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2014 International Conference Proceedings Online
Visit http://www.slideshare.net/ACTnational/presentations for access to  presentation materials from the 2014 ACT International Conference. This is a great resource for members. The presentations that have been provided by speakers so far are available for download in easy-to-use PDF format. If you were a conference speaker and have not supplied your presentation yet, please contact ACT Membership Director TJ Cantwell at cantwell@actweb.org or 571.699.3064 to add your materials to this valuable site.
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Free NetConference/Webinar Set for October 9
 The "Travel Behavior Change and New Social Justice Issues" netconference will be held Thursday, Oct. 9, from 2 to 3:15 p.m. EDT. Participation is free but registration is required (see link below). The webinar is co-sponsored by ACT and Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC) at the National Center for Transit Research at the University of South Florida, and is a condensed version of a standing-room-only session at the 2014 ACT International Conference in San Francisco.
Personalized individual and community-based marketing and outreach initiatives can be effectively used to grow support for behavior change toward active transportation choices in diverse communities.
- Emma Pachuta, program manager of St. Paul Smart Trips Neighborhoods, will explain how her organization overcame language barriers, infrastructure inadequacies, community safety concerns, and income inequalities when fostering increased walking, biking, and transit use.
- Dan Kaempff, principal transportation planner at Portland Metro, will discuss how Portland developed an active transportation-focused region and found the need to correct unintended social injustice, gentrification, and outright neglect that occurred in the process.
- Chris Simmons, ACT treasurer and Seattle-area consultant, will moderate the session.
Register here for this webinar; see additional details here, including speaker and moderator backgrounds.
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| ACT Member Case Studies Sought |
Advocacy and public policy are vital functions performed by ACT. To strengthen our ability to tell your story and ensure that legislators, policy makers, and other stakeholders understand your work, we need your help.
We're looking for member case studies that illustrate the real-world work of ACT members. Specifically, we need two kinds of information:
- Overview of Your Program - How have you and your organization affected your community? This could be an annual report, quarterly newsletter, or promotional material--any information/publication that summarizes your program and its results.
- Specific Case Studies of Projects - These are the stories of individual programs that make a difference. If you run a shuttle, for example, tell us who rides it and how many riders participate, where it goes, how many people connect to transit, and what it all means for the community.
We need descriptive and quantitative information to help tell your story. (Examples of case studies and a case study template may be found here.) If you do not have material already developed, ACT Government Relations Specialist Jason Pavluchuk can provide helpful advice. Contact him or send your materials directly to him at pavluchuk@actweb.org.We hope you look at this as an opportunity to highlight your programs and projects.
Watch your email next week for more information on this project.
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| ACT Leadership Academy Gears Up for 2015 |
Since 2008, ACT Leadership Academy has provided unique professional development and training for transportation demand management (TDM) professionals. Application materials will be available this fall for ACT members interested in participating in the 2015 class.
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The ACT Leadership Academy Class of 2014
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The ACT Executive Committee will select up to 15 applicants for the program, which includes a combination of workshops, conferences, class leadership projects and assignments, teleconferences, online meetings, and online events that address the challenges, demands, opportunities, and hot topics of TDM.
Watch for more details in coming weeks. Contact ACT Executive Director Mark Wright at wright@actweb.org with questions or to express your interest in the program.
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Award Winner Spotlight
The ACT Connections newsletter is spotlighting a 2014 award winner in each issue.
Cathy Cole Memorial Award for Telework: Los Angeles County Rideshare
The Los Angeles County CEO Office of Workplace Strategies implemented a telework program for County employees in 1989. The program has approximately 5,000 participants and is growing daily. The support of L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich helped pave the way for implementing a formal program, and subsequent County supervisors have continued to endorse it. The program is staffed through the County Rideshare program, is supported at the highest level (CEO), and is promoted as one of many tools for reducing single-occupant vehicle use.
The County's teleworkers participate about 1.4 days per week. County staff has compiled the following results:
- Teleworkers report a 10 percent increase in productivity.
- Absenteeism has been reduced by 3.8 days per year (19,000 days).
- Employee retention is higher.
- Telecommuters reported no home injuries in 10 years.
- Telework has saved participants 335,340 hours of annual travel time and eliminated more than 147.6 tons of air pollutants.
- Improved morale for participating employees
- Telework has enabled workforce expansion in some departments without adding office space (hoteling is currently being tested in some departments).
The County requires teleworkers and managers to complete several forms on an on-going basis and the CEO Office of Workplace Programs closely monitors participation levels and conducts marketing and training for the program. The program includes in-person training so managers and teleworkers can learn best practices, handle concerns, and make sure that all are aware of the process for complying with requirements. Other features include:
- Certification process for managers and teleworkers
- Signed agreements for employees and approved by managers
- 90-day performance survey
- Task and schedule form for reporting teleworking
- 90-day report from departments to CEO
- Termination form
- Recertification every two years (performed online)
Several departments have made teleworking a priority for their employees. Formal job selection and individual assessments are available. The program is highly formalized and is open to all County employees; individual departments make their own choices regarding suitability of jobs and employees. A dedicated website enables participants to download all forms, a manual, and other program information. The county is developing a video that can be used by others to promote teleworking, and its policy has served as a model to several other public sector employers.
The County's telework program demonstrates its commitment to clean air, and specifically to the South Coast Air Quality Management District's (SCAQMD) Rule 2202 regulations by eliminating one vehicle from the roads each day an employee teleworks. As an employer, the County benefits by receiving SCAQMD Rule 2202 commuter credits when it eliminates at least 50 percent of the normal commute distance from an employee's home to work.
The Board of Supervisors has introduced multiple board approvals to continue the program seamlessly since 1989, and the County has documented results and improved the program. A dedicated website enables participants to download all forms, a manual, and other program information. The County is developing a video that can be used by others to promote teleworking, and its policy has served as a model to several other public sector employers.
"Los Angeles County has made several contributions to the field of telework,"said ACT Telework Council Co-Chair Elham Shirazi. "The County's program is one of the best examples in both the public and private sector due to its ongoing commitment to teleworking."
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BWC Racing Toward Excellence
The Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC) 2014 Race to Excellence is going strong, reports Phil Winters of the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida. The race will end Dec. 1, 2014, and encourages, recognizes, and highlights dedicated professionals throughout the country who promote commuter benefits, transportation options and the BWC designation in their workplaces and throughout their local communities. Winners receive gold, silver, or bronze medals along with an award certificate and national recognition.
The organizations that successfully complete the Race take exemplary steps to offer their employees viable alternatives to driving alone, reducing air pollution, traffic congestion, and fuel consumption. Award participation categories include employer, university, and supporting agency (i.e., TMA, TMO, or rideshare agency).
BWC winners will receive national recognition at the Virtual Awards Ceremony on Jan. 29, 2015, as well as recognition on the BWC website. Winners will also receive an appreciation package based on their award level that includes a certificate of appreciation and a letter of appreciation to their manager.
For more information on BWC or the Race, visit: bestworkplaces.org/.
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| Of Note |
- Telecommuters More Dedicated: "A new study from the University of Illinois found that people who work remotely are likely to show more dedication to their organizations and coworkers to prove they are working just as hard as they would in the office," reporter Katie Bascuas writes in Associations Now.
- Mobility Lab Spotlights ACT Election: "If you want a list of innovators in the transportation demand management (TDM) industry, you need look no further than the officers and board of the Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT)," wrote Mobility Lab's Paul Goddin in his Sept. 26 article.
- FTA Announces Ladders of Opportunity Grants: U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx recently announced $100 million in competitive grants under the Federal Transit Administration's Ladders of Opportunity Initiative for FY 2015. The program received nearly 450 applications totaling $1.4 billion; 24 recipients in 19 states were awarded funds. The funding is intended to be used to improve bus service and facilities in urban and rural communities. A list of all funded projects is available at fta.dot.gov/grants/15926_16153.html.
- 2015 TRB Annual Meeting Workshops Scheduled: Titles, dates, times, and brief descriptions of the 110+ specialty workshops being held during the TRB 94th Annual Meeting, Jan. 11-15, 2015, in Washington, D.C., are now available. Annual Meeting registration for at least the day of the workshop is required. The annual meeting is the single largest gathering of transportation practitioners and researchers in the world, covering all transportation modes, with more than 4,500 presentations in nearly 800 sessions addressing topics of interest to policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions.
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| Job Postings |
District of Columbia Transportation Planner (TDM)
Closing Date: October 16, 2014
Position details: https://erecruit.dc.gov/psp/erecruit/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_JOB_DTL&Action=A&JobOpeningId=25784&SiteId=1&PostingSeq=1
Develops and manages the transportation demand management program for the District of Columbia, with emphasis on a multi-modal approach to reduce travel demand, especially single occupancy vehicle demand during peak hours of travel. Markets the transportation demand management program to employers, employees and residents of the District of Columbia through advertising, public relations, employers, direct marketing, the internet, and other means. Manages consultants that perform marketing activities. Coordinates transportation demand policies and programs with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Business Improvement Districts, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and other groups to seek their commitment to implement transportation demand management policies and programs.
For more information, please contact Jim Sebastian at jim.sebastian@dc.gov.
Stanford University - Transportation Planner
Position details:
https://stanfordcareers.stanford.edu/job-search?jobId=64557
The Transportation Planner position will report to the Director of Parking & Transportation Services (P&TS) with a dotted line to the department's Transportation Program Developer/Planner. Their primary role will be to support the P&TS Director with the research and analysis related to transportation aspects of the University's land use planning effort. In addition, this role will also assist the director and the P&TS team in developing a master plan for P&TS for the next 5-10 years. The P&TS master plan will support and reflect the needs identified in the university's land use master plan. This position is envisioned to be a 3-year term appointment with the potential for the position to be made permanent.
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| Join ACT or Renew Your Membership | If you are not already a member of ACT and want to join, or if you need to renew your membership to take advantage of all the opportunities ahead, click here. Contact TJ Cantwell, ACT's membership director, at cantwell@actweb.org or call 571.699.3064 for more information. |
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Got News?
Help us spread the word about the people, places and things that are happening in the TDM world. Do you have any news or events that you would like included in a future issue of ACT Connections? Send them to Mark Wright, executive director, at wright@actweb.org. |
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