Updating the travel matrixes & urban transit models for the San Salvador Metropolitan Area

Steer helped the government of El Salvador in their urban planning process by building a strategic urban transit model, and designing and evaluating different transport scenarios for the San Salvador Metropolitan Area (AMSS).

Prior to this work, the AMSS did not have an urban transit model for private and public transit to help them evaluate the impact of transport and infrastructure projects, only a public transport model for the Bus Rapid Transit line.

Our team worked with the client on:

1. Producing a workplan and schedule
2. Collecting and analysing available secondary information
3. Collecting and analysing primary information (traffic speed, demand, offer, declared preferences survey)
4. Recommending strategies for the methodology to develop travel matrixes from Call Detail Records – CDR and SMS queries.
5. Analysing the travel matrixes
6. Developing the urban transit model for AM and PM periods
7. Forming the government and IADB personnel in the use of the tool
8. Developing and analysing different transport scenarios

Security problems in the area rendered the traditional method of establishing inputs for the model and the travel matrix impossible so to tackle these issues, we used an innovative process of CDR analysis and SMS queries to develop the travel matrixes. Traffic speed, road infrastructure characteristics and declared preferences survey were also obtained with digital tools.

Based on the results, the urban planning model was developed and used to build different scenarios and form government and BID personnel.