Session 11 -- Performance Monitoring: Improving the practice of measuring transportation performance

Moderator, Mr. Jeff Kramer, Senior Research Associate, Center for Urban Transportation Research
Mr. Mark Reichert, Deputy Director, Florida Transportation Commission -- Presentation
Mr. Phil Matson, MPO Staff Director, Indian River County MPO -- Presentation
Mr. Lance A. Neumann, President, Cambridge Systematics -- Presentation

Performance measures tend to institutionalize a culture. Something that becomes a part of the way we do business.

Performance measures provide a practical way of linking goals and objectives to the activity performed, they:

• Establish credibility, accountability.
• Guide resource allocations
• Measure level of achievement – tracking results.
• Reflect how well you’re doing.

It is important to keep performance measures to a manageable number. They’re becoming an expected business practice and includes transportation topics such as:

• Bridge & pavement condition
• Mobility
• Operations
• Safety
• Pbviews – business organization measures and central data set.
• ITS

The biggest cost of performance measurement is often data collection and storage. These costs are often difficult to incur and takes a continuous commitment from management. Don’t set a target until you know the cost to deliver it -- the dollars and other resources needed.

SAFETEA-LU requires performance measurement development, Be up-front. When a peer comparison comes up, it’s best to explain the characteristics and over time issues will be understood. A little competition is not necessarily a bad thing.

Beware that reporting performance data is sensitive to opportunistic data selection. Make sure the data and analysis selected for reporting doesn’t skew the facts. Stay objective.

Performance measures are difficult to develop. Those agencies that don’t embrace performance measures may get it legislated for them. It is advisable to develop your own measures before someone else does it for you.

There is a time dimension to performance measurement. How do you change practice quick enough to be meaningful? Start implementation strategy then look at results. Measures can drive results. In a lot of cases, operations can’t turn on a dime. Patience is needed.

Buy-in from stakeholders is very important.

What can level the playing field for those agencies that only have qualitative measures? Customer surveys are a good answer to data/information feedback. It is a way to gain an understanding of achievement of set goals and objectives. Survey data is often affordable and continuous.

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