PTP study plan
PTP · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Transportation Planning Foundations and Process
Define the statutory and professional role of the transportation planner and distinguish it from adjacent engineering and land-use roles
Sequence the steps of the metropolitan/statewide planning process from visioning through adoption and amendment
Differentiate the core legal authorities (federal planning factors, statewide and metropolitan planning requirements, NEPA linkage) by what each mandates
Map how land use, economic, environmental, and equity considerations enter the planning process at each stage
Your checkpoint
A one-page process flowchart of the transportation planning cycle, annotated with the legal authority and typical duration of each stage
Transportation Planning Foundations and Process & Data Collection, Forecasting, and Analysis
Identify the primary traffic and travel data sources (counts, travel surveys, transit ridership, freight, census/ACS) and state what each can and cannot answer
Select an appropriate sampling or counting method for a stated study purpose and defensibly justify the choice
Compute and interpret basic descriptive statistics and measures of central tendency used in travel data
Explain data quality, coverage, and bias limitations and describe how to document them
Your checkpoint
An annotated data-source selection matrix covering 8 study purposes, each with a recommended source, method, and stated limitation
Data Collection, Forecasting, and Analysis
Apply standard trip generation rates and cross-classification tables to estimate trip ends for a development scenario
Contrast the four-step model with activity-based and tour-based approaches by inputs, outputs, and appropriate use
Interpret model outputs (trip tables, mode shares, assignment volumes, speed/capacity ratios) and flag implausible results
Break down a forecast into its assumption components and identify which assumptions drive the result most
Your checkpoint
A 10-problem forecasting workbook solved by hand, each with the assumption stated explicitly and a one-line sensitivity note
Data Collection, Forecasting, and Analysis & Plan, Program, and Policy Development
Evaluate competing forecasting methodologies against a stated planning question and recommend one with justification
Convert analysis findings into clearly worded problem statements and goal statements
Compare alternative strategies using a consistent evaluation framework (criteria, weights, scoring)
Draft measurable objectives that tie back to identified goals
Your checkpoint
A half-length practice assessment (40 items) scored and reviewed, plus a written evaluation of the three weakest items
Plan, Program, and Policy Development
Construct a goal-objective-measure hierarchy for a given regional scenario
Compare candidate policies and projects against adopted criteria and document the trade-offs
Sequence projects into a fiscally plausible program with dependencies and phasing
Describe how public involvement and stakeholder input shape plan content and adoption
Your checkpoint
A 3-page plan outline containing goals, objectives, two evaluated alternatives, and a phased project program
Plan, Program, and Policy Development & Implementation, Funding, and Evaluation
Match federal, state, and local funding programs to project types and eligibility rules
Estimate planning-level capital and operating costs and apply the appropriate inflation and contingency treatment
Explain fiscal constraint and demonstrate it with a revenue-versus-cost reconciliation
Identify the approvals, agreements, and institutional steps required to move a project to construction
Your checkpoint
A funding and cost table for a 5-project program showing revenue sources, cost estimates, and a fiscal-constraint check
Implementation, Funding, and Evaluation
Design a performance measure set that is specific, measurable, and tied to adopted objectives
Set defensible targets and explain the baseline and trend assumptions behind each
Outline a monitoring and reporting cycle including data refresh, review cadence, and amendment triggers
Describe how evaluation results feed back into plan updates and programming decisions
Your checkpoint
A performance measures sheet with 8 measures, each with definition, data source, baseline, target, and reporting frequency
Transportation Planning Foundations and Process & Data Collection, Forecasting, and Analysis & Plan, Program, and Policy Development & Implementation, Funding, and Evaluation
Complete a full timed practice examination under exam conditions
Diagnose error patterns by domain and by question type from the error log
Re-drill the two weakest domains using targeted review of missed concepts
Rehearse concise written justifications for calculation and policy-judgment items
Your checkpoint
A timed 100-item practice exam score report plus an error log categorizing every miss by domain and root cause
Milestones
Week 2: Can name the data source and method for any given study purpose within 60 seconds, and state one limitation of each
Week 4: Scores 70% or higher on the 40-item midterm assessment, with no domain below 60%
Week 6: Can reconcile a program's revenues and costs to demonstrate fiscal constraint without reference notes
Week 8: Scores 80% or higher on the timed 100-item practice exam, with every domain at or above 70% and no unresolved error-log entries