In order to best serve the goals of a particular community, large or small, it is generally recognized that planning new or improved transportation services must be viewed in a comprehensive context--services or individual transportation systems are merely parts of a total system. The approach is designed to consider all possible transportation elements and to select those which best provide a solution to the problem. Transportation systems planning attempts to relate the reasons for travel (work, shop, etc.) and travel dimensions (trip length, etc.) with travel modes and transportation facilities. LSC applies the principles of systems management and planning to all work involving transportation planning for communities and proposed land use changes.

LSC has developed an extensive list of transportation plans and elements in mountain resort communities throughout the American West, including Aspen, Vail, Squaw Valley, Mammoth Lakes, Telluride, Park City, Jackson, Steamboat Springs, and Summit County, Colorado. Working for municipalities, resort developers, and transit agencies, we have successfully developed plans and designs for roadways, parking systems, transit systems, and pedestrian/bicycle facilities.

Careful planning of short- and long-range transit improvements, together with evaluations of all alternatives, are prerequisites to every transit program. LSC specializes in transit planning for cities, counties, and resort areas. We have experience in helping many areas start a new transit service or improve an existing service. We also assist in the planning of non-conventional transit service such as demand-response service, route deviation, elderly/disabled transportation, or user-side programs.

Assistance is provided by LSC in improving the operations of existing transit systems. This may include updating bus routes and schedules, design of transit centers and park-and-ride facilities, modifications to traffic signals, improved dispatching procedures, or bus stop signing, etc. We also assist in improving management and maintenance practices, forecasting future patronage, and developing financial and organizational plans.

Transit Training Seminars

Employee turnover in the transit industry generates an ongoing need for management training. LSC has developed a series of training seminars and workshops regarding financial planning, operations planning, the competitive contracting process, and transit demand analysis geared toward managers of small to mid-sized transit properties.

LSC has extensive experience in the design and planning for intermodal centers, transit maintenance facilities, roadway, pedestrian/bicycle, and parking facility design. Our work has included programming, site design, functional design, cost estimating, and environmental analysis for a wide range of public and private clients.

Parking control can be a key strategy in achieving economic vitality, traffic congestion, air quality, and revenue generation goals. We can assist public and private agencies in the evaluation of parking demand, space requirements, control mechanisms, and development of layout plans including plans and construction cost estimates. In addition, we have considerable experience in all aspects of parking feasibility studies including analysis of rate structures, operating costs, financing, and bond requirements.

Pedestrian/Bicycle Planning

The planning and preliminary design of facilities for non-motorized forms of transportation is becoming increasingly important. LSC has developed plans for bicycle and pedestrian facilities in a variety of urban and rural study areas, for both public and private clients.

There is a growing need for traffic and traffic-related impact analyses related to proposed residential, commercial, and industrial development projects. In response, local planning agencies are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of good transportation planning and the need for sound analysis of the traffic, air, and noise impacts of proposed developments. A well-designed internal traffic network is critical to the success of a project and the development's impact on the total community's transportation system cannot be overlooked. We provide analysis of all aspects of a proposed development's potential traffic generation, distribution, and impact characteristics, including the associated air quality and noise impact, and the identification of warranted mitigation measures.

Our traffic engineering services emphasize the development of plans which integrate circulation, access, pedestrian, and parking facilities in order to optimize capacity and safety. Our experience encompasses all aspects of traffic engineering, including operations, design, and safety.

Traffic Safety

Our studies of traffic safety focus on the development of improvement programs which can be readily implemented. These studies include traffic accident analysis, identification of safety deficiencies, development of safe routes to school, and special needs studies and programs.

The proper design, phasing, and timing of a traffic signal is critical to the efficiency and safety with which pedestrians and vehicles are able to proceed through the controlled intersection. At locations where signalized intersections are relatively close to each other, further improvements in efficiency and safety can often be achieved by linking the signals into systems. We offer the capability for the design of individual intersections and for studies of the design of signal systems. We have the capability to produce the plans, specifications, and estimates required to implement installation of signal systems. The final steps of construction supervision and acceptance testing are also available.

LSC has been involved in a wide variety of data collection since the firm's inception. Our studies include machine traffic volume counts, peak-hour turning movement counts, parking lot studies, vehicle classification counts, and speed and delay studies. We provide the basic services of set-up, periodic checking, and compiling the data. The firm uses the latest, state-of-the-art computer hardware and software in its analyses of transportation data. In addition, LSC survey crews have successfully conducted many data collection efforts regarding trail user surveys, parking accumulation and turnover surveys, as well as boarding/alighting, on-time performance, and passenger surveys for transit systems.