Traffic and Travel Related LInks:
About California's System
Performance Measures
A Necessary Part of the California Transportation Plan
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is embarking on implementation of the concepts and methodologies derived to date in the development of Transportation System Performance Measures. Data detection and access issues on State Highways and data issues of various transportation modes have been documented in the report, Transportation System Performance Measures Compendium of Phase III Results dated October 2000. This report is available in its entirety on this website. The program team is in the process of outreach to local agencies around the state to communicate the need for Performance Measures as a valuable decision-making tool.
Caltrans, together with its Partners, has developed the following findings over the last few years:
- Performance Measures must be developed using broad participation and consensus, utilizing a simple framework, and focusing on desired customer outcomes.
- Transportation stakeholders, transportation decision makers, external advocacy groups (CTA, NRDC), transportation system users, and transportation agencies are all interested in performance measures; therefore, they should all be involved in developing these measures.
- Transportation System Performance Measures should be used to monitor existing performance, to forecast future performance, to build consensus decision-making information, to provide and share modal-neutral customer and decision information, and to improve accountability.
- Performance measures should be implemented as tools and the focus of implementation should be primarily on the process. High-level management support and advice is most critical to the success of Transportation System Performance Measures.
- Senate Bill 45 requires consideration of performance measures. Public sector interest in performance measures is increasing. The USDOT is pushing for performance measurement. These forces are motivating the drive to implement performance measurement.
- Where good data are available and are tested, performance measurement provides meaningful and decisive monitoring information.
- Significant data detection and access gaps exist that hinder comprehensive reporting and analyses for the State Highway System. Data for other modes serving the inter-regional transportation market have other gaps related to bus ridership. Many initiatives are underway to address these gaps not only for performance measurement, but for transportation operations and traveler information purposes.