A Study Worth Sharing
Ayres Associates’ John Davis has presented
information on the Cheyenne Frontier Days
traffic study before two professional groups, the
Transportation Research Board and the Institute of
Transportation Engineers.
At the 16th National Tools of the Trade
Transportation Planning Conference, sponsored by the
Transportation Research Board’s Standing Committee
on Transportation Planning for Small- and Medium-
Sized Communities, Davis joined others to discuss
the economic benefits of traffic planning, using
the Cheyenne Frontier Days as an example of how
efficient traffic management adds to the City’s largest
annual tourism draw. The TRB conference was held in
Kansas City, Missouri, August 22-24.
At the Institute of Transportation Engineers’
International Annual Meeting and Exhibit, Davis was
featured with other presenters discussing the role
of traffic management at major public events. The
concept was that transportation departments faced
with creating traffic control strategies for special
events recognize the value of planning, but those
plans must be flexible to accommodate unforeseen
circumstances. In addition to Ayres’ comments on the
success of the Cheyenne Frontier Days traffic study
and recommendations, presenters discussed how
planning was implemented to improve traffic flow at
special events in the nation’s capital, the Super Bowl,
the recent total solar eclipse, and Puerto Rico in the
aftermath of destructive hurricanes. The ITE Annual
Meeting was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August
20-23 and was a joint meeting with ITE’s Great Lakes
and Midwestern Districts.
Davis is Ayres’ traffic engineering services
supervisor.
strategies, or post-event debriefings. But they all had a
vested interest in improving the celebration.”
Mason and the MPO took on the task of working
with stakeholders to implement as many of the
recommendations as possible before the 2018 event.
“Starting in January, we had monthly meetings to go
through the recommendations of the plan. Each month we
went through the list, and each month we narrowed down
the recommendations and determined who would be
responsible for implementing those recommendations,” he
said. “By July, what had been a long list was a short list.”
By the start of the 10-day 2018 celebration, organizers
had modified park-n-ride bus routes, changed passenger
loading and unloading areas, prohibited on-street parking
in some areas to make bus runs more efficient, improved
traffic controls at several intersections, and determined
specific areas for passengers using Uber, pedicabs, and
other transportation modalities. Start-up and debriefing
meetings helped clarify concerns and provided a forum for
discussing ways to further improve the festival.
“Implementation of the plan allowed people attending
Frontier Days to move much more efficiently,” Mason said.
“There is more to do, of course. But everybody expressed
satisfaction with the plan. This plan will truly help the
community and makes the event better for visitors.”
AyresAssociates.com
│7