Mobility

Improve access to and efficiency of the region's transportation network, and ensure the safety and security of the system's users

Policy Background
Automobile crashes threaten the personal safety of motorists on the roads and highways of the Delaware Valley. Generally, roads that are congested and in poor condition tend to present a greater likelihood of crashes. This not only poses a physical hazard to the region's motorist, as well as time lost stranded in congestion, but also slows the movement of goods, which directly affects the economy.

Measurement
This indicator measures the safety of the regional highway system consisting of state, county and local roads. The number of crashes consist of fatal crashes, injury crashes and property damage only crashes (those where at least one vehicle must be towed). Data is reported on a county by county basis and is collected annually by PennDOT's Bureau of Highway Safety and Traffic Engineering and NJDOT's Accident Records Section. The data will be compared over time. Methods of reporting and displaying accident information differ in Pennsylvania and New Jersey such that state figures are not directly comparable. Data for New Jersey is not available for 1996 through 1998. At present, NJDOT is processing this data and will make it available when it is compiled.

Both DOTs list three crash types (fatal crashes, injury crashes and property damage only crashes) which are aggregated for the purpose of this indicator. In Pennsylvania, property damage only crashes are reported only when one or more motor vehicles incurs disabling damage as a result of the accident, requiring the vehicle to be transported away from the scene by a tow truck or other vehicle. The New Jersey State Police report only those accidents where one or more motor vehicles sustain at least $500 worth of damage. The responding officers determine this damage assessment at the time of the accident.

Results
The total number of automobile crashes in the Delaware Valley declined 17.7% between 1988 and 1995 with every county in the region experiencing a net decline. Total crashes within the five Pennsylvania counties decreased 14.3% from 47,442 in 1988 to 40,635 in 1995. The four southern New Jersey counties experienced a 21.3% decline in the total number of automobile crashes between 1988 and 1995.

Since there are more vehicles traveling the region's roads and congestion has increased, it is logical to expect an increase in vehicle crashes. Although the five counties in Pennsylvania reflect a decline from 1988 to 1995, data for 1998 shows a slight increase in all counties. According to traffic engineers in PennDOT's Bureau of Highway Safety and Traffic Engineering, better educated drivers coupled with advance vehicle engineering, such as anti-lock brakes, may be a reason for the decline between 1988 and 1995. However, according to the New Jersey State Police, the number of crashes on state highways has historically fluctuated and is primarily dependent upon the weather. Issues such as the completion of more miles of expressways, which have lower crashes/volumes than local roads and alcohol-related reductions due to tougher enforcement may also be responsible for fewer accidents. Although no source could be pinpointed as the cause in the decline from 1988 to 1998, it appears that reporting minimums (i.e. monetary thresholds or the need for towing) may exclude the reporting of many minor fender-bender type accidents, accounting for a part of the trend observed.

Policy Background
The physical composition of the regional highway system is an important component in the physical safety and economic health of the Delaware Valley. Highways that are rated in poor condition are hazardous to the motoring public. In addition, these highways cause numerous delays, jeopardizing the efficiency of the regional freight movement network and slowing the daily commutes of thousands of workers. Highway pavement performance is affected by two parameters: environment and traffic.

Measurement
This indicator measures the physical condition of the regional highway system. A higher percentage means that more road miles are in poor condition. In response to requirements in federal transportation legislation (TEA-21), administered by the Federal Highway Administration, this indictor is based on pavement conditions and reported annually by PennDOT (Overall Pavement Index) and NJDOT (Surface Distress Index). Both measures include only those roadways that fall under the jurisdiction of the respective state DOTs. It is important to note that there are other agencies that oversee roadways in the region including turnpike commissions, bridge commissions, counties and individual municipalities. This data only includes State DOT reports. Pennsylvania and New Jersey data are not directly comparable due to differences in their data collection and reporting methodologies. Pennsylvania last compiled data on this indicator in 1995. At present, PennDOT is completing an update to its Overall Pavement Index Report and data will be made available when it is released.

Results
The percentage of southern New Jersey state highways in poor and very poor condition increased from 14% in 1990 to 22% in 1995. According to NJDOT, the severe winters and long hot summers of the early 1990s, coupled with a significant increase in truck traffic were the primary causes for the increase in poor highway miles. However, this percentage decreased significantly between 1995 and 1998 with only 5.5% of highways listed in poor or very poor condition. The percentage of southeastern Pennsylvania highways under PennDOT jurisdiction in mediocre and poor condition decreased from 58% in 1990 to 26% in 1995. Wide-scale resurfacing projects in the region are attributed to the decrease in poor highway miles in southeastern Pennsylvania during this period. Data from PennDOT was not available for the years 1996-1998.

Policy Background
The Delaware Valley contains numerous rail and bus transit routes that provide alternatives to the automobile. Choices range from regional rail to elevated trains and from subway to bus. A major factor in the choice between using public transit and the automobile, is the efficiency (reliability over-time, comfort and safety) at which the transit system performs. By making reliable transit a viable option for commuters vehicular travel can be reduced, resulting in air quality improvement. A reliable public transit system can also serve to encourage more compact development patterns around transit stations.

Measurement
This indicator measures the scheduled performance of the region's three primary public transit providers (SEPTA, NJ Transit and PATCO). NJ Transit and PATCO define on-time performance as arriving within five minutes of the scheduled time, while SEPTA defines on-time performance by mode of transportation (rail, light-rail and bus). On-time performance information is available annually from all three public transit providers.

Results
On-time performance for NJ Transit increased slightly between 1990 and 1998 on the Atlantic City Line from 93.2% to 95.6%, and the Northeast Corridor Line from 88.1% to 92.4%. PATCO's on-time performance decreased very slightly from 99.2% to 99.1% of scheduled trains on-time in 1998. SEPTA has a varied on-time record depending upon the mode analyzed. The SEPTA mode with the highest on-time performance is the Broad Street Subway. The Subway's on-time performance increased slightly from 98.9% in 1995 to 99.2% in 1998. The SEPTA mode with the lowest on-time performance is the Light Rail Division, which decreased from 94.9% in 1990 to 85.0% in 1998. Regional Rail on-time performance decreased from 93.6% on-time in 1990 to 89.5% on-time in 1998.