Transit planning and research programs : fiscal year ... project directory / Office of Technical Assistance and Safety, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Dept. of Transportation

96 Pages·1994·4.6 MB·English

by  United States. Federal Transit Administration. Office of Technical Assistance and Safety

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TRANSIT PLANNING
AND RESEARCH
PROGRAMS
U.S. Department
of Transportation
FISCAL YEAR 1994
PROJECT DIRECTORY
March 1995
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A Message from the Federal Transit Administrator:
Transit plays a key role in linking Americans withjobs, education, health care, and cultural
activities. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recognizes the need to expand the role of
transit in serving people and the diverse communities they call home. Our Strategic Plan begins
with this and lays out the new challenges we must address as we prepare to enter the 21st
century.
Many challenges confront the transit community, FTA, and the Nation-challenges such as
increasing personal mobility without increasing traffic congestion and environmental problems,
and winning support for the vital role that transit has to play in making communities livable.
FTA views these and other transportation challenges as opportunities to improve and expand
mass transportation in America.
Working with the transit industry, we want to emphasize the ultimate consumer ofall our
endeavors-the customers-the American people who ride the buses, trolleys, trains, and vans.
FTA will maintain and improve its efforts to ensure that all transit riders have secure and safe
rides. In partnership with customers and manufacturers, we will expand initiatives to develop
and demonstrate new and innovative security and safety technologies, to improve operational
safety, and to enhance emergency management planning.
The challenge for FTA and its customers, particularly in congested travel corridors, is to make
transit a more effective alternative to driving. We must work together to ensure that transit
systems are easier to use and more reliable and relevant to the needs ofthe public.
The FTA Strategic Plan supports a heightened Federal interest in mass transit research and
development. This renewed commitment will support production ofbetter transit vehicles and
components and will foster transit industry adaptability to the demands ofour day. This
adaptability will enable the industry to respond to changes in transportation patterns and needs
by providing needed new technologies that will improve global competitiveness.
I am proud to share with you this report on how the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is
translating its commitment to a new vision and a new philosophy for public transportation in
America into specific transportation planning and research projects.
Gordo^ Xinton
f(

U.S. Department
of Transportation
MAY I 5 1996
Federal Transit
Administration
TRANSIT PLANNING AND RESEARCH
PROGRAMS
FISCAL YEAR
1994
PROJECT DIRECTORY
March 1995
Prepared by
Marina Drancsak
Office ofTechnical Assistance and Safety
Preparedfor
Federal Transit Administration
U.S. Department ofTransportation
DC
Washington, 20590
Availablefrom
Federal Transit Administration
Office ofTechnical Assistance and Safety
400 7th Street, SW, Room 6100
DC
Washington, 20590
-[phone] FAX
Report Number
FTA-TTS-5-95-1

Transit Planning andResearch Programs: FY1994 ProjectDirectory
FOREWORD
This annual directory contains briefdescriptions ofthe transit planning, research and safety
projects initiated during fiscal year 1994 by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) ofthe U.S.
Department ofTransportation. Its purpose is to inform the transit community and the general
public ofthe nature and scope ofwork underway to assist state and local agencies in improving
services and reducing the cost ofpublic transit.
The projects listed in the directory reflect the implementation ofFTA's Strategic Plan, which
includes a mission statement that brings a new vision to public transportation in America. The
mission statement along with the eight vision strategies ofthe Strategic Plan are described in
detail on pages v - viii ofthis document
In this report, each project entry is profiled separately and consists ofthe following information:
project title and number, grantee/contractor name and address; principal investigator name and
telephone number; FTA project manager name and telephone number; funding source and funding
dollar amount; start and completion dates; and a summary description ofthe project.
The 124 projects recorded in this FY 1994 directory are organized within the following transit
subject areas: Advanced Public Transportation Systems; Clean Air; Finance; Human Resources
and Productivity; Information; Planning and Project Development; Policy Analysis and
Evaluation, Regional Mobility; Rural and Specialized Transit, Safety and Security; Technology
Development; Transit Access, and Cooperative Research Programs.
The final section ofthis report contains the following project indices: By State and Project
Number, By Grantee/Contractor, and By the Project Manager. In addition, the Regional Offices
ofthe Federal Transit Administration are included in this report along with their street address,
FAX
telephone and numbers.
Notice:
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship ofthe U.S. Department
of Transportation in the interest ofinformation exchange. The United States
Government assumes no liabilityfor the contents or use thereof.
The UnitedStates Government does not endorse manufacturers orproducts.
Trade names appear in the document only because they are essential to the
contents ofthe report.

"
FTA Strategic Plan
Mission Statement and Vision Strategies
ofthe Federal TransitAdministration
U.S. Department ofTransportation
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), one ofthe major agencies within the U.S. Department
ofTransportation, is guided by the mission established by the Secretary ofTransportation,
Federico Pena, which states that:
"The Department ofTransportation will "Tie America Together"with a safe,
technologically advanced, andefficient transportation system thatpromotes economic
growth andinternational competiveness now andin thefuture, andcontributes to a
healthy andsecure environmentfor us andour children. "
The FTA now has a Strategic Plan in place that supports the DOT mission. FTA's own mission
statement brings a new vision to public transportation in America that addresses the complex
challenges and boundless opportunities facing transit in America today:
"To ensurepersonalmobility andAmerica's economic andcommunity vitality by
supportinghigh qualitypublic transportation through leadership, technicalassistance
andfinancialresources.
To carry forward this mission, the FTA has charted a bold new vision:
"We are leadingAmerica with high-qualitypublic transportation that ensures
personal mobility andlivable communities. "
To translate this vision into action, the following eight Vision Strategies and Goals have been
established by the FTA:
Vision Strategy No. 1: Maximize Security and Safety ofTransit Systems for Service
Users—To provide a secure and safe environment that includes operationally safe
equipment and facilities, as well as personal security and property protection.
GoalNumber 1 - Improve personal security.
GoalNumber 2 - Improve operational safety.
GoalNumber 3 - Develop and demonstrate new and innovative
security and safety technologies.
GoalNumber 4 - Improve emergency management planning.
v
FTA Strategic Plan
Vision Strategy No. 2: Foster Customer-Oriented Public Transportation~To focus
on customer based needs for current and future markets and provide responsive,
affordable, convenient, and accessible public transportation services.
GoalNumber 1 - Emphasize improved transit services for minorities and transit
dependent persons living in economically distressed communities.
GoalNumber 2 - Make transit systems easier to use and more reliable to
the customer.
GoalNumber 3 - Support the development offull service transit systems that
have the ability to meet a variety ofcustomer needs.
Vision Strategy No. 3: Foster Industry Adaptability to Enable the Industry to
Respond to Changes in Transportation Patterns, Technologies, and Needs—
To promote a competitive transit industry that plans and responds to changes in travel
patterns and needs.
GoalNumber 1 - Increase and improve public transportation effectiveness through
research and adoption ofnew technology, management practices and service
innovation.
GoalNumber 2 - Foster production of"Better" transit vehicles and components.
GoalNumber 3 - Promote the collection, dissemination,and exchange of
information on research, technology, management practices, and innovation.
GoalNumber 4 - Provide assistance to domestic transit manufacturers and
technical service industries to enhance the U.S. competitive position in global
markets.
Vision Strategy No. 4 - Maximize a Multimodal Approach to Transportation—
To Encourage collaboration among those who use, provide, regulate, fund and/or benefit
from transportation to promote choices among transportation modes.
GoalNumber 1 - Lead the development ofseamless transportation systems that
provide options and ensure convenient linkages between modes for all persons in
all communities combined with a public awareness ofthose transportation choices
through easily accessible integrated information.
GoalNumber 2 - Promote a collaborative process among Federal, State, local, and
other organizations (public and private) which provides a greater variety ofchoices
in the transportation ofpeople and goods.
vi