Transportation & Multi-Modal Planning

Services Provided: Existing Conditions Analysis, On-board Survey, Demand Estimation, Transit Planning

Insight was part of a consultant team that provided transit planning support to Broward County Transit (BCT) for its 2023 Transit Development Plan (TDP) Major Update. The TDP provides BCT with a 10-year road map for the development of transit services and capital improvements in light of penny tax initiatives and BCT’s premium transit vision plan, named PREMO. The TDP serves as a planning, development, and operational guidance document, based on a ten-year planning horizon and covers the year for which funding is sought and the nine subsequent years.

Insight developed the baseline conditions report, which consisted of compiling, analyzing, visualizing and mapping relevant socio-demographic, transportation, land use, and special generators. In addition, travel demand model data and Replica data were analyzed. Insight staff also assisted in developing the sampling plan, questionnaire design, and administering the Transit On-Board Survey. Insight also developed the mandatory farebox recovery report, analyzing pandemic-induced changes.

Based on future funding projections provided by BCT staff, Insight staff estimated revenue service hours available for a 10- and 30-year plan. Insight staff then developed GTFS files for new services, and edited GTFS files for existing services to develop future year vision GTFS networks. Insight then calibrated a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Simplified Trips on Project (STOPS) model, and used the calibrated model to forecast 5-, 10-, and 30-year ridership by route. 

Insight’s efforts helped with the successful completion of the TDP within a demanding schedule. 

Services Provided: Market Analysis, Accessibility, Ridership Forecasting, STOPS Modeling, CIG Evaluation

Insight provided market analysis, ridership forecasting and CIG support services for the Akron BRT Feasibility Study. The study identified the level of BRT investment feasible on each corridor, created a prioritized project list for further development, and outlined the specific next steps that are required to fund and implement the highest priority BRT project(s). 

Insight conducted travel market assessment for the Metro service area using a variety of data sources to understand the travel patterns in the corridor. Insight analyzed from the American Community Survey, Census LEHD, AMATS travel demand model, and 2020 systemwide on-board survey to understand the potential travel market where BRT is feasible. This analysis also helped with the development of service plans in the corridor. 

Following the market analysis, Insight also utilized the Simplified Trips on Project Software (STOPS) for ridership forecasting for several of the BRT alternatives under consideration. Insight first developed the region’s STOPS model utilizing the 2020 on-board survey and the 2020 network and ridership data. Using the model, Insight developed forecasts for several BRT alternatives to support the project prioritization process.

Using STOPS outputs and other cost variables, Insight analyzed the alternatives to assess their readiness for funding eligibility under FTA’s CIG evaluation criteria. Insight also utilized the STOPS to estimate job accessibility measures on transit for the alternatives under consideration. 

Insight’s efforts helped Metro prioritize future BRT corridors in the Akron region. 

Services Provided: Long Range Scenario Planning, Demand Modeling, Model Network Coding, STOPS Modeling, SERPM9, Transit Planning 

Insight was part of a consultant team that assisted Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA) in updating the long-range transportation plan (LRTP) to reflect the 2050 horizon year. The focus of the plan was to provide a multimodal transportation network for the continued growth and economic prosperity of Palm Beach County. Insight led all tasks related to transit and highway modal analysis and forecasting. The effort involved utilizing the Southeast Florida Regional Planning Model (SERPM9) model (ActivitySim implementation in Cube Voyager) and developing an interim year scenario to help prioritize short-term projects.  

Using SERPM9, Insight also modeled two scenarios as part of long-range planning efforts – technology (AV/CV) adoption and commute pattern changes (changes in work-from-home and telecommuting frequency). In addition to SERPM9, the team also utilized STOPS to support the development of Palm Beach TPA’s 561 transit plan and the 2050 LRTP update. Insight developed the STOPS model for Palm Beach County and coded the LRTP projects in GTFS for STOPS modeling. Insight also performed sensitivity tests to quantify the impacts of different future scenario assumptions to help the team understand the uncertainty in ridership. 

Insight led the coding of highway and transit networks in Cube, reflecting the Needs and the Cost Feasible plans of the long-range transportation plan. These coded networks were used as the basis for developing the adopted horizon year network in SERPM9.

Services Provided: Transit Service Planning, Ridership Forecasting, CIG Evaluation, Existing Conditions Analysis, General Planning On-Call 

Insight is part of a consultant team that is providing general planning support services to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). Insight leads the travel demand modeling and ridership forecasting work on all the key corridors, provides service planning support, helps in identifying travel markets that have a high potential for transit usage, assists in Capital Investment Grant (CIG) analysis, travel data analysis services and supporting traffic and transit studies as needed by the team. Insight assisted the team in the following projects: 

• Campbellton Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridor: MARTA, in collaboration with the City of Atlanta, is planning a six-mile BRT service in the Campbellton Corridor to enhance connectivity and mobility in southwest Atlanta. Insight supported the project by refining the service plan and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs and developing pre- and post-pandemic ridership forecasts using MARTA’s Simplified-Trips-on-Project Software (STOPS) model. These forecasts supported the Capital Investment Grant (CIG) application to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Insight also optimized local bus connections to maximize ridership and achieve a medium rating for the application. The updated service plans and O&M costs were integrated into the project’s financial plan, with all refinements and associated modeling completed within two months. FTA approved the ridership forecasts without revision, and a formal project rating is forthcoming. 
• Streetcar East Extension: Insight developed ridership forecasts for the Streetcar East Extension to the Ponce De Leon market along the Atlanta Beltline corridor. The post-pandemic STOPS model from MARTA was used for this effort. Prior to developing ridership forecasts and performing sensitivity analysis, Insight gathered the latest ridership data on the Streetcar and updated the model to reflect the most recent observed ridership.  
• Cleveland Ave and Metropolitan Pkwy Arterial Rapid Transit (ART): Insight developed ridership forecasts for the ART corridors using the STOPS model from MARTA baselined to post-pandemic conditions. As part of this effort, Insight developed station-to-station travel times for the ARTs, proposed a service plan for ridership modeling based on previous planning work, updated the STOPS model to better reflect existing ridership on Cleveland Ave and Metropolitan Pkwy, and conducted sensitivity analysis to evaluate the ridership impacts of ART and the underlying bus service frequencies.  
• Bus Only Lanes Study: In this study, Insight supported MARTA in identifying preliminary corridors for potential bus-only lanes. Traffic counts were analyzed in key corridors where bus routes did not meet MARTA’s minimum on-time performance standards. By integrating current and projected traffic volumes from ARC’s ABM with traffic count data, Insight developed Level-of-Service (LOS) estimates for these corridors. These LOS estimates played a crucial role in identifying preliminary corridors for potential bus-only lanes.