Best Practices in Rural Regional Mobility (2017)

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143 Appendix C contains the Rural Regional Mobility Survey used for NCHRP Project 20-65, Task 56. Rural Regional Mobility Survey A p p e n d i x C

144 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility Thank you for electing to participate in this NCHRP study Best Practices in Rural Regional Mobility (Project 20-65, Task 56) conducted by KFH Group. The following text will help you define the types of rural regional transit examples that we are looking for. We hope to find examples to use as case studies for a national toolbox on improving rural regional mobility. Background To support efforts to improve rural regional mobility, the Transportation Research Board commissioned the KFH Group to identify and evaluate practices being used by state departments of transportation (DOTs), rural transit providers and rural regional planning agencies to plan and provide for rural regional transit, facilitating the travel of people from rural areas to locations in other jurisdictions that offer a range of opportunities and services not available in their home communities. Definition of Rural Regional Transit As presented in NCHRP’s Preliminary Scope for the study, rural regional transit is a service that falls in the middle ground between rural public transportation and intercity bus service. The Preliminary Scope suggests that rural regional transit is typically “intra-state, cross-county transportation” that is open to the general public. It could include, for example, services that could be used for day trips to a regional medical center (e.g., a Veterans Administration Medical Center) for non-emergency services, a community college, as well as trips to access other transportation modes for longer distance travel (e.g., to an intercity bus terminal or airport). Or it could include services designed to provide work trips. Building on the definitions of both rural public transportation and intercity bus service, we are defining a rural regional transit service, also referred to as rural regional mobility, as one that provides transportation open to the general public from a rural area across county or other jurisdictional boundaries[1] to a destination that has services (e.g., medical, educational, employment, retail, government, etc.) not available in the rural area. The rural regional mobility service may be supported with FTA S. 5311 and/or S. 5311(f) and S. 5311(c) funds and may be supplemented with other federal, state, or local funds in addition to passenger fares. For the purposes of this study, the focus will be on regional services that address the kinds of trips that can be made in a day, rather than overnight (or longer trips), while considering the possibilities for also meeting intercity needs (and using intercity funding). The intercity program may well be a tool in the toolbox used to create regional services, but the focus of this study is on services that meet a different distinct need (even if they can sometimes be designed to qualify as intercity services). NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility

Appendix C 145 If you have questions or if you would like to provide your comments via phone or email please contact: Lucinda Shannon Transportation Planner KFH Group, Inc. Phone 301-951-8660 Email lshannon@fkhgroup.com [1] Although the study scope referred to such services as intra-state, we anticipate that some systems or providers have developed regional services that cross state lines, and so we may well document such cases and include relevant best practices needed for such services (for example, meeting Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requirements).

146 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility As part of the NCHRP study, Task 56, Best Practices in Rural Regional Mobility, the KFH Group is surveying state transit program managers and others to determine if they: 1) Have identified an unmet need for rural regional transit services (as defined above), 2) Have addressed these needs through any state program actions, policies, or programs, and 3) Are aware of any local or regional efforts to address these needs that we should contact as potential case studies. We hope to identify practices being used by state departments of transportation (DOTs), rural transit providers and rural regional planning agencies to plan and provide for rural regional mobility, facilitating the daily travel of people from rural areas to locations in other jurisdictions that offer a range of opportunities and services not available in their home communities. The examples you provide may be selected as case studies in a national toolkit. Please share information about how your state identifies unmet rural regional needs. How are these needs identified? Do you have examples of innovative processes to identify these needs? Please share details about these processes by answering the questions below. NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility 1. Have unmet needs for rural regional transit services been identified in your state?* Yes No

Appendix C 147 Please share the relevant details about your innovative approach to identify unmet rural regional mobility needs. NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility 1. Do you know of any statewide transit studies or plans that would be good examples for this study?* Yes No

148 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility Remarkable statewide transit needs studies or plans NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility What is the name of the study or plan? How can we find out more information about the study? Is there a link to the report? Who should we contact to learn more about this study or plan? Please include name, phone number and email. 1. Please share details about your example of statewide transit studies or plans:

Appendix C 149 Remarkable statewide transit needs studies or plans NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility 1. Do you know of a statewide intercity bus study or consultation process that is a good example of how to identify rural regional transit needs? * Yes No

150 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility Remarkable statewide transit needs studies or plans details NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility Name of the study or process How can we find more information about this process? Is there a link to the study? Who should we contact to learn more about this study? Please include name, phone number and email address. 1. Please share more details about your example of intercity bus studies or consultation process for identifying rural regional mobility needs.

Appendix C 151 Coordinated planning NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility 1. Do you know of a good example of identifying rural regional transit needs through coordinated transportation plans? * Yes No

152 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility Coordinated planing details NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility The title and/or locality of the plan? Why is it an exemplary example? How can we learn more about this plan or process? Who should we contact about the plan? Please include a name, phone number and email address. 1. Please share more details about your example of the coordinated planning process.

Appendix C 153 Transit development plans NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility 1. Do you have a good example of how a transit development plan or similar study helped identify unmet rural regional transportation needs in your state? * Yes No

154 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility Transit development plans details NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility Name of the study or plan? Is there a link to more information about this plan or study? Who should we contact for more information about this transit development plan? Please include a name, phone number and email address. 1. Please share details about your example of local transit development plans.

Appendix C 155 Advisory or policy groups NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility 1. Do you have an example of how advisory or policy groups helped identify unmet rural regional transit needs in your state? * Yes No

156 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility Advisory or policy groups NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility What group or groups? Please share details about the process used and why it worked. Can we get a copy of their comment? Are they available online? Link? Website? 1. Please share more information about your example of how advisory or policy groups helped identify unmet rural regional transit needs in your state.

Appendix C 157 Input through meetings or surveys NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility 1. Do you have any exemplary examples of meetings or surveys that helped identify unmet needs for rural regional transportation in your state? * Yes No

158 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility Input through meetings or surveys NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility Was this part of a study? If so, what study was it? Why was this example/process instrumental in identifying rural regional transit needs? How can we find out more information about this process? Who can we contact to find out more information about this process? Please include name, phone number and email address. 1. Please share more information about the survey or public meeting process that helped identify unmet needs.

Appendix C 159 We hope to identify practices being used by state departments of transportation (DOTs), rural transit providers and rural regional planning agencies to plan and provide for rural regional mobility, facilitating the daily travel of people from rural areas to locations in other jurisdictions that offer a range of opportunities and services not available in their home communities. The examples you provide may be selected as case studies in a national toolkit. NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility Have unmet needs for rural regional transit service been identified in your state, and if so through what process? Please share details about any processes that you think would be good examples to share with other states. 1. Briefly describe the unmet need as it has been identified. Be as specific as possible, e.g. work trips to urban areas, transportation to Veteran’s Administration medical facilities, access to community colleges, long-distance medical trips, etc. Other (please specify) 2. Has the state transit program addressed these needs through changes in policies, programs or funding? Yes No

160 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility 1. Do you have an example of enabling legislation that provides authority for jurisdictions to jointly fund and operate rural regional transit services? Yes No

Appendix C 161 NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility The legislation title? and URL? What were the results of the legislation related to rural regional service? Why is this a good example? How can we learn more about this initiative? Who should we contact to learn more about the legislation and its effects on rural regional mobility? Please include name, phone number and email address. 1. Please provide details about your example of enabling legislation that provides authority for jurisdictions to jointly fund and operate rural regional transit services.

162 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility 1. Has providing funding earmarked for rural regional transit services (either state funds or state priorities for the use of available federal funding) helped improve rural regional transportation? Yes No

Appendix C 163 NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility Other (please specify) 1. Please check which funds are used by your state to help improve rural regional transportation? Section 5311 Section 5311(f) Section 5307 CMAQ State funds (not local match for federal funds) State funds for local match for federal funds If you provide state funds, what is the source of those funds? If you use federal funds to support regional transit, which funds and what percentage of them are allocated for regional transit? Who can we contact to learn more about this initiative? Please include a name, organization, phone number and email address. 2. Please share more details about how your state uses/allocates resources to support rural regional transit. 3. Are there any other details about this process used to support rural regional transit? Why would it make a good case study? What can other states learn from this example?

164 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility Other (please specify) 1. Does your state or organization provide technical support to assist jurisdictions in planning and operating rural regional transit? Including funding for planning or feasibility studies of rural regional transit services. Yes No

Appendix C 165 NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility Does the technical support include funding for planning or feasibility studies of rural regional transit services? If yes, how? Does the technical support include feasibility studies of regional services? How? Does the technical support include studies or plans in support of developing regional organizations? 1. Please describe the technical support provided to assist jurisdictions in planning and operating rural regional transit? 2. Do you have an example of technical support you think would help other states support rural regional mobility? Please describe the program, explain why it is a good example and who to contact for more information about the program. Name: Organization: Phone number: Email address: Other comments: 3. Who should we contact to learn more about this example of technical support, either on the state or recipient side.

166 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility Other (please specify) 1. Does your state fund demonstration projects that feature rural regional transit? Yes No

Appendix C 167 NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility Who runs the demonstration projects? Would one of the projects make a good case study for a rural regional mobility toolkit? What is the name of this project? Where is it located? Who operates the project? What regions does it cover? Why would it make a good case study for rural regional mobility? Is there a website or other available source for more information about this project? Who should we contact to learn more about this project? Please include name, phone number and email address. 1. Please tell us more about these state funded demonstration projects for rural regional transit.

168 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility Other (please specify) 1. Has your state developed policy, guidance and principles that support rural regional transit efforts? Yes No

Appendix C 169 NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility What is the name of this policy and/or guidance? When was it established? How has it helped to support rural regional mobility? How do we find out more about this policy/guidance? Is there a link to it? Who should we contact to learn more about how it helped rural regional mobility? Please include a name, phone number and email address. 1. Please share more information about this policy or guidance. 2. Please share any other information about this policy, guidance and/or principles that you think would help build a case study about it. Why and how did it support rural regional mobility? What worked and what didn't work? Were there key partners in its implementation?

170 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility 1. Do you have examples of other state-level strategies to support rural regional transportation that you think should be included in the toolkit on rural regional mobility? Name: Organization: Phone number: Email address: Other comments: 2. Who should we contact to learn more about this example, either on the state or recipient side.

Appendix C 171 NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility 1. Do you have examples of other state-level strategies to support rural regional transportation that you think should be included in the NCHRP toolkit on rural regional transportation?

172 Best practices in Rural Regional Mobility Example 1 Name of the system or operation: Brief description of service: Contact name, e-mail and phone contact: Example 2 Name of the system or operation: Brief description of service: Contact name, e-mail and phone contact: Example 3 Name of the system or operation: Brief description of service: Contact name, e-mail and phone contact: 2. Please identify any rural systems or operations in your state that have developed or implemented regional transportation for the general public from a rural area across county or other jurisdictional boundaries to serve a destination that has services (e.g., medical, educational, employment, retail, government, etc.) not available in the rural area in your state (whether or not as a result of a state program initiative). 3. Any other examples and comments:

Appendix C 173 Thank you for helping KFH Group identify and evaluate practices being used by state departments of transportation (DOTs), rural transit providers and rural regional planning agencies to plan and provide for rural regional mobility, facilitating the daily travel of people from rural areas to locations in other jurisdictions that offer a range of opportunities and services not available in their home communities. Last Question! NCHRP 20-65 (56) Rural Regional Mobility Name Company Address Address 2 City/Town State/Province -- select state -- ZIP/Postal Code Email Address Phone Number 1. Please share your contact information so we may follow up with you. The results of this study will be published in an NCHRP toolkit on rural regional transportation. Your state program and its rural providers could be a model for the rest of the country. If you have questions or would like to provide further comments via phone or email please contact: Lucinda Shannon Transportation Planner KFH Group, Inc. Phone: 301-951-8660 Email: lshannon@fkhgroup.com

Abbreviations and acronyms used without definitions in TRB publications: A4A Airlines for America AAAE American Association of Airport Executives AASHO American Association of State Highway Officials AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ACI–NA Airports Council International–North America ACRP Airport Cooperative Research Program ADA Americans with Disabilities Act APTA American Public Transportation Association ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials ATA American Trucking Associations CTAA Community Transportation Association of America CTBSSP Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program DHS Department of Homeland Security DOE Department of Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency FAA Federal Aviation Administration FAST Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (2015) FHWA Federal Highway Administration FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FRA Federal Railroad Administration FTA Federal Transit Administration HMCRP Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (2012) NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASAO National Association of State Aviation Officials NCFRP National Cooperative Freight Research Program NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NTSB National Transportation Safety Board PHMSA Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration SAE Society of Automotive Engineers SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (2005) TCRP Transit Cooperative Research Program TDC Transit Development Corporation TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (1998) TRB Transportation Research Board TSA Transportation Security Administration U.S.DOT United States Department of Transportation

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