This primer discusses the rationale for and key elements of successful transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) program planning. It is designed as a practical resource to help State departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, and local or regional operations organizations to integrate and mainstream TSMO within their organizations. The primer describes why TSMO program planning is important and how it can benefit a transportation agency. It identifies the strategic, programmatic, and tactical elements needed to advance TSMO as a critical part of the agency’s mission which describes ten guiding principles to advance TSMO program planning, and building on successful practices to date.

This synthesis will be of interest to officials of municipal, regional, and statewide transportation agencies who are responsible for the management of surface transportation systems in metropolitan areas. It presents information on the processes used by transportation agencies to monitor, evaluate, and implement a variety of solutions to the management of surface transportation systems. This is a complex and dynamic area of application, and the examples presented herein represent a selection of such applications in 1997. The concept of transportation system management is constantly changing and will continue to change, especially with further implementation of intelligent transportation systems. This report of the Transportation Research Board provides an overview of the generalized process that transportation agencies have found to be effective in managing the various aspects of their transportation systems. Specific case examples of effective management strategies are described for several metropolitan areas including Houston, Seattle, metropolitan New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Developing and sustaining a transportation systems management & operations mission for your organization : a primer for program planning /

TRB’s second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Report S2-L06-RR-1: Institutional Architectures to Improve Systems Operations and Management examines a large number of topics concerning organizational and institutional approaches that might help transportation agencies enhance highway operations and travel time reliability.

Several 1-page summaries detailing solutions to transportation management & operations issues.