Evaluation and Prioritization Criteria
Developing evaluation factors or criteria is part of the goal-setting phase of a TSP process. TSP goals and objectives are the basis for the evaluation framework, which jurisdictions use to assess and compare the suitability of transportation system alternatives and to prioritize projects, programs, policies, pilot projects, and/or refinement studies to address the community's identified transportation needs. Evaluation criteria may be somewhat general and subjective, like goal statements or objectives, or they may be more specific and quantitative in anticipation of evaluating the performance of different transportation system solutions.
Definitions - Evaluation criteria vs. performance measures vs. performance targets vs. performance standards
Although often related through the overall TSP vision, evaluation criteria, performance measures, and performance standards/targets are used differently throughout the development and implementation of the TSP.
Evaluation criteria are used to compare transportation system alternatives and to prioritize projects that are included in a TSP. They can be qualitative and/or quantitative and should align with the goals and objectives identified through the TSP development process.
Performance measures are used to evaluate the performance of the transportation system over time. For jurisdictions that are required to report performance measures, they are encouraged to evaluate the measures as part of the TSP development process to establish baselines for each measure. For example, jurisdictions in a metropolitan area are be required to either report progress on performance measures from an approved regional scenario plan or report on the measures in OAR-0905 and track progress on an annual basis. In addition to those that are required, a jurisdiction may elect to track other performance measures, which may come from related plans and documents (i.e. TSMO plans, TSAPs, ITS plans, etc.).
Performance targets are set for each performance measure, for each required reporting year. They are used during the TSP development process to identify gaps and deficiencies in the transportation system. The TSP development process can modify adopted performance targets.
Performance standards are used to review comprehensive plan and land use regulation amendments in accordance with OAR-0060. After a TSP is adopted, the performance target can be applied as a standard to evaluate plan and land use amendments, although not all performance measures will apply to all situations.
See Performance Measures for Reporting and Performance Standards for more information.
The TSP Guidelines provide a Sample Evaluation Matrix with examples of evaluation criteria that correspond with the Sample Goals and Objectives. Also included is draft introduction language explaining the evaluation process and the mechanics of project selection and prioritization. The Sample Evaluation Matrix lists example evaluation criteria; depending on the method selected, jurisdictions can develop and apply different scoring approaches (e.g., Consumers Report style; +1/0/-1; +4/+2/0/-2/-4).
Using a qualitative approach, the criteria will not be weighted. Instead, the ratings will be used to inform discussions about the benefits and tradeoffs of each alternative. Using a quantitative approach (a point-based technical rating system where scoring depends on how well proposed projects meet the criteria), the criteria can be weighted (if desired) and the evaluation score can be summed to compare alternatives. In either approach, there may be quantitative performance measures for the evaluation criteria (such as volume-to-capacity ratio, bicycle level-of-traffic stress, predicted crash rate, or percentage of completed sidewalks). In these cases, a jurisdiction can assess how a project is helping the agency achieve or move toward desired performance levels.