Accessibility
- The potential for people to travel to reach certain
opportunities within a given travel time.
Capacity
- The maximum rate of flow of persons or vehicles that
can be reasonably expected to traverse a segment of
roadway or other element of the transportation system
during a specified time period under prevailing conditions.
Congestion
Buster Task Force (CBTF) A statutorily mandated
task force to study and make recommendations concerning
the reduction of traffic congestion in the State. The
Commissioner of the Department of Transportation appointed
the task force members.
Complementary
Strategies -
Strategies, developed in conjunction with adding additional
lane capacity on highways, that reduce transportation
demand and vehicle trips.
Congestion
The condition that results when travel demand
approaches or exceeds the capacity of a transportation
facility to provide service at performance levels acceptable
to the users.
Congestion
Management System (CMS) -
A management system required by federal law for Metropolitan
Planning Organizations (MPOs) in air quality non-attainment
areas. A CMS uses a systematic process that provides
information on transportation performance, and is used
as a decision support tool to monitor congestion, develop
and evaluate alternative strategies, provide analysis
for future congestion, and identify and evaluate future
projects.
Congestion
Pricing
Pricing systems that require motorists to pay for the
use of congested transportation facilities. In theory,
the fee represents the incremental cost that his or
her trip imposes on other users of the system.
Decentralization
Moving of people and activities away from the
central city out to locations on the outer parts of
the city or to the suburbs.
Delay
Excess time spent traveling
due to congestion.
Functional
Integrity
The intended function and usage of transportation facilities
to maintain the desired traffic operation, flow, and
safety.
Intelligent
Transportation Systems
The use of automated systems and information
technologies on our transportation network including
communications and safety systems to assist in traveler
decisions and traffic flow.
Intermodal
Facilities -
passenger facilities where several modes of transportation
are physically and operationally integrated, providing
for passengers changing between modes.
Level
of Service (LOS) A qualitative
measure describing operational conditions of the traffic
flow on roadways or other transportation facilities
expressed in quality of transportation flow ranging
from Excellent (Level A free-flowing traffic)
to Unsatisfactory (Level F bumper-to-bumper,
stop-and-go traffic). LOS is based on performance measures
such as speed, travel time, delay, freedom to maneuver
and traffic interruptions.
Load
Factor The ratio
of the number of passengers occupying a transit vehicle
to the seating capacity of the vehicle. A ratio above
1.0 indicates that there are more passengers than the
vehicle is safely designed for, resulting in passengers
standing.
Metropolitan
Planning Organizations (MPO)
The forum for cooperative transportation decision
making for metropolitan planning areas, required by
federal law. MPO responsibilities include preparation
of a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) which
includes all federally funded projects.
Municipal
Land Use Law (MLUL) New Jersey statute enacted
in 1975 whose purpose is to encourage municipal action
to guide the appropriate use or development of all land
in the State. (N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et al.)
Mixed
Use Locations
where there are multiple types of land uses together,
including residential, commercial, and/or public uses.
Mobility
The ability to travel
by taking advantage of accessibility to reach opportunities
within a given travel time or distance using available
travel modes.
Modal
Distributions
Distributions of usage of various types of public and
private modes for travel, i.e., auto, transit, walking.
Mode
Choice Decision
of persons to choose among various public and private
transportation modes of travel.
Multi-occupant
Vehicles
Vehicles containing two or more people traveling together
in the same vehicle.
NJDOT
New Jersey Department of Transportation.
NJTP
New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
Non-attainment
Areas Areas
where the Federal Air-Quality standards (NAAQS) have
not been met for a transportation-related pollutant.
Operational
Changes
Improvements to roadways and transportation facilities
to improve traffic flow without adding additional lanes
or infrastructure.
Peak
Hour The 60-minute
period observed during the analysis day containing the
largest amount of travel on the transportation system
by people and/or vehicles.
Person
Miles of Travel (PMT)
Total distance traveled in a time-period by all
people.
Preferential
Treatment
Giving preferences to certain vehicles or transportation
modes to use a transportation facility, when others
must wait or use a different facility. The purpose is
to promote the use of a particular mode or operation.
Ramp
Metering A method
used to limit vehicular access from a ramp onto a freeway
to improve traffic flow on the mainline freeway.
Regional
Travel Patterns
General travel patterns involving large numbers of travelers
between and within large geographic areas, such as cities,
suburbs, counties, metropolitan areas, and states
Roadway
Congestion Index (RCI)
Measure of vehicle travel density on major roadways
or vehicles per road space. A RCI over 1.0 means the
system is operating at an undesirable congestion level.
State
Development and Redevelopment Plan (SDRP)
Plan adopted pursuant to the State Planning Act which
is designed for use as a statewide tool for assessing
suitable locations for infrastructure, housing, economic
growth and conservation. The SDRP recognizes that it
is in the public interest to encourage development,
redevelopment and economic growth in locations that
are well situated with respect to present or anticipated
public services and facilities. (N.J.S.A. 52:18A-196
et al.)
Single
Occupant Vehicle (SOV) Vehicle containing
one person traveling in it.
Smart
Moves for Business (SMFB) Program A program
administered by NJDOT that encourages New Jersey employers
to develop and implement voluntary employer trip reduction
programs. Tax credits and challenge grants are available
under the program.
Spatial
Distributions
The distributions of the locations and concentrations
of residences, employment and other uses.
System
Performance
The overall operation of traffic flow within a highway
or geographic area in terms of travel times, delays,
speeds, congestion, and safety.
Telecommuting
Work-based employer
demand management program reducing the number of work
trips by having employees work at home, or reducing
the trip length by having employees work at satellite
telework centers.
Transfer
of Development Rights (TDR) A land use technique
to protect and preserve undeveloped open land by transferring
the rights to develop from one area to another.
The goal is to concentrate development in areas having
transit sustainability.
Transportation
Management Association (TMA) Independent,
non-profit, private/public partnerships that work closely
with employers, government and commuters to implement
demand management programs in their respective service
areas.
Travel
Delay A time-based measurement commonly used
to determine additional travel time in excess of the
amount that would be reasonably desired by users of
a transportation facility.
Travel
(Transportation) Demand - The
amount of users desiring to use to transportation system.
Travel
Rate Index (TRI) Measures
the amount of additional time it takes it takes to travel
during the peak period. It provides a system ratio for
travel time during the peak period as compared to free-flow
conditions.
Value
Pricing Pricing
systems that charges motorists for the use of uncongested
roadways. SOV drivers pay fees to gain access to uncongested
alternative facilities.
Volume
/ Capacity Ratio (V/C)
The ratio of the volume of the demand flow of vehicles
(or persons) using a segment of a transportation facility
to the maximum number of vehicles (or persons) that
can reasonably use the segment during a given time period.
V/C ratios of 0.75 or greater typically indicate congested
travel conditions. .
Vehicle
Miles of Travel (VMT) Total
distance traveled in a time-period by all vehicles.