by Sushant Sharma and David Galicia
When a major event attracts tens of thousands of visitors to a community, the transportation network is sometimes negatively impacted near that event. The ripple effect can often be felt across the entire transportation system. We and other researchers with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Center for International Intelligent Transportation Research (CIITR) had a unique opportunity to study one of the biggest and historical events in the Paso Del Norte Region — the Pope’s visit to Ciudad Juarez area in April.
When a major event attracts tens of thousands of visitors to a community, the transportation network is sometimes negatively impacted near that event. The ripple effect can often be felt across the entire transportation system.
We and other researchers with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Center for International Intelligent Transportation Research (CIITR) had a unique opportunity to study one of the biggest and historical events in the Paso Del Norte Region — the Pope’s visit to Ciudad Juarez area in April.
INRIX provided traffic data, and pedestrian counters and video cameras were installed at all ports of entry (POEs). U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Texas Department of Transportation, and the City of El Paso supplied supporting data. Transit use information was also collected from Sun Metro, El Paso’s transit agency.
What was expected to be a congestion nightmare — not only at the site of the papal mass but also along major routes in El Paso — turned out much better. While some locations experienced a dramatic increase in both vehicular and pedestrian traffic, border crossings (in both directions) had no major security or congestion issues, and processing times were quick.
In evaluating why things turned out so well, it was clear that thousands of people decided to walk, instead of drive. Many also used Sun Metro’s Bus Rapid Transit System (ridership was up 30 percent during the papal visit). Also, tens of thousands of people apparently choose to stay home, electing to watch the mass on television. Increased staffing at POE’s and restricted commercial traffic at BOTA also helped to alleviate congestion at the border crossings.
Proactive measures by all of the agencies certainly played a major role in turning a potentially huge problem into a manageable situation. Most agencies make rigid plans that don’t evolve as an event like this unfolds. Perhaps the most important thing we learned through our analysis is that such plans should be flexible and able to adapt as event traffic changes. The overall lesson we can share with other cities in dealing with a major event like the Pope’s visit is this: if you want to alleviate congestion, plan smart—and plan ahead.
Sushant Sharma and David Galicia are assistant research scientists with TTI’s Center for International Intelligent Transportation Research.