1 Briefing on the TPB Transportation Planning Process Certification Summary Report Sandra Jackson Federal Highway Administration Transportation Planning Board April 19, 2006 Item 13

2 Overview FHWA and FTA periodically undertake certification reviews of all metropolitan transportation planning processes –Required by federal law –Every 3 years under TEA-21, will be every 4 years under SAFETEA-LU –Undertaken in fall 2005, focusing on a set of September 2005 meetings Today’s presentation discusses the final report dated March 16, 2006

3 The Transportation Planning Certification Process Federal Team Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

4 Transportation Planning Certification Process Meetings With Access for All Advisory Committee members on Sept. 15 With TPB Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) members also on Sept. 15 –Report reflects the perspective and direct comments of the CAC unless otherwise noted Initial briefing of TPB on September 19 Federal team members attended numerous technical and subcommittee meetings

5 Findings FHWA and FTA determined that the TPB’s process meets relevant federal requirements, and jointly certified that process Certification results were good –No “corrective actions” were needed –A number of commendations were issued on aspects of the TPB’s planning program A number of recommendations were identified to enhance the metropolitan planning process –Action requested on most recommendations within one year –Many recommendations were for better documentation of activities already ongoing, rather than asking for new activities

6 Commendations to TPB 1.With WMATA, for elevating awareness of the implications of inadequate funding for transit 2.For engaging stakeholders in the Management, Operations, and Intelligent Transportation Systems (MOITS) program 3.For TPB’s active approach in improving its travel demand forecasting and models development 4.For demonstrating the transportation implications of proposed military base closings 5.For innovative efforts in visioning and scenario planning

7 Commendations to TPB (cont’d) 6.With WMATA, for working together to address and highlight the implications of funding shortfalls for transit through use of the “ridership constraint” 7.For active bicycle and pedestrian planning at a regional level 8.With WMATA, for progress in working through the Access for All Committee to support participation by low income, minority, and disabled populations 9.For the amount and quality of information available to the public through the TPB’s Web site and publications

8 Recommendations to TPB 1.With transit partners, develop a formal written agreement on regional transit planning roles and responsibilities 2.Work with the Fredericksburg Area MPO on allocation and sharing of regional transit funds 3.Include a formal signatures page on annual self- certification statements, including verification of Title VI and ADA requirements 4.Provide an expanded explanation of the links between the CLRP and investments and strategies in the TIP

9 Recommendations to TPB (cont’d) 5.Work with DDOT, MDOT, VDOT, and WMATA to improve the documentation and transparency of the CLRP and TIP project selection process 6.Include a more detailed and consolidated financial plan in the CLRP and TIP 7.Provide a complete description of the ridership constraint methodology in the CLRP and TIP 8.Develop a comprehensive description of a regional Congestion Management System to demonstrate its application at critical stages of the metropolitan planning process

10 Recommendations to TPB (cont’d) 9.More completely describe the coordinated process for providing UPWP technical assistance to member agencies 10.Maintain commitments to emissions reduction measures 11.Demonstrate and document how Federal Planning Factors are addressed 12.Expand regional freight and goods movement planning

11 Recommendations to TPB (cont’d) 13.Explicitly demonstrate how safety and security are addressed in the planning process and project selection 14.Coordinate more frequently on land use issues 15.Make TPB’s compliance with Title VI requirements more visible in the planning process 16.Evaluate the effectiveness of TPB’s regional public outreach efforts within the next two years

12 Thank You District Department of Transportation Maryland Department of Transportation and State Highway Administration Virginia Department of Transportation and Department of Rail and Public Transportation Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority TPB Member Jurisdictions and Agencies

13 Contact Information For questions and/or comments, please contact: Federal Highway Administration Sandra Jackson Federal Transit Administration Tony Tarone