Least-cost planning : a tool for metropolitan transportation decision making

Abstract

A new approach to transportation investment planning and a prototype sketch-planning model are described. The model was developed to assist metropolitan transportation planners and decision makers in meeting the new federal and state planning requirements. Based on two decades of experience in electrical energy planning, the model incorporates the principles of least-cost planning and full-cost accounting. It attempts to promote an efficient search for investment and policy strategies that enhance regional benefits, while reducing social costs. A demonstration of the model for the Puget Sound metropolitan region was carried out by comparing a limited number of options. These included a set of study options associated with a proposed light rail system, two commuter rail options, an option featuring the construction of a regional bicycle network, a highway expansion option, and a series of options emphasizing public and private incentives directed toward reduced single-occupancy vehicle use. Further refinements of the model will allow for the accounting of synergy among options, the comparison of decision packages, and the selection of an optimal and integrated set of investments and policies.

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