This report provides an in-depth assessment and evaluation of the Travel Model Improvement Program (TMIP) Peer Review Program. The purpose of the assessment and evaluation was to understand the value transportation planning agencies derive from hosting a TMIP-sponsored review of their travel modeling tools and procedures. This assessment goes beyond past synthesis and evaluation efforts which only summarized the peer reviews conducted over the preceding one-two year time period.
This assessment and evaluation reviewed all twenty-eight peer reviews conducted since the program's inception in 2003 to identify the common trends, themes, and challenges faced by state departments of transportation (DOTs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in the development, application, and improvement of their travel modeling tools and procedures. This report presents a number of generalized findings culled from the diverse set of peer review final reports. In addition, this report presents a number of recommendations and proposed improvements to the TMIP Peer Review Program based on the reviewed documents and feedback elicited from recent host agencies.
The TMIP Program provides a wide range of services to help planning agencies improve their travel analysis techniques. The TMIP Program mission is to "support and empower planning agencies through leadership, innovation, and support of planning analysis improvements to provide better information to support transportation and planning decisions." To serve the mission, the program has three specific goals:
As an integral part of the overall program, the Peer Review Program provides state and local planning agencies the opportunity to solicit input from experts in the field of travel modeling in order to achieve the three program goals described above. The purpose of the Peer Review Program is to have a process whereby leading practitioners in the fields of transportation, land-use, and air quality planning and modeling can provide guidance to ensure agencies are developing technical tools, procedures, and processes that meet an agency's needs while also satisfying state, federal and local planning requirements. The Peer Review Program began in April 2003.
