Integrating Measures for Business Continuity and Transportation Demand Management to Ensure Regional Emergency Preparedness and Mobility

The business community must be prepared for a variety of emergencies ranging from natural disasters to terrorist attacks. Additionally, businesses must be prepared to continue operations even when events interfere with business as usual. For businesses, protection of critical resources is paramount in emergency planning. However, employee mobility during and after an emergency is less often considered, although it is an equally significant aspect of the business continuity. The objective of this paper is to explore how metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), as coordinators of regional transportation decision making, can promote regional business continuity after an emergency. The focus of the study is the role of transportation demand management strategies in supporting employee mobility and business continuity. This paper summarizes the results of a 2008 study commissioned by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, the MPO for three of California’s urbanized areas. The study represents the MPO’s first step toward the development of an emergency management and business continuity plan for its six-county region. Based on 20 interviews with government agencies and private companies across the United States, as well as a review of government and industry publications, the paper highlights best practices—including public–private partnerships, resource-sharing protocols, and technology applications—for maintaining employee mobility and business continuity following an emergency situation. The study also presents five case studies based on public- and private-sector experiences that highlight lessons learned, and planning and coordination efforts aimed at supporting employee mobility after an emergency