To determine the environmental justice impact of an expanding system of priced roadway facilities, including toll roads and managed lanes, in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, working in conjunction with the Texas Department of Transportation, the North Texas Tollway Authority, and the Federal Highway Administration, developed technical methodologies, identified assessment metrics of potential impacts, and produced a final report of findings for the public, known as the Regional Tolling Analysis. This analysis is now in its second iteration, provides a companion analysis to support Mobility 2035: The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for North Central Texas. The need for the Regional Tolling Analysis was first identified as the Dallas-Fort Worth region began to rely more heavily on priced facilities in its long range planning efforts, both for financial reasons and as a method to actively manage travel demand. This expanded reliance on priced facilities generated concern of potentially negative impacts to environmental justice communities, in particular low-income residents. The collaboration between the regional transportation partners resulted in an analysis which provides quantitative results for the environmental justice study. These results have shown that no disproportionate or adverse impacts would be anticipated as a result of the implementation of the toll road and managed lane system, and therefore no mitigation efforts would be required. The results also served to validate the regional planning process, and the goals of avoiding or minimizing impacts, used in the development of Mobility 2035.
Technology Concerns
Electronic toll collection is standard in the United States, known in different regions by brand names such as E-ZPass and FasTrak®. Nonetheless, project planners should not assume that the public is familiar with this new technology. Public outreach efforts provide various opportunities to introduce the proposed
toll collection technology to potential users. Project sponsors need to explain how the proposed ETC system will work, including the role of an electronic transponder, the function of entry and exit gantries, the administration of pass-holder accounts, and the protection of individual privacy.
Although electronic toll collection has proven an effective and even popular tool with commuters, some perceive the electronic tracking of vehicles as an invasion of privacy. With the increased use of photo enforcement, this has become even more of an issue. Outreach materials should address this issue and provide detailed information on the mechanisms used to protect the privacy of motorists’ movements, as well as their financial and credit card information. One-way tolling agencies have addressed this issue is by linking the transponder with a generic, internal account number that does not reveal the driver’s identity. For example, California’s FasTrak program allows customers to open an anonymous FasTrak account without requiring a customer’s name, address or vehicle information. Customers are responsible for maintaining prepaid funds in their FasTrak account. Information on this program is available at:
http://www.bayareafastrak.org/static/about/faq_general.shtml#14. Public outreach efforts can generate public confidence in the priced managed lanes technology by explaining how people’s privacy is protected with these systems.
Additionally, once priced managed lanes open, the initial performance of the ETC system will be of paramount importance. If toll collection snags occur during the project’s launch, users may be unforgiving. Public outreach should include clear information on how the technology will work, where to buy a transponder, how to update an ETC account, and how the system is working.
enforcement
The traveling public will also want information on how the priced managed lanes will be enforcement.
Project sponsors should emphasize the enforcement usually relies on a combination of automated systems to verify ETC transactions and visual inspections to enforce moving violations and occupancy requirements for non-paying users. Agencies sponsoring priced managed lane projects should coordinate early on with enforcement agencies as well as the local judicial system to agree upon enforcement strategies and policies and the degree to which state and local law allow these processes to be automated. A lack of upfront coordination could lead to misinformation and changes that could be detrimental to public support.
4.3 Project Champions and Their role
Garnering support from one or more public figures can be one of the most instrumental factors in garnering support for a priced managed lanes project or its implementation. A project champion may be an elected official, a community leader, or private sector leader who effectively communicates an individual or organizational rationale for supporting the project. Although local departments of
transportation, transportation authorities, and MPOs will likely serve as project sponsors, respected public figures who are not transportation professionals can play a critical role by publicly supporting the project.
Project champions can play a very public role or work behind-the-scenes to help move a project forward. Public champions may guide the development of priced manages lanes projects during critical public outreach processes. Educating and informing key spokespeople helps ensure they are ready to talk about the project in the face of opposition. In some cases, a project champion may also be
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influential in political processes if the project requires legislative action or if it is debated in public elections. Project champions also act as effective coalition builders for a project, building consensus among different interest groups.
Because priced managed lanes must often receive approval at various stages and at various levels of government, it can be advantageous if several individuals champion the project. Some may be
successful at building support for the initiative locally, and others may help to make a case for the project to governors, mayors, U.S. representatives and senators. Businesses can also be important project champions, especially those that depend on reliable transportation.
Early involvement by project champions can be helpful in gaining public support for priced managed lanes. A particular group or individual may step forward to express initial interest in and support of the proposal. Project sponsors should be proactive in seeking out potential project champions early in the public involvement process. In some cases, champions may come from organizations and interest groups that are non-traditional supporters of roadway projects. For instance, if a priced managed lanes project promises to deliver environmental benefits, groups like the Sierra Club may lend their support.
Elected officials may emerge as important project champions, making the inclusion of elected officials in outreach efforts important for project planning. When formulating a position, politicians may consider the project from numerous angles, including its impact on constituents and its effect on local governance and finance. Outreach to elected officials should discuss an array of issues about the proposed initiative, including any impacts that local constituents may experience as a result of the project. Other issues that elected officials may consider when deciding whether to back the project include the following:
• The disposition of toll revenues
• Increased public spending
• Increased public revenues
• Alternative financing scenarios
• Competing transportation needs
• Competing transportation projects
• The elected official’s political capital
• The elected official’s relationships with other officials and political jurisdictions
4.3.1 Identifying Potential Champions
Table 4-1 highlights some groups whose leaders may play the role of champion, depending on the circumstances of the project. When anticipating responses from different stakeholder groups, it is important to recognize that support for or opposition to a priced managed lanes project may depend on project circumstances. For example, a managed lane operation proposed to regulate over- or under-utilization of an existing HOV lane may be received differently by different groups than a proposed new lane addition.
Table 4-1: idenTiFying POTenTial Priced Managed lanes chaMPiOns
Group why they may support
Newspaper Editorial Boards
and Local Media Media support may come where the project rationale is well understood and where editorial boards believe the project benefits and deserves support of their readers.
Elected Officials Elected officials may support the project if they favor the managed lanes’ market-oriented approach or the project benefits, if they want an innovative project in their district, or if their constituents support the proposal.
American Automobile
Association Managed lane facilities may promise better mobility for their members.
Environmental Advocates If a managed lane project converts an existing general-purpose lane, it could make single-occupant auto travel less attractive.
Taxi Associations Taxis that use a managed lane may be able to generate more fares in less time during peak periods.
Transit Agencies; Transit
Advocates In corridors without existing preferential lane treatment for HOVs or transit, transit operators may support managed lanes due to transit time savings.
Emergency Medical Service /
Police and Fire Departments Managed lanes may enable emergency services to respond more quickly to incidents.
Rideshare Agencies, Transportation Management Associations
For an over utilized HOV lane changing from 2+ to 3+ HOT operation, managed lane tolling may enable the facility to recapture operational benefits.
Employers; Business Groups Employers and business may support managed lanes for the potential to make transportation operations more efficient and to reduce delay time. Express delivery companies and other businesses that rely on predictable and efficient travel times may also be key project supporters.
Developers Developers may support managed lane facilities that enhance access to office buildings, shopping centers, residences or other locations they own.
Neighborhood Associations Area residents may support the managed lane facility if it enhances their mobility and travel options.
4.4 Building Consensus
Public outreach efforts establish meaningful processes for public participation in the planning and implementation of transportation projects and ensure that the different stakeholders have a voice in the planning process. This enables diverse interests involved to arrive at a transportation solution that is broadly accepted and beneficial. Ultimately, the goal of a public involvement program in support of a priced managed lanes project is to achieve consensus around and utilization of a program of action.
While one segment of the population may strongly favor priced managed lanes as the solution, another segment may feel it derives little benefit from the proposed facility. As with any proposed transportation improvement, priced managed lanes may have documented potential for technical and operational success, but may not find unanimous approval among constituents in the corridor.
As discussed earlier, the backing of political champions is always an essential element in building political consensus. Greater involvement by local and regional officials and stakeholders, in early planning stages and onward, may increase the effectiveness of public outreach efforts. Including a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the public outreach can be critical. In many cases, a single decision maker, such as a governor or mayor, may be in a position to derail or bolster the proposed project. Greater involvement by local business leaders, community groups, and other public officials in project planning helps to ensure that key decision makers will consider the broad range of interests when they take a position on a proposed priced managed lanes project.
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