http://www.ntoctalks.com/ The NTOC Talks site is intended to provide information and resources to transportation practitioners, coalition members, and the general public on current news, upcoming meetings, and available products and documents. en-usWed, 24 Feb 2010 10:19:50 EDTimages/NTOC_logo.gif This report presents the results of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Operations-sponsored Focus States Initiative (FSI) designed to advance the state-of-the-practice for traffic incident management (TIM) performance measurement. Through this effort, 11 Focus States identified several national-level TIM program objectives and related performance measures. During the process, the States successfully overcame institutional, operational, and technical barriers and defined three multi-agency, measurable TIM objectives and methods of measuring performance toward those objectives. All 11 Focus States committed to build on the momentum generated by the TIM FSI and to continue to work together to advance program-level performance measurement in their States as well as nationwide. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=388 2010-02-24 10:19:50 The purpose of this project was to conduct a scan of selected Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and State Departments of Transportation (State DOTs) to determine how they are planning for congestion pricing and managed lanes. (Publication Number: FHWA-HEP-09-044) http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=387 2010-02-24 10:19:12 The TIM Performance Measurement Knowledgebase is intended to be a highly-useable, online reference that provides transportation professionals the knowledge and tools they need, including sample documents and models from other States, to successfully implement program-level TIM performance measures in their State. Users can conveniently search and browse the Knowledgebase to find the information they need today, provided by fellow practitioners across the country implementing TIM Performance Measurement. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=386 2010-02-24 10:18:34 Integrating the National Unified Goal into Traffic Incident Management Programs February 24, 2010 at 11 am Eastern Please join a panel discussion on the National Unified Goal (NUG) for Traffic Incident Management (TIM) and how to integrate the implementation strategies into State and local TIM programs. FHWA will host a Web conference on Wednesday, February 24, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. Panelists will discuss the NUG Goals and 18 Strategies; nationwide efforts to produce guidance and tools to help address these strategies; State and local TIM programs that successfully integrated the NUG into their TIM program; and the roles of the National TIM Coalition and the Federal Highway Administration in supporting NUG adoption at State and local DOTs. Please register by going to the link below. TELECONFERENCE NUMBER TO ACCESS AUDIO PORTION 800-369- 1998 Passcode:7115469 http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=384 2010-02-24 08:05:59 Please join us for a free Webinar hosted by the National Transportation Operations Coalition on Tuesday, February 23rd from 1:00 to 2:30 PM EST. Click on the link above to register. Integrating operations into a metropolitan transportation plan can lead to important improvements that customers care about: increased efficiency, reliability, safety, security, travel options, and more. The Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration have developed a desk reference that can help metropolitan planning organizations and their planning partners meet the challenge of integrating operations into the plan and realize the benefits. The desk reference assists planners and operators in using specific operations objectives and performance measures to plan for operations. It contains an extensive menu of operations objectives and performance measures that planners and operators can draw from for their own plans. Excerpts from a sample plan illustrate the integration of operations into a plan. This seminar will offer a preview of this new tool. Audiences will have an opportunity to hear how two MPOs are using an objectives-driven, performance-based approach to plan for operations and the desk reference. This is the second in a series of two Talking Operations Webinars on the objectives-driven, performance-based approach. Tune in to hear about the experiences of two more metropolitan planning organizations. The speakers will be: Richard Backlund, FHWA Office of Operations, Egan Smith, FHWA Office of Planning, and John Sprowls, FTA Office of Planning Deena Platman, Principal Transportation Planner, Metro, Portland, Oregon Lance Wilber, Central Region Director, Alaska Department of Transportation and former Municipality of Anchorage Traffic Director. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=383 2010-02-10 09:31:26 The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a comprehensive update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) on December 16, 2009. ATSSA, in cooperation with AASHTO and ITE, is hosting four Web briefings on February 9 and 23 and March 2 and 9 that will give an overview of the changes from 2003 to the new 2009 MUTCD. Site Fee: $100 for ITE/ATSSA/AASHTO members and $125 for non-members. To register, click on the link below. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=382 2010-02-02 09:12:42 Information is available on the ITS JPO Web site at: http://www.its.dot.gov/strat_plan/index.htm. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=381 2010-01-21 13:29:17 Congestion pricing can be used to make more efficient use of existing transportation infrastructure. This provides users with the benefits of reduced congestion but at a much lower cost than adding new capacity. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) initiated the Urban Partnership Agreement/Congestion Reduction Demonstration (UPA/CRD) Program to reduce congestion through the implementation of pricing activities. Program applicants were required to include four complementary strategies, called the 4 Ts, in their proposals: 1) Tolling; 2) Transit; 3) Telecommuting, which includes additional travel demand management (TDM) strategies; and 4) Technology. In Miami, Florida as a part of the UPA Program, the single High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on I-95 was converted into two express lanes based on the High Occupancy Toll (HOT) concept. Click on the link above to read about the Miami 95 Express Lanes Urban Partner Mid-year Evaluation.You can also visit http://www.sunguide.org/index.php?/tmc_reports/ to view the Mid-Year Report and other performance reports concerning the 95 Express Lanes. For more information, contact Angela Jacobs, U.S. Department of Transportation, at Angela.Jacobs@dot.gov. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=380 2010-01-21 13:28:33 This Talking Operations Webinar will take place on Wednesday, February 3, 2010, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Register now through the link below. While some U.S. cities have shown themselves to be world leaders with regard to managing demand on highway lanes using congestion pricing, broader scale application of this approach has been limited in the U.S. Several international cities and countries are operating broad scale pricing schemes, however. To gain an understanding of the political, institutional, public acceptance and technical factors that contributed to their success, a team of U.S. transportation professionals met with key representatives from Singapore and several countries in Europe (including Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the Czech Republic) over a two-week period in December 2009. The scan team's findings will be documented in a report to be published later this year. The scan trip was co-sponsored by FHWA, AASHTO and TRB. At this webinar, members of the team will present a pre-report summary overview of the scan findings. The presentation will include the various types of broad-scale road pricing schemes and lessons learned. Speakers are listed below: Robert (Bob) Arnold, co-chair of the Scan Team, is the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Director for the Office of Transportation Management. He is responsible for National programs focused on the reduction of roadway congestion. He is also responsible for contributing to overall strategic planning, policy development, and developing legislative proposals for the Administration. Jayme Blakesley is an Attorney-Advisor with the U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Office of Chief Counsel. He is FTA's lead attorney on road pricing, transit-oriented development, and public-private partnerships. John Doan (Report Facilitator) is a Senior Associate at SRF Consulting Group, based in Minneapolis, MN. Doan leads SRF's road pricing practice with national and local expertise in the area of transportation planning, innovative finance, and public involvement. Mark Muriello is the Assistant Director of Tunnels, Bridges and Terminals for The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and is responsible for the six vehicular crossings between New York City and New Jersey. He directs a wide range of tolling and revenue programs, and serves in leadership roles in several research and industry organizations. Patty Rubstello is the Director of Tolling Systems Development and Engineering for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Toll Division. Patty was the project manager for the State's first HOT lane project and is currently the Project Director for the Seattle Urban Partnership Project. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=379 2010-01-21 13:25:58 The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its report on real-time traffic information entitled 'Efforts to Address Highway Congestion through Real-Time Traffic Information Systems Are Expanding, but Face Implementation Challenges.' The report provides extremely relevant information as Congress works to craft a transportation bill that encourages a shift to a more performance-based system. Among the findings are that the estimated cost to establish and operate real-time transportation information programs in all 50 states and the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas through 2018 would be approximately $1.2 billion, while the anticipated cost savings due to increased safety, mobility, and environmental benefits from the system is estimated to be $30.2 billion. The report is available online through the link above. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=378 2009-12-23 10:38:16 A diverse coalition that includes the world's largest business association, environmental and Smart Growth advocates, public safety organizations, highway, transit and automotive associations, former Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters, and other transportation leaders joined forces to urge President Obama to invest in the deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to accelerate job creation and economic recovery. The coalition of some 70 public and private sector and academic leaders joined the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) in signing a letter to Obama outlining the numerous economic, environmental, and transportation benefits of investing in ITS technologies. 'As you work with Congress to draft a jobs bill, we urge you to invest in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and operational improvements that will expand green jobs, small businesses and the smart-tech industry while also saving lives, time and money by preventing traffic crashes, improving emergency response, reducing congestion, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, improving transportation system performance, and creating more livable, sustainable communities,' ITS America President and CEO Scott F. Belcher and the coalition wrote to Obama. To read the coalition's entire letter to President Obama go to: http://www.itsa.org/itsa/files/pdf/ITSAJobsLetterPresidentObama1217Signed.pdf. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=377 2009-12-23 10:36:59 The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a comprehensive update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) on December 16, 2009. ITE, in cooperation with AASHTO and ATSSA, will print FHWA's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), 2009 Edition. The printed version of the manual, which sets the standards for road safety throughout the country, is now available for presale from THE Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Reserve your copy through the ITE Bookstore at http://www.ite.org/bookstore. The MUTCD is the national standard for all traffic control devices, including traffic signs, pavement markings, signals and any other devices used to regulate, warn, or guide traffic. Ensuring uniformity of traffic control devices across the nation - from their messages and placement to their sizes, shapes and colors - helps to reduce crashes and traffic congestion. This is the first comprehensive update to the manual since 2003. The MUTCD's 2009 edition features many new and updated requirements, ranging from changes in highway signs and bike lanes to the color of high-visibility garments worn by road workers. Most changes are a result of extensive research; however, seven changes stem from recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). This is the largest number of NTSB recommendations adopted by the MUTCD at one time. For an overview of the new rules and recommendations, visit the link below. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=376 2009-12-23 10:36:00 A special feature article in the September-October 2009 issue of the TR News highlights the TRB Planning and Environment Group's recent annual competition to recognize fresh and creative methods of communicating technical transportation issues and concepts to the public. The focus of the competition was energy and climate change in transportation. The top entries ranged from a book to multimedia presentations and interactive online games. For more information, click on the link above. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=375 2009-12-17 11:21:32 The Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) announced that its Strategic Research Plan 2010–2014 has been endorsed by the ITS Management Council with full support. The council embraced the plan's potential to substantially improve safety, mobility and present opportunities for environmental improvement through connectivity. More information will be available on the Web site soon, and more detailed information will be released at the Transportation Research Board's annual meeting in January. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=374 2009-12-17 11:20:18 FHWA has released a report that examines practices related to developing and sustaining a Regional Traffic Signal Operations Program, which provide regional partners with a formal framework to collectively manage the signal system performance for efficiency and consistency. To access the report, click on the link above. (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-09-007) http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=373 2009-12-17 11:19:48