01520095

Component

Hurricane Sandy hit the New York City metropolitan area on October 29, 2012, resulting in flooding and widespread damage which closed or partially obstructed transportation facilities throughout the region. Damaged transit systems and highways crippled commutes for roughly 10 million commuters for weeks after the Storm. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) manages “511NY”, a statewide multi-modal travel and incident information service which serves New York via its 511NY.org website and phone number. TDM (transport demand management) outreach and rideshare support is provided by NYSDOT through 511NYRideshare as an Integral element of 511NY. During Hurricane Sandy, 511NYRideshare provided information support and outreach to commuters and employers, especially to medical staff in area hospitals, since access to several hospitals was heavily impacted by the storm. This paper details the range of traveler information services provided by NYSDOT and 511NYRideshare and outlines the level of emergency preparedness planning and response for providing travel information services. It also highlights the need for traditional TDM operations, including multi-modal travel information services and employer outreach, to be integrated into larger multi-agency emergency preparation and response efforts. Furthermore, this paper showcases outcomes of employer involvement in emergency response, which further emphasizes the benefits of integrated TDM programs. A commuter survey and employer interviews were conducted to analyze the change of commute behavior and impact of employer involvement in encouraging alternatives for long term commuter travel behavior. The paper also outlines lessons learned and recommendations for further integration of TDM and emergency preparation and response services.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABE50 Transportation Demand Management.

01503729

14-2752

English

22p

2014

Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Maps; References

Commuters; Disaster preparedness; Emergency management; Employers; Flood damage; Hurricanes; Information dissemination; Public transit; Ridesharing; Travel demand management; Traveler information and communication systems

Hurricane Sandy, 2012; New York State Department of Transportation

New York Metropolitan Area

Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Security and Emergencies; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2014 Paper #14-2752

PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 27 2014 2:56PM