Florida Department of

TRANSPORTATION

Office of Policy Planning

Abbreviations in this issue:

     CBO - Congressional Budget Office
     GHSA - Governors Highway Safety Association

1. Status of the Highway Trust Fund - This testimony projects future spending from the Highway Trust Fund and CBO’s estimates of the revenues that will be generated by excise taxes and credited to the fund.
2. The Opportunity Cost of Delays in Navigation Projects: A Case Study of Selected Navigational Projects for Florida Ports - This paper highlights the economic costs that are associated with federal delays in moving forward on specific navigation projects in Florida.
3. Measuring the Performance of Livability Programs - This report analyzes the performance measurement processes adopted by five large "livability" programs throughout the United States. The goal of the report is to determine what did and did not work in these programs and their measurement methods, while making recommendations based on the results of the analysis for potential future programs.
4. Freight Performance Measure Analysis of Freight-Significant Highway Locations - 2013 - This report identifies measures resulting from ongoing analysis of the impact of traffic congestion on truck-based freight at 250 specific locations. The information provided through this effort empowers decision-making in both the private and public sectors by allowing stakeholders to better understand the severity of congestion and mobility constraints experienced along the highway transportation system.
5. Improving Traffic Signal Operations for Integrated Corridor Management - This report assesses the Integrated Corridor Management approach which is believed to be a promising tool to mitigate urban traffic congestion. Through diversion control, the model aims to fully utilize the available capacity along parallel routes and has proved successful in reducing urban traffic congestion.
6. Miscellaneous Reports
   • 2013 Distracted Driving: Survey of the States - This report provides the latest information on state laws and law enforcement, public education efforts, partnerships with other organizations, and data collection efforts in combating distracted driving. FDOT restricts access to dropbox.com. Please contact GHSA for the full report.
   • The Secrets of Successful Communities - This post reveals the secrets to successful communities in a seven-part series:
        1. Have a vision for the future
        2. Inventory community assets
        3. Use education and incentives, not just regulation
        4. Pick and choose among development projects
        5. Cooperate with neighbors for mutual benefit
        6. Pay attention to community aesthetics
        7. Have strong leaders and committed citizens
   • Planning for Sustainability: Creating Livable, Equitable, and Ecological Communities - The report lays out a sustainability planning framework that pays special attention to the rapidly evolving institutions and power structures of a globalizing world. It explores topics such as how more compact and walkable cities and towns might be created, how local ecosystems can be restored, how social inequalities might be reduced, how greenhouse gas emissions might be lowered, and how more sustainable forms of economic development can be brought about.
   • The Role of Behavioral Economics in Residential Choice: A Pilot Study of Travel Patterns, Housing Characteristics, Social Connections, and Subjective Well-Being - This study attempts to probe deeper into how people make a residential choice and how their reported happiness changes along with their material circumstances, and thus to provide evidence about whether decision-making around where to live and how to travel is suboptimal in well-being.

For further information contact Monica Zhong or phone (850) 414-4808