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Boston Region MPO
Performance-Based Plannning and Programming
February 2017

 

WHAT IS PERFORMANCE-BASED PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING?

Performance-based planning and programming (PBPP) applies data to inform decisions aimed at helping to achieve desired outcomes for the region’s multimodal transportation systems. The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) articulated its desired outcomes for the Boston region’s transportation system in its current long-range transportation plan (LRTP), Charting Progress to 2040. The overall vision established in Charting Progress to 2040 is to create 

 

a modern transportation system that is safe, uses new technologies, provides equitable access, excellent mobility, and varied transportation options—in support of a sustainable, healthy, livable, and economically vibrant region.

 

Charting Progress to 2040 also created a framework to guide the MPO in making investments through its planning and programming processes, namely, the LRTP—an investment plan covering more than 20 years—the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)—a five-year plan for funding capital infrastructure projects—and the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)—which is produced annually to support conceptual plans and research. The LRTP, TIP, and UPWP processes become PBPP processes when the MPO takes the following actions:

In many ways, the MPO is already applying PBPP principles when making investment decisions as part of the LRTP, TIP, and UPWP development processes. However, over the next few years, the MPO will need to respond to new federal PBPP requirements. In addition to meeting federal requirements, by enhancing the performance-management elements in its planning and programming activities, the MPO can

This document describes 

A glossary of PBPP terms and a list of key transportation performance-management rules and requirements are included at the end of this document. 

 

The diagram below illustrates the elements involved in PBPP, and how they relate to some of the MPO’s existing plans and activities. The PBPP process, which is cyclical, includes three phases: 

 

Creating a Framework
Boston Region MPO Performance-Based Planning Process

The figure shows the three key phases in the MPO’s performance-based planning process: Plan, Program, and Monitor and Evaluate. The figure describes activities that will occur during each phase.

 

 

 

Central Vision Statement

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization envisions a modern transportation system that is safe, uses new technologies, provides equitable access, excellent mobility, and varied transportation options—in support of a sustainable, healthy, livable, and economically vibrant region.

GOALS OBJECTIVES
SAFETY
Transportation by all modes will be safe
• Reduce number and severity of crashes, all modes
• Reduce serious injuries and fatalities from transportation
• Protect transportation customers and employees from safety and security threats (Note: The MPO action will be to incorporate security investments into capital planning.)
SYSTEM PRESERVATION
Maintain the transportation system
• Improve condition of on- and off-system bridges 
• Improve pavement conditions on MassDOT-monitored roadway system 
• Maintain and modernize capital assets, including transit assets, throughout the system 
• Prioritize projects that support planned response capability to existing or future extreme conditions (sea level rise, flooding, and other natural and security- related man-made hazards) 
• Protect freight network elements, such as port facilities, that are vulnerable to climate-change impacts
CAPACITY MANAGEMENT/MOBILITY
Use existing facility capacity more efficiently and increase healthy transportation capacity
• Improve reliability of transit
• Implement roadway management and operations strategies, constructing improvements to the bicycle and pedestrian network, and supporting community-based transportation
• Create connected network of bicycle and accessible sidewalk facilities (at both regional and neighborhood scale) by expanding existing facilities and closing gaps
• Increase automobile and bicycle parking capacity and usage at transit stations
• Increase percentage of population and places of employment within one-quarter mile of transit stations and stops
• Increase percentage of population and places of employment with access to bicycle facilities
• Improve access to and accessibility of transit and active modes
• Support community-based and private-initiative services and programs to meet   last mile, reverse commute and other non-traditional transit/transportation needs, including those of the elderly and persons with disabilities
• Eliminate bottlenecks on the freight network
• Enhance intermodal connections
• Emphasize capacity management through low-cost investments; give priority to projects that focus on lower-cost O&M-type improvements such as intersection improvements and Complete Streets solutions
CLEAN AIR/CLEAN COMMUNITIES
Create an environmentally friendly transportation system
• Reduce greenhouse gases generated in the Boston region by all transportation modes as outlined in the Global Warming Solutions Act
• Reduce other transportation-related pollutants
• Minimize negative environmental impacts of the transportation system
• Support land use policies consistent with smart and healthy growth
TRANSPORTATION EQUITY
Provide comparable transportation access and service quality among communities, regardless of income level or minority population
• Target investments to areas that benefit a high percentage of low-income and minority populations
• Minimize any burdens associated with MPO-funded projects in low-income and minority areas
• Break down barriers to participation in MPO-decision making
ECONOMIC VITALITY
Ensure our transportation network provides a strong foundation for economic vitality
• Respond to the mobility needs of the 25–34-year-old workforce
• Minimize the burden of housing and transportation costs for residents in the region
• Prioritize transportation investments that serve targeted development sites
• Prioritize transportation investments consistent with the compact-growth strategies of MetroFuture

 

 

 

FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PERFORMANCE-BASED PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) directed MPOs to develop LRTPs and TIPs “through a performance-driven, outcome-based approach to planning.”1 It required states, MPOs, and operators of public transportation to establish targets for performance measures in key performance areas, and to coordinate with one another when setting these targets. These requirements have been continued under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), the current transportation funding law. 

 

Highway Performance

MAP-21 set seven national goals for the nation’s highway systems. The table below lists these goals and shows how they align with the MPO’s goal areas, as outlined in Charting Progress to 2040.  

 

National Goals

 

National Goal

MPO Goal

Safety - To achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads

Safety

Infrastructure condition - To maintain the highway infrastructure asset system in a state of good repair

System Preservation 

System reliability - To improve the efficiency of the surface transportation system

Capacity Management/Mobility

Congestion reduction - To achieve a significant reduction in congestion on the National Highway System

Capacity Management/Mobility 

Freight movement and economic vitality -

To improve the National Highway Freight Network, strengthen the ability of rural communities to access national and international trade markets, and support regional economic development

Capacity Management/Mobility Economic Vitality 

Environmental sustainability - To enhance the performance of the transportation system while protecting and enhancing the natural environment

Clean Air/Clean Communities 

Reduced project delivery delays 

Not applicable 

Not applicable

Transportation Equity

 

 

Through the federal rulemaking process, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has required states and MPOs to monitor the transportation system using specific performance measures to address the national goals and performance areas identified in MAP-21. The table below lists specific measures in various performance areas for roadways and highways. 

 

Federally Required Highway Performance Measures
(as of January 18, 2017)

 

National Goal

Highway Performance Area

Performance Measure

Safety 

Injuries & Fatalities

  • Number of fatalities
  • Fatality rate (per 100 million vehicle miles traveled)
  • Number of serious injuries
  • Serious injury rate (per 100 million vehicle miles traveled)
  • Number of non-motorized fatalities and non-motorized serious injuries 

Infrastructure Condition

Pavement Condition

  • Percentage of pavements on the Interstate System in Good condition
  • Percentage of pavements on the Interstate System in Poor condition
  • Percentage of pavements on the non-Interstate National Highway System (NHS) in Good condition
  • Percentage of pavements on the non-Interstate NHS in Poor condition

Infrastructure Condition

 Bridge Condition

  • Percentage of NHS bridges classified as in Good condition
  • Percentage of NHS bridges classified as in Poor condition

System Reliability 

Performance of the National Highway System

  • Percent of person miles traveled on the Interstate System that are reliable
  • Percent of person miles traveled on the non-Interstate NHS that are reliable
  • Percent change in tailpipe carbon dioxide emission levels on the NHS compared to the calendar year 2017 levels

Freight Movement and Economic Vitality

Freight Movement on the Interstate System

Truck Travel Time Reliability Index

Congestion Reduction

Traffic congestion

  • Annual hours of peak-hour excessive delay per capita
  • Percent of non-single-occupant vehicle travel

Environmental Sustainability

On-Road Mobile Source Emissions

Total emissions reduction

 

Transit Performance

Recipients of public transit funds—which can include states, local authorities, and public transportation operators—are required to establish performance targets for safety and state of good repair; to develop transit asset management and transit safety plans; and to report on their progress toward achieving targets. Public transportation operators are directed to share information with MPOs and states so that all plans and performance reports are coordinated. 

 

The table below identifies performance measures outlined in the National Public Safety Transportation Plan, released by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and in the final rule for transit asset management.

 

Federally Required Transit Performance Measures 
(as of January 18, 2017)

 

National Goal

Transit Performance Area or Asset Category

Performance Measure

Safety

Fatalities 

Total number of reportable* fatalities and rate per total vehicle revenue miles by mode

Safety

Injuries

Total number of reportable* injuries and rate per total vehicle revenue miles by mode

Safety

Safety Events 

Total number of reportable* events and rate per total vehicle revenue miles by mode

Safety

System Reliability

Mean distance between major mechanical failures by mode

Infrastructure Condition

(State of Good Repair: Transit Asset Management)

Equipment

Percentage of vehicles that have met or exceeded their Useful Life Benchmark (ULB)

Infrastructure Condition

(State of Good Repair: Transit Asset Management)

Rolling Stock

Percentage of revenue vehicles within a particular asset class that have met or exceeded their ULB

Infrastructure Condition

(State of Good Repair: Transit Asset Management)

Infrastructure

Percentage of track segments with performance restrictions

Infrastructure Condition

(State of Good Repair: Transit Asset Management)

Facilities

Percentage of facilities within an asset class rated below 3.0 on the FTA Transit Economic Requirements Model scale

 

* Reportable as defined in the National Transit Database Safety and Security Reporting Manual. 

 

Other Requirements and Provisions

The transportation legislation and federal rules that identify performance measures also describe how states and MPOs will need to incorporate these measures into their planning processes. This information is current as of January 18, 2017. MPO staff is awaiting further federal guidance on implementation of these provisions, several of which are described below:

Target Setting 

Reporting 

Federal Assessments

 BUILDING THE BOSTON REGION MPO’S UNIQUE PERFORMANCE-BASED PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING PROCESS 

The MPO is already engaging in activities that support PBPP. The table below lists the steps of the MPO’s proposed PBPP process, indicates whether the LRTP and TIP processes are relevant to each step (noted in the table with green shading), identifies activities already underway (noted in the table with a check mark), and those that are planned (noted in green with no check mark).

 

Steps in the Boston Region MPO’s PBPP Process

PHASE ACTIVITY APPLIES TO LRTP APPLIES TO TIP SUPPORTING OR RELATED MPO ACTIVITIES
Plan Follow a collaborative process to set goals and objectives, which align with national goals 

relevant, underway

not relevant blank
Plan Integrate goals and objectives into planning and programming activities

    

relevant, underway

relevant, underway

UPWP development and studies; Congestion Management Process (CMP) development
Plan Use performance measures  for planning and analysis 

relevant, underway

relevant, underway

UPWP development and studies; CMP development
Plan Track trends for performance measures

relevant, underway

relevant, underway

CMP monitoring
Plan Set targets for a designated set of performance measures   relevant, planned relevant, planned blank
Plan Collect, organize, and analyze data to support performance monitoring

relevant, underway

relevant, underway

UPWP metropolitan planning funding  allocation; MPO data collection and management
Program Create and analyze scenarios to explore potential performance measure outputs and outcomes

relevant, underway

not relevant UPWP studies; travel demand modeling
Program Identify strategies and policies for allocating funding to address goals and objectives

relevant, underway

relevant, underway

UPWP development and studies
Program Use a performance- and criteria-driven process to support the MPO in selecting infrastructure projects or study locations for funding

relevant, underway

relevant, underway

UPWP studies
Monitor and Evaluate Report baseline data, trends, and MPO performance outputs and outcomes  

relevant, underway

relevant, underway

CMP monitoring; 
Monitor and Evaluate Determine the effectiveness of MPO strategies and policies on performance outcomes

relevant, underway

relevant, underway

UPWP studies
Monitor and Evaluate Identify transportation needs and issue areas for further study

relevant, underway

relevant, underway

UPWP studies 
Monitor and Evaluate Review and adjust the MPO’s PBPP framework as needed

relevant, underway

relevant, underway

UPWP and CMP development

 

 

Going Beyond Federal Requirements

The requirements in MAP-21 and the FAST Act establish the backbone of the MPO’s PBPP process. In response to the existing federal mandate, over the next several years, the MPO will continue to set targets for specific required performance measures and coordinate on PBPP activities with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), the MBTA, other MPOs, and other stakeholders. However, the MPO can exceed these requirements to create a PBPP process that meets the MPO’s specific needs and interests. The following options are available:

Over the coming months, MPO staff will collect information for use in performance measurement, monitor updates in federal and state PBPP processes, explore tools and data, and recommend methods, performance measures, and performance targets to the MPO board. This work is designed to help the MPO make key decisions that will create an effective, integrated, and informative PBPP process for the Boston Region MPO.  

 

Examples of New Performance Measures for the Boston Region MPO  

Goal

Example of Federally Required Measure

Potential Additional MPO Measure

Safety

Number of fatalities

Number of “Top 200” high-crash intersection locations improved through programmed projects4

System Preservation

Percentage of NHS bridges classified as in good condition

Number of sidewalk miles improved through programmed projects 

Capacity Management/Mobility

Annual hours of peak-hour excessive delay per capita  

Percentage of population within a quarter mile of a transit stop or station 

Clean Air/Clean Communities

Total emissions reduction 

Percentage of population with access to bicycle facilities

Transportation Equity

Not applicable

(no federally required measure)

Number of programmed projects serving areas with Title VI and/or environmental-justice populations

Economic Vitality

Percent of the Interstate System mileage providing for reliable truck travel times  

Number of projects that provide access to targeted development areas

 

 

 

1  See 23 USC §134(c)(1) and 49 US.C. §5303(c)(1).

2 Specific deadlines for when states and/or public transportation operators need to define their targets vary by measure. 

3 See FHWA, Metropolitan Planning Organization Safety Performance Measures Fact Sheet, http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/spm/docs/mpo_factsheet.pdf, p. 1

4 MassDOT uses Equivalent Property Damage Only (EPDO) scoring to identify the top 200 high-crash intersection locations in the state. EPDO scoring is a method for assessing the frequency and severity of crashes at a given location over a period of time. The method involves applying weighting factors to indicate the severity of a crash.

 

 

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GLOSSARY 

 

The definitions below are adapted from FHWA’s glossary, Transportation Performance Management Terms.

 

Goal: A broad statement of a desired end condition or outcome (e.g. “transportation by all modes will be safe”).

 

Metric: An indicator of performance or condition (e.g. number of fatalities during a particular year).

 

Objective: A specific, measurable statement that supports achievement of a goal (e.g. increase the percentage of the Boston region’s population and places of employment with access to bicycle facilities, which enhances capacity management and mobility).

 

Outcome: Intended results or consequences of carrying out a particular program or activity, which are often of most interest to system users (e.g. number of serious injuries reduced). 

 

Output: Goods, services, or activities produced by a program or project that are delivered to the public (e.g. miles of pavement improved).  Outputs can be process oriented, and they help agencies track a program’s progress toward reaching desired outcomes. 

 

Performance Measure: A metric used to monitor and report on a [transportation] characteristic. These measures are used on an ongoing basis to track progress toward goals, objectives, and achievement of targets (e.g. number of fatalities, tracked over time to assess progress in improving transportation safety).

 

Performance-based Planning and Programming: A strategic process, or series of processes, that apply data to inform decisions aimed at helping to achieve desired outcomes for the region’s multimodal transportation systems.

 

Strategy: A plan of action for achieving a target, goal, or objective (e.g. programming more Complete Streets projects to support more non-motorized travel).

 

Target: A level of performance that an entity seeks to achieve within a specific time frame (e.g. a five percent reduction within two years of crashes that result in serious injuries to bicyclists and pedestrians).

 

KEY RULES AND REQUIREMENTS 

(as of January 18, 2017)

 

23 US Code §134 – Metropolitan transportation planning 

23 US Code §135 – Statewide and nonmetropolitan transportation planning 

23 US Code §150 – National goals and performance management measures

23 Code of Federal Regulations Part 450 –  Planning assistance and standards

23 Code of Federal Regulations Part 490 –  National performance management measures

49 US Code §5303 –  Metropolitan transportation planning

49 US Code §5326 –  Transit asset management 

49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 625 –  Transit asset management

49 US Code §5329 –  Public transportation safety program 

FTA, National Public Transportation Safety Plan (2017)

 

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Short-Term Timeline

This page will be updated periodically to reflect new activities and decisions as the MPO’s performance-based planning and programming (PBPP) process evolves. This information is current as of January 18, 2017. MPO staff is awaiting further federal guidance on implementation of PBPP requirements.

 

For reference, the graphic below depicts the major activities and milestones that need to occur in 2017 and 2018.

 

The timeline describes performance-based planning and programming activities that will take place during calendar years 2017 and 2018. It includes the work that the state will carry out, along with work that pertains to the MPO’s performance-based planning process, its LRTP, and it’s TIP.

 

 

KEY DECISIONS FOR THE MPO

The table and paragraph below highlight some key upcoming MPO decisions related to PBPP. The federal rule for safety performance measures has been finalized, and the FHWA set the schedule for states and MPOs to respond to requirements. This table will be updated as other rules are finalized.

Decision(s)

Federal or

State Required?

Deadline

Identify scenarios to study, and associated measures to track.

No

Spring 2017

Decide whether the MPO will support state targets or develop its own targets for federally required safety performance measures

 

Federally required safety performance measures include

the following:

Number of fatalities

Fatality rate (per 100 million VMT)

Number of serious injuries

Serious injury rate (per 100 million VMT)

Number of non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries

Yes


2/27/2018

(pending information on state deadlines)

Choose whether to establish other safety performance measures and targets for tracking performance 

No

Winter 2017/2018

VMT: Vehicle miles traveled.

In the future, the MPO will also need to decide whether it will support state targets or set its own targets for other federally required performance measures related to infrastructure condition, system reliability, congestion reduction, freight movement and economic vitality, and environmental sustainability. MPO staff will provide updated information as timelines for these other federally required performance measures are established. The MPO will also choose whether to establish other (non-federally required) performance measures for other goal areas, and whether to develop targets for these measures.

 

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