6:00

11%

7:00

32%

6:00

6%

7:30

20%

7:30

47%

7:30

11%

8:00

37%

7:30

35%

6:00

8%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

7:30

32%

9:00

8%

7:30

17%

7:45

24%

7:45

79%

9:00

7%

7:30

88%

9:00

7%

7:45

38%

8:00

11%

6:00

5%

7:45

44%

8:00

6%

7:30

12%

7:30

40%

7:15

10%

Evening Peak Hour 17:00 15:15 17:00 17:45 17:30 17:00 15:45 17:00 18:00 17:15 17:00 17:15 17:15 17:15 17:15 17:00 15:30 17:00 N/A N/A 17:30 17:15 17:15 17:15 16:15 17:00 16:30 16:45 15:30 17:15 17:15 17:45 17:30 17:45 17:00 17:30

Evening Peak Hour
BTI 42% 10% 72% 37% 64% 47% 150% 33% 38% 47% 28% 87% 33% 20% 29% 36% 20% 24% N/A N/A 48% 49% 65% 90% 26% 62% 34% 32% 4% 24% 57% 7% 20% 13% 63% 17%

The BTIs presented in this table are the VMT-weighted average BTI for each of the segments during the one-hour segment-specific peak period with the slowest average speed.

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Figure 10: 2007 Buffer Time Index Morning Peak (7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m.)

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Figure 11: 2007 Buffer Time Index Afternoon Peak (5 p.m. 6 p.m.)

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DAILY VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED PER LICENSED DRIVER / PERSON
Daily vehicle miles traveled per licensed driver measures the average distance each licensed driver in the region drives each day.1 In the baseline year of 2000, that number was 56.7 miles. In 2007, that number had declined to 42.4 miles.
Similarly, daily vehicle miles traveled per person measures the average distance each person in the region drives each day.2 In 2000 that number was 32.9 miles. In 2007, that number had fallen to 29.6 miles.
Reduction of VMT may be interpreted as a sign that people are choosing to live closer to their daily work, play, and other destinations, that they are more carefully choosing their routes or are trip chaining, or that they are engaging in other behaviors such as carpooling, vanpooling, riding transit, walking or biking that result in reducing the distances that they drive each day.
Reducing VMT reduces the amount of emissions generated by the vehicles. With the region's population expected to increase to approximately six million persons by 2030, reducing VMT will be a necessary component of controlling the vehicle emissions that contribute to poor air quality.

Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled per Licensed Driver / Person

Figure 12: Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled Per Licensed Driver / Person

70

58.8 60

56.7

56.7

2000 Baseline VMT per Driver 53.9

50.4

50

47.8

47.1

44.9

40 34.7
30
20 1998

33.3

32.9

32.5

2000 Baseline VMT per Person 1999 2000 2001

32.0
2002 Year

31.6 2003

32.4 2004

30.8 2005

42.4 29.6 2006

1 Daily vehicle miles traveled per licensed driver is computed as the total daily VMT divided by the number of the licensed drivers in the 13-county Atlanta area. The VMT data and licensed drivers data are obtained from GDOT and the Department of Driver Services (DDS), respectively. 2 Daily vehicle miles traveled per person is computed as the total daily VMT divided by the total population for the former 13-county Atlanta area. The VMT data and population data are obtained from GDOT and ARC, respectively.

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PAVEMENT CONDITION RATING
It is important to keep pavement in good shape. When roadway surfaces are not maintained, the roadway must be rebuilt from the ground up. It is more economical to systematically maintain roadways than to rebuild them.
The PACES (Pavement Condition Evaluation System) rating is a system by which GDOT measures the quality of the roadway pavement. A pavement in perfect condition receives a maximum value of 100 and points are deducted according to the extent and severity of observed distress. Roadways rated 70 and below are further evaluated to determine if they are good candidates for a preservation action and what that action will be, typically resurfacing or rehabilitation. Although it may be expanded in the future, currently the PACES rating covers only state and national highway system routes, i.e. those roads for which GDOT has maintenance responsibility.
Pavement condition rating is the percentage of pavement rated better than PACES of 70. In the baseline year of 2000, 88 percent of the GDOT roads had a PACES rating of 70 or better.3 The 2005 spike in pavement condition rating, due to GDOT implementing several resurfacing projects during that year, is followed by an unexpected sharp decline in this rating to 71 in 2007.
Figure 13: Percent of Pavement Rated Better than PACES 70
100

Percent of Pavement Rated Better than PACES 70

95

90

90

88 88

88 N/A 87

89

85

85 85

84

2000 Baseline

80

75 71

70 1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002 Year

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

3 A 2001 pavement condition rating estimate is not available because of a statewide data collection problem.

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TRANSIT PASSENGER MILES TRAVELED
The measure "transit passenger miles traveled" is the sum of the distances of bus and rail annual usage by all passengers of all transit systems in the 13-county Atlanta area. This measure is roughly analogous to "vehicle miles traveled." Increasing transit passenger miles traveled may reduce the growth in VMT that can be expected from increased population. Lower VMT can result in lower emissions, which contributes to improved air quality.
In the base year of 2001, passengers using public transit traveled 874 million miles. That figure slid to a low of 780 million miles in 2003 and climbed again to 871 million miles in 2006.
Figure 14: Transit Passenger Miles Traveled4

950
2001 Baseline
900 874 856 871
850

808

803

800

806

811

780

Passenger Miles Traveled (in millions)

750

700 1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

Year

2004

2005

2006

4 The transit passenger miles information comes from the National Transit Database. The MetroVanPool portion of the GRTA's passenger miles for 2002 is estimated.

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ANNUAL TRANSIT PASSENGER BOARDINGS
The annual transit passenger boardings measure represents the number of passengers who board the 13-county region's buses and trains in a given year. Passengers are counted each time they get on vehicles no matter how many vehicles they use to travel from their origin to their destination. In the base year of 2001, there were 167 million passenger boardings. That number declined to 148 million boardings in 2004, recovered to 156 million boardings in 2005 and declined again to 153 million trips in 2006. As with transit passenger miles traveled, increasing transit boardings may offset potential increases in VMT attributable to increased population, with the corresponding reduction in vehicle emissions.
Figure 15: Annual Transit Passenger Boardings5

180

Annual Transit Passenger Boardings (in millions)

175
170 166
165

170

2001 Baseline

166 167

160
155
150
145 1999

2000

2001

151 148

2002

2003

Year

2004

156 2005

153 2006

5 The transit passenger boardings (unlinked passenger trips) information comes from the National Transit Database. The motorbus portion of the GRTA's transit passenger boardings for 2003 is based on GRTA data.

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TRANSIT ACCESSIBILITY
The transit accessibility measures assess the availability of transit to the public. There are four specific measures:
Population and employment within walk distance to transit,
Transit revenue service hours,
Passenger trips per transit service hour, and
Number of vanpools. The more accessible and available transit is, the more likely it is to be used, leading to
increased transit passenger miles traveled and transit boardings and their associated benefits.
POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT WITHIN WALK DISTANCE TO TRANSIT The measure population and employment within walk distance to transit measures
how many people live or work within 4/10 of a mile of a transit stop, this being considered a distance which the average person is willing to walk in order to use transit.6 In 2001, the baseline year, 1,057,000 people lived and 1,085,000 people worked within walking distance of a transit station or stop. Population and employment within walk distance to transit have increased to 1,129,000 and 1,186,000 in 2006, correspondingly.
Figure 16: Population and Employment Within Walk Distance to Transit

Population and Employment Within Walk Distance to Transit (in thousands)

1400 1350 1300 1250 1200 1150 1100 1050 1000
950 900

1000 996
2000

2001 Employment Baseline 1175

1085 1057

1089 1061

1127

2001 Population Baseline

2001

2002

2003 Year

1156 1104
2004

1165 1113
2005

1186 1129
2006

6 This measure is estimated for the 13-county Atlanta region by using ARC's travel demand model and combining ARC's socio-economic forecasts with highway and transit networks updated for each year.

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TRANSIT REVENUE SERVICE HOURS
The measure "transit revenue service hours" reflects the total number of hours trains and buses are running and available to carry passengers in a given year. One vehicle in service for one hour equals one transit revenue service hour. In terms of number of passengers carried, one train car equals two transit buses. An increase in transit revenue service hours reflects an increase in the availability of transit to the public.
In the baseline year of 2001 there were 3,339,000 revenue service hours provided by MARTA, CCT, DCR, transit providers reported through GRTA and Gwinnett County Transit. MARTA provided 3,182,000 revenue service hours.7 The other transit systems combined provided a total of 157,000 revenue service hours. (C-TRAN service began in October of 2001 and Gwinnett County Transit began service in November of 2001. Their first year revenue service hours are reported as part of the 2002 statistics.). MARTA has provided a combined total of 2,837,000 revenue service hours in 2006, a decline of 11 percent compared to the base year of 2001.

Figure 17: Transit Revenue Service Hours MARTA8

4,000 3,500

2001 Baseline

2,285 2,319 2,321 2,298 2,255 2,263 2,004 2,034

Transit Revenue Service Hours - MARTA (in thousands)

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

838 817 861 896 863 837 875 803

500

0 1999

2000

2001

2002 2003 Year

Rail

Bus

2004

2005

2006

7 The transit service providers reporting to the National Transit Database through GRTA are C-TRAN, Quicklink and MetroVanPool for 2002; C-TRAN, Quicklink, Emory Shuttle, MetroVanPool, GBA/GRTA Vanpool for 2003; C-TRAN, Buckhead Shuttle "Buc," Emory Shuttle, Georgia Tech, and GRTA Vanpool for 2004; C-TRAN, Buckhead Shuttle, Emory Shuttle, Georgia Tech, Xpress, and GRTA Vanpool for 2005; and C-TRAN, Buckhead Shuttle, Emory Shuttle, Xpress, and GRTA Vanpool for 2006. 8 The transit revenue service hours are the sum of the rail and bus revenue service hours. The bus figure also includes the paratransit service. The revenue service hours information comes from the National Transit Database.

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Figure 18: Transit Revenue Service Hours Cobb Community Transit, Douglas County Rideshare, GRTA and Gwinnett County Transit
800

139

129

138

120

Transit Revenue Service Hours - Gwinnett Transit, GRTA, DCR, and CCT (in thousands)

700

Gwinnett Transit

GRTA

DCR

CCT

600

500
2001 Baseline 400

290

274

223

300

18

179 15

171 12

156 8 173

153 7 81 24

200

190

150 7

144 6

143 5

100

0 1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

Year

2004

2005

2006

Cobb Community Transit, Douglas County Rideshare, GRTA and Gwinnett County Transit have provided a combined total of 637,000 revenue service hours in 2006, a jump of more than four times over the base year of 2001.

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PASSENGER TRIPS PER TRANSIT SERVICE HOUR
The measure "passenger trips per transit service hour" reflects the average number of unlinked passenger trips per revenue hour trains and buses are running and available to carry passengers in a given year. One vehicle in service for one hour equals one transit revenue service hour. In terms of number of passengers carried, one train car equals two transit buses. An increase in passenger trips per transit service hour reflects an increase in the transit system effectiveness.
In the baseline year of 2001 there were 52 passenger trips per transit service hour for MARTA. That number declined slightly to 49 in 2006. The other transit systems combined (CCT, DCR, transit providers reported through GRTA, and Gwinnett County Transit) had 19 passenger trips per transit service hour in 2001, which remains virtually the same at 18 in 2006.

Figure 19: Passenger Trips per Transit Service Hour

Passenger Trips per Transit Service Hour

70

2001 MARTA Baseline

60

53

52

52

53

50

49

50

52

46

44

49

40

2001 Non-MARTA Baseline

30

22

19

20

20

16

24

21

22

17

19

18

10

0 1997

1998

1999

2000

2001 2002 Year

2003

2004

2005

2006

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NUMBER OF VANPOOLS
Vanpools are perhaps the most flexible form of public transit other than a carpool. They operate at the convenience of the vanpool group and are able to be in service at any hour of the day and to travel any route the group desires, from door-to-door service to pickup and drop-off at fixed locations. This flexibility is particularly useful for people working second and third shifts, those working at locations not currently served by regularly scheduled public transportation, and for others not effectively served by available public transit service. A typical vanpool operating a 15-passenger van takes seven cars off the road, contributing to reductions in both emissions and congestion.
Prior to 1997, there were four vanpool programs operating in the region CCT's vanpool program, MetroVanPool, Douglas County Rideshare and the Georgia Building Authority's (GBA) vanpool program. When CCT's vanpool program disbanded service in October of 1997, all 28 of its routes were taken over by MetroVanPool. MetroVanPool is a private operator in the region and also provides some service to the public operators.9 Another private operator, Enterprise, entered the market in 2005 to offer vanpool services as a vendor for the Clean Air Campaign (CAC) and the transportation management associations. In October of 2003 GRTA absorbed the GBA's vanpools into its operation. GRTA and Douglas County operate public vanpools. The base year for vanpools in the region is 2002, when 178 vanpools were operating. The total number of vanpools in metro Atlanta was 346 at the end of 2007. This represents an almost doubling the number of vanpools in the region in that period of time.
Figure 20: Number of Vanpools
400

62

50

Enterprise GRTA GBA Douglas County MetroVanPool Cobb County 300
2002 Baseline = 178 200

31 48

30 50

25 55 2

Number of Vanpools

28 50

23 35

21 35

205

193

100

166

138

120

122

28 10 14 36

0 1997

2002

2003

2004 Year

2005

2006

2007

9 MetroVanPool van fleet provides service to and/or from 28 counties in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

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AIR QUALITY
DAILY VEHICLE EMISSIONS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated the metropolitan Atlanta area as a nonattainment area under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for 8hour ozone and fine particulate matter. The 8-hour ozone standard is based on the measured concentration of ozone in the air, averaged over eight-hour periods. Particulate matter is the general term used for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. "Fine" particulate matter is less than 2.5 microns in diameter. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are chemical precursors to the formation of ozone; NOX is one precursor to the formation of fine particulate matter. Emissions of VOC and NOX, as well as primary particulate matter, which is emitted directly by vehicle engines, are used as proxies for air quality since they are directly related to the performance of the transportation system.
Total daily vehicle emissions of VOC, NOX and primary PM2.5 are estimated for the 13-county Atlanta area by multiplying the summer-adjusted average total daily VMT for the area by the corresponding MOBILE6 emissions factors. In order to make the measures directly comparable, their absolute values are converted into percentages and then compared to the baseline (year 2000) levels.10 The figure below shows that total daily vehicle VOC, NOX and primary PM2.5 emissions in 2006 were 67, 67, and 71 percent of their respective year 2000 levels--a decrease close to one third over six years. Since the average total daily VMT has continued to increase each year, these decreases in emissions are due to declining emission factors resulting from advanced emission control technologies on newer vehicles and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division's clean gasoline and vehicle emissions inspection programs. However, despite these reductions in emissions, Atlanta is still not meeting the current 8-hour ozone and fine particulate matter standards.

VOC, NOx and Primary PM2.5 Vehicle Emissions Relative to 2000 Levels

Figure 21: VOC, NOX and PM2.5 Vehicle Emissions in the Atlanta Area Relative to Year 2000

110% 100%
90%

100% 100% 100%

97% 97% 95%

80%

70%

VOC NOx PM2.5

92% 94% 90%

85% 87% 84%

80% 82% 82%

72% 74% 75%

71% 67% 67%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0% 2000

2001

2002

2003 Year

2004

2005

2006

10 These measures are similar to the respective emissions measures found in the 2005 Air Quality Report.

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SAFETY
The safety measures address personal transportation safety as well as the roadway clearance time. The latter measure also affects mobility in the region, as each minute an incident blocks a travel lane results in three to seven minutes of delay and increases the probability of secondary incidents as traffic backs up.
TRAFFIC CRASH FATALITIES In the base year of 2001, the 13-county Atlanta region experienced 494 traffic crash
fatalities at a rate of 1.12 fatalities per 100 million miles driven.11 2006 marks an unfavorable increase in both absolute traffic crash fatalities to 542 and the fatalities per 100 million miles to 1.16. The Atlanta region still has much lower fatality rate compared to the state of Georgia and the nation as a whole.
Figure 22: Traffic Crash Fatalities
600

Highway Fatalities

550

543

542

500

490

494

496

504

466

460

450

2001 Baseline 441

400

350 1998

1999

2000

2001

2002 Year

2003

2004

2005

2006

11 Data for the safety measures comes from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System web-based encyclopedia located at http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov. The total number of traffic crash fatalities includes the vehicle occupants, motorcycle riders, and nonmotorists fatalities on all roads in the 13-county Atlanta area.

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Highway Fatality Rates per 100 Million VMT

Figure 23: Traffic Crash Fatality Rates per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled

1.7 1.59 1.58
1.5
1.3

Atlanta Fatality Rate

Georgia Fatality Rate

U.S. Fatality Rate

1.55

1.53

1.51

1.51

1.55 1.53

1.48

1.49

1.50

1.45

1.44

1.46

1.41

1.44

1.42

1.39

1.10 1.1
0.9 1998

1.14

1.12

1.09

1.08

0.99 2001 Atlanta Baseline

1999

2000

2001

2002 Year

2003

1.05 2004

1.16 2005

1.16 2006

PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLISTS FATALITIES
In the base year of 2001 there were 67 pedestrian and six bicyclist fatalities in the 13county Atlanta region. Pedestrian fatalities increased to 74 compared to 2001, while the bicyclist fatalities leveled off at six annually.

Figure 24: Pedestrian and Bicyclist Fatalities

100
82 80

Pedestrian Fatalities
74 67

Bicyclist Fatalities

79

80

60

58

Pedestrian and Bicyclist Fatalities

2001 Pedestrian Baseline 40

2001 Bicyclist Baseline

20 7
0 1999

6 2000

6 2001

8 4

2002

2003 Year

9 2004

69
3 2005

74
6 2006

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31

Two new fatality rates have been introduced with this year's report--pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 population, and bicyclist fatality rate per 100,000 population. The 2006 pedestrian fatality rate of 1.72 is slightly lower than the rate of 1.75 in the base year of 2001. The Atlanta pedestrian fatality rate of 1.98 in 2003 was higher than the respective rate for Seattle (1.36) but compares favorably with the 2003 fatality rate in San Diego (2.33).

Figure 25: Pedestrian Fatality Rate per 100,000 Population
2.6

Atlanta Pedestrian Fatality Rate per 100,000 Population

2.30 2.2
1.81 1.8
1.4
1.0 1999

San Diego 2.33

2001 Baseline

1.98

1.96

1.89

1.75

1.69

1.65

1.72

1.68

1.64

1.65

1.57

1.59

Seattle 1.36

Atlanta Pedestrian Fatality Rate per 100,000 Population US Pedestrian Fatality Rate per 100,000 Population

2000

2001

2002

2003 Year

2004

2005

1.72 1.60
2006

The 2006 bicyclist fatality rate of 0.14 is slightly lower than the rate of 0.16 in 2001.

Figure 26: Bicyclist Fatality Rate per 100,000 Population

0.3
0.28
0.3
0.20
0.2 0.2

0.25 0.16

0.26 0.16

0.23

0.22 0.20

0.25

0.27

0.22

0.26 0.14

Atlanta Bicyclist Fatality Rate per 100,000 Population

0.1 2001 Baseline
0.1

0.0 1999

2000

0.10
Atlanta Bicyclist Fatality Rate per 100,000 Population US Bicyclist Fatality Rate per 100,000 Population

0.07

2001

2002

2003 Year

2004

2005

2006

2008 Transportation MAP (Metropolitan Atlanta Performance) Report

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ROADWAY CLEARANCE TIME
Over fifty percent of all congestion nationally is non-recurring. It is caused by traffic incidents, work zones, and weather.12 For each minute an incident blocks a travel lane, roughly three to seven minutes of delay is created. Some studies have shown as much as seventy percent of daily delay is due to "non-recurring" congestion.13
Traffic incident management is a strategy that uses many different techniques to help emergency responders quickly and safely clear traffic incidents so the roadway can return to normal flow with a minimum of additional delay. The Traffic Incident Management Enhancement (TIME) Program, a partnership between transportation agencies, police, fire, towing and recovery operators, and other emergency responders, has been implementing techniques to improve traffic incident management in Metro Atlanta.
The TIME Program sponsors a Towing and Recovery Incentive Program (TRIP). TRIP is a recovery incentive program to pay heavy-duty recovery companies a monetary bonus for clearing commercial vehicle wrecks quickly. TRIP helps to reduce the impact of major traffic incidents in Metro Atlanta while meeting TIME's aggressive clearance goal of 90 minutes or less.
The key performance measure for traffic incident management in Atlanta is "roadway clearance time." Roadway clearance time is defined as the "time between first recordable awareness (detection/notification/verification) of an incident by a responsible agency and first confirmation that all lanes are available for traffic flow."14 The response time is the time between the first recordable awareness of an incident and the first arrival by a responder on scene.
In 2002, the baseline year, response time for tractor-trailer incidents was 17 minutes and for automobiles 10 minutes. On-scene time for tractor-trailer incidents was 65 minutes, and 30 minutes for automobiles. The roadway clearance time for a typical tractor-trailer incident was more than twice (82 minutes) the 40 minute duration of an automobile incident.15 The difference in time is influenced by a number of factors, including degree of seriousness, HAZMAT concerns, number of lanes affected, and availability of equipment necessary to accommodate tractor-trailer size and weight.
In 2006 the actual roadway clearance time for incidents involving tractor-trailers was 56.6 minutes. The roadway clearance time for incidents involving automobiles was 29.8 minutes in 2006.16

12 http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/program_areas/reduce-non-cong.htm 13 http://depts.washington.edu/trac/bulkdisk/pdf/568.2.pdf 14 FHWA Focus States Initiative - Traffic Incident Management Performance Measures - Action Plan. 15 Data source--monthly incident data found in the GDOT's HERO Monthly Statistics publication. 16 Data for 2007 is not available in the format previously provided.

2008 Transportation MAP (Metropolitan Atlanta Performance) Report

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Figure 27: Roadway Clearance Time Tractor-trailers
120

Roadway Clearance Time - Tractor-trailers (in minutes)

100

80

60 64.6
40
20 16.7
0 2002

86.5

52.3

53.1

44.2

11.6

11.1

11.4

2003

2004 Year

2005

Response Time

Clearance Time

12.4 2006

Figure 28: Roadway Clearance Time Passenger Vehicles

45

40

Roadway Clearance Time - Vehicles (in minutes)

35

30

25

29.8

22.8

20

22.8 19.9

15

10

5

10.3

9.6

9.4

11.7

0 2002

2003

2004 Year

2005

Response Time

Clearance Time

18.2
11.6 2006

2008 Transportation MAP (Metropolitan Atlanta Performance) Report

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TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
ATLANTA TRANSPORTATION PERFORMANCE INDEX
The Atlanta Transportation Performance Index synthesizes a number of different factors reflecting roadway, transit, safety and air quality performance measures. This composite index is a single measure that tracks the state of the metropolitan Atlanta transportation system, similarly to the way the temperature is the main weather-related measure. The main advantage of the transportation performance index is that it minimizes the number of measures reported.
The Atlanta transportation performance index is obtained by employing the weighted sum model. A composite index is produced based on 12 input measures weighted by their relative importance.17 The composite transportation performance index consists of four basic indices--Roadway services index, Roadway safety index, Roadway emissions index, and Transit services index--tracking separately important performance aspects of roadway and transit services.18 Each of these indices is normalized to a 100 scale for the base 2002 year for ease of presentation. An index number of more than 100 indicates improvement over the base year.
The composite transportation performance index is not published in this year's report due to the ongoing reassessment of the weights of the four basic indices being conducted by the transportation agencies in the Atlanta region.
The four transportation performance indices help the region understand whether the different aspects of the region's transportation system are improving or worsening. On the positive side, the roadway emissions index stands at 134.4 in 2006, an improvement of more than one-third over the 2002 base year. The transit services across the region also show an improvement with a 2006 index value of 105.0. The roadway services index and the roadway safety index lower the transportation system's performance with values of 93.8 and 86.5 for 2006, respectively.

17 The ATPI is composed of the following measures: Travel time index, Planning time index, Daily vehicle miles traveled, Transit revenue service hours - MARTA, Transit revenue service hours - other, Transit passenger miles traveled, Transit passenger boardings, Vehicle NOx emissions, Vehicle VOC emissions, Vehicle PM2.5 emissions, Traffic crash fatality rate per 100 million VMT, Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities per 100,000 population. 18 The roadway services index is composed of the following measures: travel time index, planning time index, and daily vehicle miles traveled. The roadway safety index consists of the traffic crash fatality rate per 100 million VMT and pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities per 100,000 population. The transit services index includes transit revenue service hours - MARTA, transit revenue service hours - other, transit passenger miles traveled, and transit passenger boardings. The roadway emissions index is based on the vehicle nitrogen oxides emissions, vehicle volatile organic compounds emissions, and vehicle primary fine particulate matter emissions.

2008 Transportation MAP (Metropolitan Atlanta Performance) Report
Figure 29: Atlanta Transportation Performance Indices

Index, % (going up indicates improvement)

145 135 125 115 105
95 85
2002

Roadway Services Index Transit Services Index Roadway Emissions Index Roadway Safety Index

107.8 100.2
97.3 92.0 2003

113.0
102.9
98.4 94.0
2004 Year

124.6
103.1 95.9 88.0 2005

35
134.4
105.0 93.8
86.5 2006

2008 Transportation MAP (Metropolitan Atlanta Performance) Report

36

SUMMARY OF 2008 TRANSPORTATION MAP MEASURES

Performance Measure
Freeway travel time index The slowest periods: 7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
Freeway planning time index The slowest periods: 7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
Freeway buffer time index The slowest periods: 7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
Daily vehicle miles traveled per licensed driver / per person
Pavement condition rating
Transit passenger miles traveled
Annual transit passenger boardings

Baseline

Description

Value Year

Freeway TTI, weighted by segment VMT, during the slowest regional onehour morning and evening peak period

1.22
1.26 (PM)

2002

Freeway PTI, weighted by segment VMT, during the slowest regional onehour morning and evening peak period

1.53
1.83 (PM)

2002

Freeway BTTI, weighted by segment VMT, during the slowest regional onehour morning and evening peak period

26.1%
41.7% (PM)

2002

Vehicle miles traveled per licensed driver / person per day

56.7 2000 32.9 2000

Percent of the state roadway system with a PACES rating greater than 70
Transit passenger miles traveled (in millions)
Cumulative sum of the number of passengers who board public transportation vehicles annually (in millions)

88% 2000
874 2001 167 2001

Update Value Year 1.31 2007 1.33 (PM)
1.72 2007 1.93 (PM) 30.7% 2007 40.2% (PM)
42.4 2006 29.6 2006 71% 2007
871 2006 153 2006

Mobility

2008 Transportation MAP (Metropolitan Atlanta Performance) Report

37

Transit Accessibility

SUMMARY OF 2008 TRANSPORTATION MAP MEASURES (CONTINUED)

Performance Measure
Population and employment within walk distance to transit

Description
Number of people that live or work within 4/10 of a mile of a transit stop year (in thousands)

Baseline Value Year 1,057 2001

Update Value Year 1,129 2006

1,085 2001 1,186 2006

Other MARTA Other MARTA Empl. Pop.

Transit revenue service hours (MARTA, CCT/DCR/GRTA/ Gwinnett Transit)

Total number of hours trains and buses are running and available to carry passengers in a year (in thousands)

3,182 2001 2,837 2006 157 2001 637 2006

Passenger trips per transit service hour (MARTA, CCT/DCR/GRTA/ Gwinnett Transit)

Average number of unlinked passenger trips per revenue hour trains and buses are running and available to carry passengers in a year

Number of vanpools

Total number of vanpools operating in a given year in the 28- county Atlanta area

Daily vehicle emissions (relative to 2000 levels)

VOC NOx

Primary PM2.5

Traffic crash fatalities/ Total number of traffic crash

Traffic crash fatality fatalities

rate

Traffic crash fatality rate per

100 million VMT

Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities / Pedestrian and bicyclist fatality rate per 100,000 pop.

Pedestrian fatalities Bicyclist fatalities Pedestrian fatality rate Bicyclist fatality rate

Roadway clearance time

Incidence Tractor-

response and trailers

clearance time (in min.)

Vehicles

Atlanta Transportation Roadway services index

Performance Indices*

* An index number of Transit services index

more than 100

Roadway emissions index

indicates improvement

over the base year. Roadway safety index

52 2001

19 2001 178 2002

100% 2000

100% 2000

100% 494

2000 2001

1.12 2001

67 2001

6

2001

1.75 2001

0.16 2001

81 2002

40 2002
100 2002 100 2002 100 2002 100 2002

49
18
346
67% 67% 71% 542
1.16
74 6 1.72 0.14 57
30 93.8 105.0 134.4 86.5

2006
2006
2007
2006 2006 2006 2006
2006
2006 2006 2006 2006 2006
2006 2006 2006 2006 2006

Air Quality

Safety

Transp. System Performance