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ACT International Conference
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On behalf of the ACT staff, Board of Directors, and the Chesapeake Chapter, thank you for your attendance and valued participation at the ACT 2015 International Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore. We hope each of you walked away with greater knowledge of transportation demand and mobility management strategies and services.
Although the Conference is over, your experience doesn't have to end. Visit the Conference website to see the entire list of attendees, review the presentations you may have missed [coming soon], and see some of the photos taken at the conference.We are touched by the notes and comments of appreciation we've received from many of you. We were extremely impressed with the quality of the presentations and dialogue and hope everyone is pleased with the outcome and success of the Conference. The level of attendance and enthusiasm from students, faculty members, government officials, and business leaders was tremendous.
Please help continue to improve the value of the Conference by taking this brief online survey. Taking five minutes to provide your opinions and experiences is essential to making the Conference the best event of the year and will help ensure the success and value of the ACT 2016 International Conference in Portland, Ore.
Get more involved in your association. What can you do? - Become a known subject matter expert. ACT's white paper series will need SMEs to draft and edit content that will influence how industry addresses transportation demand and mobility management strategies and services. As announced at the Conference, we are currently working on a white paper regarding the future of electronic payment systems. Send me an email with your contact information and a list of subjects in which you excel.
Thank you again for participating in our fun and educational program. Sincerely, Bill Anderson Executive Director, ACT
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Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) 2015 Awards Recognize Excellence in Transportation Demand and Mobility Management
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Awards honor 22 individuals and organizations for professional achievement, innovative concepts, and creative solutions in the commuter transportation industry
The Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) recognized 19 outstanding organizations and individuals in the transportation demand management (TDM) field during the ACT 2015 International Conference, July 26-29, in Baltimore. The awards are given annually for innovative concepts, creative solutions, professional achievement, and leadership. "Each year, ACT members and their partners strive to bring better communal transportation options to choice and captive commuters," said Bill Anderson, ACT's executive director. "At ACT we are dedicated to sustainable transportation options and cost-effective mobility solutions for commuters, employers, and communities. These are transportation solutions for our future resilient cities. The 2015 ACT Annual Award winners were chosen by their peers as the best of the best." See list of winners here.
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Congress Passes 3-Month Highway, Transit Aid Patch
Article from the Associated Press
Congress sent President Barack Obama a three-month bill to keep highway and transit money flowing to states, one day before the deadline for a cutoff of funds.
Earlier in the day, the Senate passed a sweeping, long-term transportation bill, setting up discussions with the House this fall on what the future course of transportation policy should be and how to pay for programs. The Senate approved the short-term bill by vote of 91 to 4. The House passed the same bill a day earlier, and then left for its August recess.
Vision Zero Initiative
Objective: By the year 2024, Washington, DC will reach zero fatalities and serious injuries to travelers of our transportation system, through more effective use of data, education, enforcement, and engineering. Vision Zero is a part of Mayor Bowser's response to the US Department of Transportation's Mayor's Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets, which aims to improve pedestrian and bicycle transportation safety by showcasing effective local actions, empowering local leaders to take action, and promoting partnerships to advance pedestrian and bicycle safety. Vision Zero requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. More than 20 District government agencies are engaged in the Vision Zero Initiative. States have Varied View on Transportation Funding and Reducing Congestion
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SEACT Chapter Update
On behalf of the SEACT Board, congratulations to our members who won ACT Awards at the Baltimore Conference.
GoSmart Parklet at American Tobacco Campus Wins National Commuting Award What you can do with a parking space is amazing. And this year, the Association for Commuter Transportation has recognized GoSmart with a national award for public sector marketing and creativity in promoting different uses for a parking space. The award was presented during ACT's annual meeting in Baltimore. GoSmart, managed by GoTriangle, is a Triangle-based resource agency that assists employers, employees, and agencies with commuter resources using transit, vanpooling, teleworking, carpooling and biking. PARK(ing) Day began in 2005 by a design studio in San Francisco, Calif., evolving into a global movement. GoSmart adapted the idea to the Triangle region and with the help of the American Tobacco Campus (ATC) in Durham, GoSmart established "Parklet Day at the ATC" on April 21, 2015. The goal of the Parklet was to build awareness that a parking space-sized area doesn't have to be for a vehicle. It can be an open space that could be used for something when employees come to work by a form of transportation other than driving alone. With 4,000 employees, the American Tobacco Campus took a unique approach with a friendly, inter-organizational competition engaging its community and campus employers. Corporate entries included Bronto, Blackwell Management, GoTriangle, GoSmart and Organic Transit (Elf). The "Parklet" themes included dinosaurs, a dog park and two pups, lemonade stands and games. Awards, certificates, and prizes were provided for various categories. The success of Parklet Day illustrates the value of green space, promotes air quality improvements and ways to reduce congestion on our roadways. Awareness of the alternatives hopefully will get more people to consider sustainable ways to commute.
 We're very happy to welcome all our new members to our ACT family.
Joining the Red River Chapter are:
- Robert Gurrero, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
- Danny Silva, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
- Jeff Puckett, Texas A&M University, Transportation Services
Joining the Chesapeake Chapter is a new student, Maura Brophy.
Joining the Northern California Chapter is Rafael Ancheta, Rdvouz Inc. Joining the Mid-Atlantic Chapter are: - Ellen Kongphet, Erie Community College
- Shannon Munch, Erie Community College
- Timothy Phelps, TMA Chester County
- Zack Wasserman, VIA Transportation
Chapter Leaders Council Meeting Update from Connie McGee, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
In a packed meeting room, each of the Chapters exchanged thoughts on addressing their current activities and challenges. ACT National is interested in supporting each of the Chapters to grow and bring value to their members. Connie McGee is asking that the Chapter leaders advise the ACT Chapter Leaders Council to help develop training courses for Chapter leaders attending the 2016 International Conference in Portland, Ore., July 31 - August 3. The Chapter Leaders Workshop will be designed to provide training and support for the areas of greatest need.
Which topics would you be interested learning about to make your Chapter the Best Chapter of the Year? Here are some ideas to consider: - The Art of Persuasion: Influencing without Authority
- Building and Sustaining Strategic Partnership
- Leading Leaders: Sharing the Duties and Getting More Accomplished
- Coaching and Mentoring Skills for Leadership Success
- Building a Positive, Motivated and Cooperative Volunteer Base
- Basics of Writing Policies and Procedures
- Basics of Chapter Governance and Succession Planning
- Developing Workshops and Webinars to Influence Change
- How to Build a Culture of Innovation
Please send Bill Anderson an email listing your top three Chapter needs at anderson@actweb.org. Please do not limit your response to the list above.
Professional Development Council Update
LAST CALL - Become part of the PAL progam!
The ACT Peer Advisory Leaders (or PALs) is a mentoring program intended to encourage members who are either new to ACT or new to the TDM industry and help them develop the skills and knowledge to become leaders in their own jobs, in the TDM industry, and within ACT. The year-long program, from annual Conference to annual Conference, will match 20 mentors with 20 mentees, with priority given to the most recent Leadership Academy class. It will be up to each pair to determine how they want to work together, but the PALs committee will offer support in a range of ways, including articles, webinars, social media, scheduled check-ins, and more. Ideally, mentors will have prior ACT leadership experience and can help guide mentees through the Association at large, their regional chapter, TDM in general, and overall professional development.
TMA Council Update from Maureen Farrell, TMA Council Chair
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| | TMA Council Officers: Lauren Grymek, Vice Chair; Maureen Farrell, Chair; and Peter Paz, Secretary |
The TMA Council's networking event, during the ACT International conference, brought together nearly 40 attendees to share best practices, find resources among their TMA peers, and provide feedback for what they would like to see the Council work on in the year ahead. CelWell sponsored the meeting and talked about the importance of collecting, storing and managing information and data. The event commenced a successful year of an invigorated council that included four webinar meetings with a total of over 100 people participating. Interested in more information on the Council, contact me at mfarrell@gvftma.com.
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TMA Council Members at the ACT International Conference in Baltimore
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The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Releases Six New Mobility Reports
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The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced that the following mobility application reports have been posted in the National Transportation Library.
Impact Assessment of Incident Scene Work Zone Alerts for Drivers and Workers (INC-ZONE) and Incident Scene Pre-Arrival Staging Guidance for Emergency Responders (RESP-STG) Emergency Communications for Evacuation (EVAC) in New Orleans Impact Assessment Report Freight Advanced Traveler Information System (FRATIS) - Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Prototype Final Report Freight Advanced Traveler Information System (FRATIS) - Dallas-Fort Worth As-Built System Architecture and Design Technical Report on Prototype Intelligent Network Flow Optimization (INFLO) Dynamic Speed Harmonization and Queue Warning Dynamic Mobility Application Policy Analysis: Policy and Institutional Issues for Response, Emergency Staging and Communications, Uniform Management, and Evacuation (R.E.S.C.U.M.E.) Dynamic Mobility Application Policy Analysis: Policy and Institutional Issues for Integrated Dynamic Transit Operations (IDTO) Impacts Assessment of Dynamic Speed Harmonization with Queue Warning: Task 3 Impacts Assessment Report
When We Develop Infrastructure, We Develop Communities
Rarely does DOT miss an opportunity to focus our transportation investments where they can boost local economic development.
Our funding commitments to America's infrastructure are about more than throughput. They pay off for individual residents who gain improved access to jobs, education, and other services even while they also boost economic growth in the community at large. From construction jobs during the building phase to more permanent jobs created when companies invest locally because of improved transportation, the taxpayer dollars we invest in infrastructure pay our nation back several times over in the economic activity these projects stimulate.
34 New Projects Receive Round 6 Assistance
FHWA and AASHTO have announced the Round 6 recipients of the SHRP2 Implementation Assistance Program. Opportunities in this round were made available to support six SHRP2 Solutions from the Capacity, Reliability, and Renewal focus areas. Round 6 recipients include 21 transportation organizations from 18 States and the District of Columbia. The selected organizations will begin work on 34 projects. Plan ahead for Round 7, the final round of implementation assistance, which will open April 1, 2016.
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Bikes Could Ride on South Shore Trains by Spring
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A ban on allowing bikes on South Shore trains will be lifted this coming spring under a newly approved pilot program.
The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District board on Friday approved a one-year pilot program, on weekends only, starting in the spring.
The consensus from a "bike on trains" advisory committee formed to study the issue and input from the public has been to not delay in allowing trains on bikes, according to NICTD General Manager Michael Noland.
Minnesota Agencies Direct Millions in Grants at Projects that Boost Economy
The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Department of Employment and Economic Development are taking applications through Sep. 25 for $30 million in annual competitive grants for infrastructure projects that support key industries and boost the state economy.
That 2015 Transportation Economic Development program allows Minnesota cities, counties and other government entities to seek matching funds for transportation infrastructure projects that "help meet the state's transportation and economic development needs by creating and preserving well-paying jobs and leveraging private and local investment in transportation infrastructure," the agencies said. The $30 million includes $28 million in MnDOT trunk highway funds and $2 million of DEED general obligation bond funding. The grant awards will be split between projects in greater Minnesota and the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
So Congress Wants to Get Serious About Highways?
Just before leaving town until after Labor Day, the House of Representatives passed a three-month extension of the Highway Trust Fund, which the Senate had no choice but to accept. This short-term patch prevented the nation from driving over the "highway cliff," when funding would have expired completely, but did nothing to resolve the real impasse over the nation's infrastructure.
Everyone from Paul Ryan to Bernie Sanders admits that America's economic foundation is, well, crumbling. Bridges have already collapsed, and others are at risk. As the world moves to larger ships, many of our ports are in danger of being cut out of commerce. Our airports are being outclassed by much poorer countries. Not to mention our railroads: Ridership on Northeast Corridor lines has doubled, but deteriorating roadbed, electric lines and tunnels delay and endanger passengers. (One of us experienced this personally, and painfully, on the recent Amtrak train that derailed and killed 8.)
Commuter Group Eyes Subsidies for Regional Van Pool for Interstate 380 Treks
A group chartered to enact a study for improving commuting options and reducing congestion on Interstate 380 wants to seek state grants to subsidize a regional van pool run by a contractor.
The Corridor Commuter Transportation Steering Committee recommended, during a meeting last week in Cedar Rapids. that the East Central Iowa Council of Governments oversee the van pool program.
"ECICOG has been the coordinating entity since we started," said Brent Paulsen, a technology and research manager for the Iowa Department of Transportation. He cited its experience with providing contracted transportation and its track record with already providing transportation in the area
Transit Information Access for Persons with Visual or Cognitive Impairments
TRB's Transit IDEA Report 71: Transit Information Access for Persons with Visual or Cognitive Impairments explores ways to use technology to address the needs of passengers with visual impairments and of passengers with cognitive disabilities. This project envisioned a new location-based information access system that provides personalized transit information to each user, regardless of possible sensorial or cognitive impairments, with the goal of potentially increasing ridership to large segments of the community who are currently unable or unwilling to travel independently.
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Blow Your Trumpet 
You won an award? Your organization received a grant? You solved a problem that has long vexed the TDM world? Why keep it a secret? Please add ACT to your press list and email us your news. A short paragraph is plenty; we'll follow up with you if we need more details. Just email us at info@actweb.org with "Member News" in the subject line.
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