TravInfo Evaluation: Institutional Element Phase 2 Results

Problem and Method

During first year of the FOT, organizational issues, principally defining the roles of the various committees and working groups within the TravInfo project, were paramount. The first year evaluation of TravInfo is presented in UCB-ITS-PWP-95-01.

The second year of the TravInfo project, reviewed in this paper, was dominated by implementation issues, chief among which were: resolution of public/private controversies in the design of TravInfo and the attempt to ensure the completion of the Caltrans Traffic Operations System (TOS) for meeting the TravInfo schedule.

Based on the interviews and observations conducted as part of this study, it is clear that the TravInfo organization has been effective at resolving these issues.

The Steering and Advisory Committees also provided an open forum for resolving issues in the TravInfo organization. In its first year, the Steering Committee was criticized for inefficiency and lack of focus. In the second year, it appears that the Steering Committee has found its focus and is resolving public/private sector issues by establishing a clear and balanced vision for the public and private sectors.

The delay of the Traffic Operations System, one of the implementation goals of TravInfo, was affected by a rigid procurement structure that did not allow for quick resolution of problems facing the TOS implementation. In addition, concerns were voiced by some interviewees regarding the data coverage provided by the TOS. However, TravInfo developed a multi-tiered strategy to provide data to compensate for the limitations of the TOS, and Caltrans will continue to expand the data coverage of the TOS during the TravInfo FOT effort.

Findings

TravInfo is a field operational test (FOT) of advanced traveler information systems (ATIS) for the San Francisco Bay Area. TravInfo aims to develop a multi-modal traveler information system for the San Francisco Bay Area, combining public and private sector talents.

This report presents the results of year two of the institutional evaluation, which is part of the overall TravInfo evaluation. Nineteen core participants were interviewed, including all of the Management Board and most of the Steering Committee members and project staff. Separately, twenty Advisory Committee members were interviewed.