Performance and Trends

System measures

Performance measures evaluate how the system safely, efficiently, and effectively connects people to destinations, like grocery stores, work, parks and childcare, and many other places people travel.

Performance outcomes include federally required and regionally specific measures that guide the policies and planning across the system. The regional performance measures are shaped by the six goals of the Transportation Policy Plan.

• Transportation System Stewardship
• Safety and Security
• Access to Destinations
• Competitive Economy
• Healthy and Equitable Communities
• Leveraging Transportation Investments to Guide Land Use

Travel forecasting

Travel demand modeling is an essential part of transportation investments. It allows planners to identify and analyze when and where travel demand is highest, and estimate how much people might travel in the future. Realistic and data-driven travel demand forecasts are needed at every stage of planning and project development.

The Met Council is responsible for maintaining and developing the Regional Travel Demand Forecast Model and for creating forecasts with socio‐economic data. The goal of travel demand forecasting is to develop results that are logical, sensible, and reflect the key differences between alternatives.

Travel behavior

Understanding how residents use our region’s roads, bikeways, walkways and transit is an essential step in planning a transportation system that works for everyone. The Met Council conducts several surveys, including the Travel Behavior Inventory Household Survey, to understand how people get around our region. The data draws a picture of trends in travel behavior across the region.

Transportation needs in daily life

Met Council researchers collect data from many different sources to inform the region’s transportation policies and plans. This data is often quantitative. Quantitative data uses mathematical models, theories, and hypotheses to define the hard numbers behind a research project. This project instead uses small group discussions and interviews to gain a deeper understanding of how and why people travel in the region. Collecting qualitative data about the factors that affect people’s travel choices and decisions allows researchers to consider descriptions and feelings about people’s lived experience using the transportation system.

Emerging trends

The transportation system is evolving as new technologies come online and travel behaviors shift to meet current situations. The Met Council studies emerging trends to keep up with developments in the near and distant futures that will inform the way we plan and the policies that will need to be in place to meet these opportunities.