REGIONAL CONGESTION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (RCMP)

The Regional Congestion Management Program (RCMP) serves as a mechanism to fulfill SJCOG’s requirements as a metropolitan area with a population exceeding 200,000, under the Federal Congestion Management Process. In addition, there is an opportunity to integrate Performance-Based Planning and Programming (PBPP) performance metrics and provide information of interest to our jurisdictions.

A key focus of the Federal CMP aims to reduce single-occupant-vehicle (SOV) travel while minimizing the need for increasing SOV roadway capacity. It also provides additional resources for the development and deployment of new congestion management technologies. For areas designated as non-attainment of Federal air quality standards such as San Joaquin County, the Federal Congestion Management Process stipulates (23 CFR 450.320 (d)) that Federal funds may not be programmed for any project that results in a significant increase in the carrying capacity of single occupancy vehicles (i.e., new general purpose lanes with the exception of safety improvements or the elimination of bottlenecks) unless the project is addressed through a federally compliant congestion management process. For SOV capacity increasing projects proposed to be advanced with Federal funds, an analysis is required to demonstrate that all reasonable travel demand reduction and operational management strategies have been implemented to the fullest extent possible.

Federal Congestion Management Process

The Congestion Management Process (CMP), as defined in federal regulation, is intended to serve as a systematic process that provides for safe and effective integrated management and operation of the multimodal transportation system. The process includes:

  • Development of congestion management objectives;
  • Establishment of measures of multimodal transportation system performance;
  • Collection of data and system performance monitoring to define the extent and duration of congestion and determine the causes of congestion;
  • Identification of congestion management strategies;
  • Implementation activities, including identification of an implementation schedule and possible funding sources for each strategy; and
  • Evaluation of the effectiveness of implemented strategies.