Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana (OKI) Regional Council of Governments Peer Review Report

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Disclaimer

The views expressed in this document do not represent the opinions of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and do not constitute an endorsement, recommendation or specification by FHWA. The document is based solely on the discussions that took place during the peer review sessions and supporting technical documentation provided by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana (OKI) Regional Council of Governments. OKI is responsible for the allocation of federal transportation funds within the three-state region.

1.2 Acknowledgements

The FHWA wishes to acknowledge and thank the peer review panel members for volunteering their time to participate in the peer review of the OKI travel demand forecast model (TDFM) and for sharing their valuable experience.

The peer review panel members were:

• Rebekah Anderson - Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT),
• Lei Zhang - National Center for Strategic Transportation Policies, Investments and Decisions at the University of Maryland,
• Keith Lawton - Keith Lawton Consulting,
• Arash Mirzaei - North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), and
• Mark Bryam - Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).

Brief biographies for each of the peer review panel members are presented in Appendix C.

1.3 Report Purpose

The peer review was supported by the Travel Model Improvement Program (TMIP), which is sponsored by FHWA. The peer review of a travel model can serve multiple purposes, including identification of model deficiencies, recommendations for model enhancements, and guidance on model applications. Given the increasing complexities of travel demand forecasting practice and the growing demands by decision-makers for information about policy alternatives, it is essential that travel forecasting practitioners have the opportunity to share experiences and insights. The TMIP-supported peer review provides a forum for this knowledge exchange.

The objective of the current TMIP peer review was to seek guidance and recommendations on the following features of OKI's travel demand model, which is planned to be updated from a trip-based to a tour-based model:

• Reaffirm that the current trip-based model structure, procedures and results meets the needs of the agency.
• Identify any improvements that can be quickly implemented within OKI's existing data resources or suggest data that can be easily collected for application in the model; and
• Obtain guidance regarding their effort to transition to a tour-based model.

The peer review panel spent one and a half days, April 14 and 15, 2014, responding to specific questions from OKI and its planning partners. The results of those discussions and recommendations from the panel are presented in this report.

1.4 Report Organization

This report is organized into the following sections:

• Overview of OKI - this section gives an introduction to the demographics and transportation characteristics of the region, and OKI's planning responsibilities.
• Development of the OKI Model - this section provides a historical context of travel modeling at OKI, the agency's current model improvement program, and their goals for the peer review.
• Transportation Model Improvement Plan - this section provides an assessment of OKI's improvement plan prior to the peer review session.
• Peer Review Discussion - this section provides details regarding each topic discussed during the peer review session.
• Peer Review Panel Recommendations - this section provides the peer review panel's recommendations to OKI.

In addition, the report includes Number of Appendices:

• Appendix A - list of peer review participants
• Appendix B - peer review meeting agenda
• Appendix C - biographies for each of the peer review panel members