Careers in Transportation
Planning
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What is the role of the transportation planner?
An overview of transportation opportunities for
all planners
Employment outlook for urban and regional
planners
What is the Role of a Transportation
Planner?
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Transportation planners work to improve the quality
of life of the communities they serve by developing
sustainable solutions to issues such as urban sprawl,
traffic congestion, air pollution, access to jobs, and
the mobility needs of an aging population
Long Range Transportation Models
Local Future Land
Use Plans
•Assumes future
land use is valid
•Assumes
community will
develop per its
plan
Employment &
Household
Projections
Projected
Deficiencies
(congestion) and
Alternatives
Analysis
Recommended Changes –
typically to add capacity
Source: Washtenaw Area Transportation Study (WATS), LSL Planning, Inc.
Comparison of the Planning Processes
Land Use
Transportation
Goals
Qualitative and competing
Quantitative (Performance
Measures)
Scope
Short term (5-15 years)
Long term (30 years)
Data
Mild influence
Data driven
Public Input
Big influence
May or may not influence
Often not specified
Specific with costs and
funding
Bold ideas / “just a plan”
Engineering feasibility
Priorities and
Implementation
Practicality
Major Difference:
•Transportation based on planned Land Use
•Land Use has limited consideration of transportation
A New Paradigm
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Link land use with transportation:
Land use arrangement to reduce peak
hour auto trips
 Site design to support
bicycling/walking/transit
 Combine land-use planning with
transportation planning (regional,
community, and site specific)
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Increased cooperation among all
parties involved in land use and
transportation
Operate in limited funding
environment by planning practical
(and affordable) and sustainable
solutions to meet our transportation
system needs
Photo: LSL Planning, Inc.
Role of the Transportation Planner
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“Bridge the gap”
Educate parties in an
Economic
understandable way
Development
Focus on long term
Advocate for
Environmental
underserved groups
Environmental justice
Use transportation to
improve community
sustainability
Land Use
Transportation
Outside
Agencies/
Stakeholders
Choices
Priorities
Decisions
Public
Source: LSL Planning, Inc.
Public Involvement
Facilitate, educate to
gather meaningful input
 Brochures
 Open house
 Public workshops
 Advisory committees
 “Road show”
 Visualization/simulation
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Photos: Courtesy of LSL Planning, Inc.
A transportation planner does . . .
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Long range plans
Corridor simulation
models
Flexible design/street
widths/road diets
(traffic calming/CSS)
Non-motorized plans
& walkable design
Demand management
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Transit oriented land
use and design
Access management
Overlay zones
Form-based codes
Transportation to
support economic
development
Corridor Planning
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Identify the function and
character of major
streets
Traffic operations (Level
of Service)
Accommodate all users
Access system
Road and streetscape
design (Context Sensitive
Solutions)
Bluffton, SC
Portage, MI
Source: LSL Planning, Inc.
Access Management
Cost effective traffic management methods to:
 Promote the flow of traffic
 Improve safety of pedestrians & vehicles
 Improve aesthetics of roadway areas
…by managing the location, quantity, type &
design of access to a roadway
Rear Access
Road
Structures
Shared
Access Road
Parking
Area
Structures
Front Access
Road
Thru Traffic
Lanes
Consolidated
Signs
Landscaping
Sources: Photo and Cover, MDOT
Access Management Guidebook.
Graphic, LSL Planning, Inc.
Benefit: Safety
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Source: FHWA, MDOT Access Management Guidebook
Access management
can help reduce
injuries and property
damage due to
crashes
Doubling of access
density from 10-20
access points per
mile often results
in about a 40%
increase in expected
crash rates*
*according to the Michigan Department
of Transportation
Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS)
Designing for:
CSS Median Cross-Section
Character
Users
Land
Uses
Multiple Functions
Linking to the past and to the
future
Alternative Roadway Cross-Sections
Source: LSL Planning, Inc.
San Jose, California
Existing conditions
San Jose, California
Mixed-use development at sidewalk
San Jose, California
Street trees; medians and pedestrian refuges; crosswalks
San Jose, California
Live-work housing; mixed-use building
San Jose, California
Bus lane
San Jose, California
Rapid transit lane demarcated in red
Promote Effective Solutions
Transportation planners can
promote effective solutions
such as roundabouts, ITS,
creative interchange design,
multi-modal streets and
traffic calming measures.
Photo: LSL Planning, Inc.
This includes both technical
analysis and building
support from other
professionals, the public,
and decision makers.
A multimedia demonstration from the City
of Sammamish, WA official website.
Road Diets
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Reducing # of traffic lanes
to provide left turn, transit,
or bike lane
Consider:
Function & environment
 Traffic volumes (consider for
8,500 – 24,000 vpd)
 Peak hour volumes & Level of
Service
 Crash types, pedestrian, bike,
& transit activity
 Impact on parallel roads
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Washtenaw County Access
Management Plan:
One-Way 3-to-2 Road Diet Concept
Source: LSL Planning, Inc.
Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
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Moderate to higher density
Within an easy walk
A mix of uses
Designed for the pedestrian
New construction or
redevelopment
Increases transit ridership
Strong benefits
Using Transportation as a Catalyst
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Rather than respond to land use, transportation investment can be a catalyst to
sound, sustainable growth and development
Increase property value by improving
access and safety
Balance land use with traveler needs
Examples:
 Convert
one-way to two-way
 Add on-street parking
 Add transit (Bus rapid transit/ streetcar/light rail)
Images Source: City of Birmingham, MI Triangle
District Master Plan, LSL Planning, Inc.
Manage Demand
Transportation planners also help manage
transportation demand by taking any action or set
of actions intended to influence the intensity, timing
and spatial distribution of demand for the purpose
of reducing the impact of traffic or enhancing
mobility options by
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Offering commuters one or more alternative
transportation modes and/or services
Providing incentives to travel on these modes or
at non-congested hours, or
Providing opportunities to better link or "chain"
trips together, and/or incorporating growth
management or traffic impact policies into local
development decisions.
Photo with permission from VPSI
Outlook for Transportation
Planners
Employment Outlook
Job Outlook
Earnings
Employment Outlook
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Urban and regional
planners held about
38,400 jobs in 2008.
About 66 percent
were employed by
local governments.
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Companies:
 architectural,
engineering, and
related services,
 management, scientific,
and technical
consulting services
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, 201011 Edition http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos057.htm#outlook
Job Outlook
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Faster than average
employment growth
Employment of urban and
regional planners is
expected to grow 19
percent from 2008 to 2018
Most new jobs will be in
affluent, rapidly expanding
communities.
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Job prospects will be best
for those with a master's
degree
Bachelor's degree holders
with additional skills in GIS
or mapping may find entry
level positions, but
advancement opportunities
are limited.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, 201011 Edition http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos057.htm#outlook
Earnings
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Median annual wages
of urban and regional
planners were
$59,810 in May
2008.
The middle 50 percent
earned between
$47,050 and
$75,630.
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The lowest 10 percent
earned less than
$37,960, and the
highest 10 percent
earned more than
$91,520.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, 201011 Edition http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos057.htm#outlook
Acknowledgements
ITE Transportation Planning Council thanks the
following individuals for contributing material for
this PowerPoint presentation
 Brad Strader, AICP, PTP, LSL Planning, Inc.
 Lucy Gibson, Smart Mobility
 UrbanAdvantage