J A Crawford

Development and Application of Mobility Monitoring Process and Guidebook for Small to Medium Communities

Transportation professionals in growing small to medium-sized communities (SMSCs) struggle with congestion issues. SMSCs are defined as communities with a population of less than 200,000. Extensive resources and literature are dedicated to measuring, monitoring, and improving large urban area congestion, but resources are scarce for SMSCs. Guidance is needed for SMSCs’ practitioners to identify, measure, and alleviate congestion better before the problems escalate. A research project sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation sought to develop and test a framework suitable for monitoring mobility in SMSCs. Practitioners including staff of state departments of transportation and staff of their partnering agencies (e.g., metropolitan planning organizations, municipalities, and counties) interested in mobility monitoring in SMSCs will find the research products valuable resources. The development of a six-step mobility monitoring framework and its application in two SMSCs are presented. The framework was developed to be user-friendly. The mobility monitoring process was conducted in Bryan–College Station and Huntsville, Texas. Methods to communicate results to a wide audience are given. Several graphical techniques are presented and discussed, including intraday directional traffic volumes and travel rate indices within a corridor. Available resources to assist practitioners performing mobility monitoring in SMSCs are noted.