This study provides district- and state-level evaluation of the Road Ranger program and recommendations for future evaluations of the program. The major benefits of the Road Ranger program include delay savings, reduced fuel consumption and emissions, improved traffic flow, and reduced secondary incidents. The Freeway Service Patrol Evaluation (FSPE) model was used for the analysis phase to quantify the amount of savings due to reductions in delay, fuel, emissions, administrative, and contract costs of the Road Ranger program. A total of 200 scenarios were completed using the FSPE model. Road Ranger service coverage data were compiled for Districts 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Road Rangers cover a total of 1,321 centerline miles of interstates and toll roads in Florida. The calculated benefits (delay and fuel saving) of the Road Ranger program were about $134 million in total, and the costs (contract) were about $20 million. Overall, the program achieved a benefit-to-cost ratio of 6.68 in 2010. The benefits of the Road Ranger program are actually much greater than calculated by the FSPE model, as only lane blockage incidents are included in the analysis. (Author/publisher)
Abstract