Workshop Announcement – Getting on the Right Track: Real-world Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation – March 21-22, 2012, Arlington, VA

Dear Region IV State partners,

Please refer to the workshop announcement below. This workshop is oriented to help transit agencies in developing strategies to tackle the challenges of climate change:

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), invites you to join us for a workshop…

Getting on the Right Track: Real-world Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation

March 21-22, 2012

1310 North Courthouse Rd, Suite 600, Arlington, Virginia

(by the Courthouse stop on the Washington Metro)

Register here: http://fta-adaptation.eventbrite.com

Extreme weather and a changing climate pose a unique challenge to public transportation professionals: how do we adapt our operations, our planning, our emergency management? What data can we use in approaching this problem? What are others in the field doing today? FTA’s workshop will target exactly these kinds of questions by bringing together public transportation professionals and experts from a variety of disciplines.

Recent events such as Hurricane Irene, Mississippi River flooding, and drought and wildfires in Texas gave transit agencies experience in the types of events projected to become more common. Come and share experiences as well as learn from experts in the field. This effort is in keeping with broader goals to address state-of-good repair needs and enhance transit safety.

Workshop Highlights:

• Interactive exercises

• GIS tools

• Breakouts by discipline

• Presentations from engineers, climate scientists, planners

• Discussions with representatives of climate adaptation pilot projects

Highlighted Speakers:

• Therese McMillan, Deputy Administrator, FTA

• Jeffrey Knueppel, Chief Engineer and Assistant General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)

• Harriet Tregoning, Director of the Washington DC Office of Planning

• Dr. David Major, Senior Research Scientist, Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research

• David Springstead, Senior Director of Engineering & Development, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)

Workshop Objectives:

1. share analytical methods and tools for climate adaptation;

2. shape ongoing and future transit adaptation assessments by determining successful approaches;

3. develop strategies for mainstreaming climate considerations into transit agency processes such as operations, maintenance, emergency management, capital planning, long term transportation planning, and environmental management systems;

4. gather transit industry input into FTA climate adaptation planning.

Who should attend:

Representatives of public transportation agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, state departments of transportation; public transportation professionals from the broad range of fields impacted – engineering, planning, safety, emergency management, operations, sustainability, etc.

Preliminary Agenda: http://fta/sitemap_14257.html

Registration:

This workshop is free of charge. Registration is required and space is limited. http://fta-adaptation.eventbrite.com

More on FTA’s Climate Adaptation Initiative:

This effort is part of FTA’s climate adaptation initiative, which includes a recently issued research report, funding for pilot projects, workshops, and webinars. To view FTA’s dear colleague letter, policy statement, recordings of past webinars, presentation slides from prior workshops, and other resources, please see www.fta.dot.gov/adaptation.

If you have questions, comments, or require alternative formats, please contact Bryce McNitt at bryce.mcnitt@dot.gov.

January 19, 2012   Posted in: Training  No Comments

Upcoming BRT Workshops from NTI – Jan 18-19, 2012

The National Transit Institute is pleased to announce two collaborative Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Workshops at the Florida Department of Transportation(FDOT) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Click below for more information or to register:

The Bus Rapid Transit Applications Workshop
January 18, 2012; 8:30am-2:00pm
This workshop, led by NBRTI and Parsons Brinckerhoff, and geared towards elected officials and those involved in high-level public transportation decision-making positions, will support development of BRT in correlation with the Broward MPO 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and will provide a summary of eight (8) U.S. BRT systems. In addition, guest speakers will participate in a roundtable discussion:
• Mr. Frank Polivka, Director of Procurement, Cleveland RTA
• Mr. Mark Huffer, General Manager of Kansas City Transportation Authority
• Ms. Martha Butler, Planning Manager at L.A. County MTA for the Metro Rapid

To register for The Bus Rapid Transit Applications Workshop, go to www.eventbrite.com/event/2487598474

NTI’s BRT Workshop
January 18, 2012; 1:30pm-5:00pm and
January 19, 2012; 8:30am-12:00pm

This workshop, provided by NTI and geared towards planners and others involved in the transportation planning and decision-making process, will present topics relevant to the consideration of bus rapid transit as a
viable transit option, including:
• An overview of the shared characteristics of successful BRT systems
• A review of BRT elements with examples from various systems
• The importance of branding in positioning BRT as a “choice” transportation option
• Land use impacts within the BRT corridor
• Planning for effective BRT projects, including costs, reliability, stop spacing, and ridership

Mr. Frank Polivka, Director of Procurement, Cleveland RTA, Mr. Mark Huffer, General Manager of Kansas City Transportation Authority, and Ms. Martha Butler, Planning Manager at L.A. County MTA for the Metro Rapid will share their unique experiences in planning and deploying BRT service in their areas.

To register for NTI’s BRT Workshop, visit www.ntionline.com/courses/courseinfo.php?id=215 or contact Fran Conti, Program Coordinator at 732-932-1700 ext. 238 or fconti@nti.rutgers.edu

December 14, 2011   Posted in: Training  No Comments

Presentations from the 2011 FPTA Annual Conference

The powerpoint presentations given at the 2011 FPTA Annual Conference are now available for download here.

October 27, 2011   Posted in: Conferences, Presentations  No Comments

CUTR Webcast Online Series

The Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida has established a new “CUTR Webcast Online Series”.

The purpose of these FREE webcasts is threefold:

  1. Increase knowledge of transportation professionals and policymakers in Florida and the rest of the country by sharing the latest findings of transportation research.
  2. Increase the reach of technology transfer, especially to those transportation professionals who are unable to travel to state and national conferences, due to time and cost constraints.
  3. To encourage discussion among participants and receive input on subjects requiring future research.

There have now been 18 completed webcasts to date and they continue to take place every other Thursday from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. EST Click here to view past webcasts and see a schedule of upcoming webcasts.

July 28, 2011   Posted in: Webinars  No Comments

Presentations from the 2011 Professional Development Workshop

The transit planning related presentations given at the workshop are now available in the download center.

Thanks to all the presenters and attendees for making it a great conference!

April 19, 2011   Posted in: Conferences, Presentations  No Comments

GIS in Public Transportation Conference – Call for Presentations

GIS in Public Transportation Conference
September 12-14, 2011 – St Petersburg, Florida

Sponsored by URISA and the National Center for Transit Research (NCTR)

URISA and the University of South Florida’s National Center for Transit Research at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) are pleased to announce the 2011 GIS in Public Transportation Conference, which will take place in St. Petersburg, Florida, September 12-14, 2011.

Call for Presentations

You are invited to participate in the valuable and informative sessions, but you also have the opportunity to distinguish yourself and gain recognition nationally by being a conference presenter. Enjoy the satisfaction that comes from providing industry information, best practices, and other resources to colleagues from around the country.

The conference program is developed with submissions received through a Call for Presentations. All abstract submissions are peer-reviewed and the proposal deadline is February 11, 2011.

Who should submit:

Transit agency personnel
Transportation Management Associations (TMA)
Consultants
Application Developers
Government (MPO, DOT, etc.)
University/Research Centers
Industry Associations/Organizations

For more information, visit http://www.urisa.org/gis_transit

January 11, 2011   Posted in: Conferences  No Comments

Transit Agencies Page Updated

The transit agency listing has been updated to include FY 2009 NTD Data as well as previous FY 2008 NTD Data for Total Vehicles and Passenger Trips.

http://planfortransit.com/links/transit-agencies/

December 9, 2010   Posted in: Website updates  No Comments

Presentations from the 2010 FPTA Annual Conference

The powerpoint presentations given at the 2010 FPTA Annual Conference are now available for download here.

October 29, 2010   Posted in: Conferences, Presentations  No Comments

3rd Annual Northwest Florida Regional Roundtable: Proceedings

The 3rd Annual Northwest Florida Regional Roundtable took place on May 20th, 2010 in Fort Walton Beach, FL and was hosted by the West Florida Regional Planning Council (WFRPC) TPO staff and Okaloosa County Transit (OCT). The title of the Roundtable was Public Transit: Regionally Looking Forward and Moving Onward. The following presentations were given at the Roundtable:

  • Northwest Florida Regional Transit Roundtable Quiz Show (presented by Rob Gregg, CUTR)
  • FDOT Central Office Transit and Environmental Projects
  • Ride-on Program (a.k.a West Florida Commuter Assistance Program)
  • Social Media: Transit Marketing in the Modern Age (presented by BowStern)
  • Digital Recorders (DRI) Voice Announcement Systems
  • Zonar Fleet Telematic Solution

The following presentations are available in PDF Format here.

May 25, 2010   Posted in: Presentations  No Comments