Comprehensive, multiple level assessment and multiple criteria ranking of transportation projects

Abstract

PURPOSE: The transportation projects are evaluated comprehensively, using different perspectives and aspects of assessment. The purpose of the paper is to present the assessment methodology.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The evaluation has been formulated as a multiple level, multiple criteria ranking problem with a hierarchical, 3-level structure. At each level of the analysis the transportation projects are assessed by a set of criteria, including transportation project operational characteristics, transportation policy – based, tactical criteria and a highlevel, long-term impact, strategic measures. Separate rankings of the considered projects have been generated for all levels of the hierarchy. Their original aggregation procedure, based on the transportation projects’ utilities has been proposed and resulted in the ranking of all projects.

FINDINGS: The developed methodology, called Hierarchical – Multiple Level, Multiple Criteria Evaluation (HMLMCE) of TP-s has its significance both from a theoretical and practical point of view. It has been applied in a large city of Poznan, Poland as an important decision-making tool for municipal authorities considering the implementation of concrete transportation projects in the city/ metropolitan area.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Solution’s application showed the ability to analyze the impact of transportation projects on basic traffic characteristics of the city, their influence on tactical aspects associated with the implementation of sustainable transportation policy in the city as well as their role in the fulfillment of the city strategy. The proposed method can be applied in any urban transportation system and after slight modifications in other transportation and logistics systems.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The paper presents an original and universal approach to assessing and ranking transportation projects – TP-s featured by the extension and improvement of an urban transportation system.