Lessons Learned
In planned special events, the value of ITS is often directly proportional to the commitment of the stakeholders. When planning is characterized by communication and active participation by stakeholders, the value of ITS tends to increase because there are more people who benefit from the wider access to timely and accurate information that ITS make possible. As a result, most of the lessons that successful planners have taken from their experiences with planned special events focus not so much on the technologies that work best for them, but the aspects of coordinating, planning, and implementing a transportation plan that lends value and usefulness to the information the technologies provide.
This section summarizes the lessons learned at the six sites profiled in this study. Some lessons were reported at multiple sites, while other lessons represent the experience of only one location. Interviewees were eager to share their lessons with others, to help make it easier to plan, design, implement, and maintain ITS technology for planned special events in the future. Lessons are divided into three categories that correspond to phases in planned special event management: event planning and coordination, day of event, and after-action/post-event.
Event Planning and Coordination
- Hold regular coordination meetings in advance among stakeholders. Coordination meetings provide the opportunity not only to coordinate upcoming events, but also to cement relationships among the agencies and groups that participate in the meetings. Organized meetings where the participants get to know each other and learn how to communicate and work together set the stage for day-of-event activities.
- Understand that each agency operates in a manner that is consistent with its own goals and operational concepts. It is important to learn what these goals are and keep them in mind when moving forward with an event. Developing understanding on both the institutional and the individual levels contributes to well-coordinated planning for special events on both regional and local bases.
- When planning for a regularly held event, have a fluid plan and to be open to change. In any growing community, infrastructure changes from year to year, businesses enter or leave the community, roadways are built, and signals are added and need to be coordinated. These changes are all in addition to the normal operational changes that occur in a community and need to be considered during the event planning stage.
- Develop a contingency plan for evacuation of the venue. Preplanning evacuation-related messages for dynamic message signs and pre-recording HAR messages are components of an evacuation plan. It is also important to know the chain of command and communication among emergency responders in the event that contingency measures need to be implemented.
- Coordinate with construction programs at the state, county, and local levels to ensure that there are no planned construction projects scheduled to occur on the day of event. Unanticipated roadwork in venue areas with limited access routes could have a significant negative impact on an otherwise well-prepared transportation plan on the day of event.
- When planning, remember the needs of local citizens as well as
event attendees. It is important to recognize the importance of
keeping event participants out of local neighborhoods by closing off streets
in residential areas. It is also important to remember that local citizens
may need to move around the venue area during events. The needs of both
event attendees and local residents should be considered when adjusting
signal timing plans.
- Pay attention to feedback from local citizens. A measure of success for any event is how many residents indicate that they are able to move around the event areas and get where they are going with minimal delay.
- Take into account the inputs and needs of small businesses, which play an important role in the economy of smaller towns and rural areas. Planners should be willing to make time to speak with local business owners and attempt to address their concerns and accommodate their needs when developing traffic plans.
- When developing a traffic plan, consider establishing detours
for commercial vehicles and other non-event-related vehicles around the
area of the event venue. This pre-planning is particularly valuable
in rural areas and in localities where there are a limited number of roadways
for event traffic to use. Commercial vehicle drivers will benefit in reduced
fuel and travel time by avoiding eventrelated traffic.
- Communicate with neighboring localities and counties and coordinate with them as necessary to establish alternate routes in their jurisdictions.
- Consider approaching other localities or state agencies about borrowing dynamic message signs or other equipment.
- Put portable dynamic message signs in place several days prior
to the start of a planned special event to inform motorists of the event
and give them sufficient time to find and become familiar with alternate
routes. This practice can reduce the number of local motorists
who are using the roadways that serve the event and contribute to decreased
traffic delays associated with the event.
- Place dynamic message signs on outlying roadways that lead into event areas to provide a decision-point strategy for travelers who wish to avoid the event area. This placement can improve ease of travel throughout the region on the day of event.
- Take time to plan message content. By reviewing the quality, accuracy, and impact of pre-event message content on the travel patterns of a community, planners can craft messages that maximize the value of the signs to both local and visiting motorists.
- Test equipment thoroughly before the day of event. If a new piece of equipment will be used for an event, it is important to set it up and test it in advance of the event so that any problems or failures can be resolved ahead of time. Older equipment should also be checked prior to deployment to ensure it is in reliable working condition.
Day of Event
- While the event is actually underway and plans are being executed, have the same core members of the planning group available to modify the plan as necessary. The greatest benefit of the regularly held pre-event meetings is to keep the stakeholders working together as a seamless team through the implementation, so having these same people on hand for the event is vital. The level of commitment shown by the participating agencies to pre-planning, integration, and teamwork is the best indicator of a successful operation when the day of the event arrives.
- Use the local media to publicize special events and advise the population of the region about alternate routes and diversions. This kind of outreach may be especially valuable for venues in rural areas, areas with smaller populations and areas with less developed infrastructure.
- Have agency staff or field technicians conduct on-site observations during large special events. Transportation planners find that it is helpful for staff members to identify problem areas and then travel to those areas to provide on-site assistance and real-time communication with the transportation operation managers. The combination of CCTV cameras and dedicated personnel on site can be very effective in helping to maintain continuity of traffic operations throughout a planned special event.
- Use state or regional motorist assistance vehicles to patrol the roadways around events, borrowing from other agencies if necessary. Motorist assistance patrols are particularly valuable in areas where video surveillance is not available. These vehicles are equipped to move people and disabled vehicles out of the roadway quickly and safely. Operators can quickly apprise managers of incidents, speeding response and recovery. Assistance patrols often garner enthusiastic praise from stranded motorists, helping agencies maintain the good will of the traveling public.
After-Action/Post-Event
- Develop an after-action review of each special event, both to identify shortcomings as well as to determine what worked well so successful practices can be expanded or used for other events. An after-action or post-event review provides an opportunity to receive feedback from people involved in all facets of a planned special event, from on-site field staff, to TMC staff, to the general public. Such reviews also enable event planners to identify any underutilized capacity and think about how to utilize that capacity to its fullest for the next event.