National RTAP eNews - January 24, 2019

eNews - January 24, 2019

National RTAP is a program of the Federal Transit Administration dedicated to creating rural and tribal transit solutions through free training materials, technical assistance, and partner collaboration.

Upcoming National RTAP 101 Webinar: Introduction to TCRP

Join TCRP staff in this National RTAP 101 Webinar: Introduction to TCRP for a review of new TCRP research and a discussion of their synthesis opportunities and research problem descriptions.

The webinar will be held on February 6, 2019 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. Register for the webinar

Developing & Maintaining a Transit System Personnel Policy

We've updated the National RTAP Technical Brief, Developing & Maintaining a Transit System Personnel Policy in January 2019. The brief explains the interaction between managers and employees, presents legal requirements, outlines a productive and efficient work atmosphere, and discusses the personnel policy discussions your agency must make and how they can be included in a personnel policy manual. Updated sections include the Family and Medical Leave Act, information systems policy and the resource bibliography.

Featured Resource

Resources and Events

National RTAP Resource Catalog Updated

We've updated our Resource Catalog for 2019. The catalog includes descriptions of our training modules, technical briefs, web apps and toolkits, and lists of resources by roles. Twenty-two of our products were updated in 2018, including our Problem Passengers and 2 The Point Training.

U.S. DOT and FTA Updates

U.S. DOT awarded $1.5 billion to 91 projects in 49 states and the District of Columbia. The grants Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Grants program, included funding for a Siouxland Regional Transit System facility using green building materials and reuse of natural rain water.

U.S. DOT's Office of the Secretary of Transportation (DOT/OST) issued a notice on November 27, 2018 to establish a DOT-wide System of Records titled, ‘‘DOT/ALL–27, Training Programs.’’ This notice also retired two existing DOT systems of records notices.

U.S. DOT announced an expansion of the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Investment Act (TIFIA) program called the Rural Projects Initiative. This initiative will encourage and support rural communities’ applications for low-cost loans from the Federal government to improve transportation infrastructure.

Publications

TCRP's Broadening Understanding of the Interplay Between Public Transit, Shared Mobility, and Personal Automobiles explores the effect of app-based transportation network companies on public transit ridership, single-occupancy vehicles trips, and traffic congestion.

Neponset Valley Regional Coordinating Council's Transportation Partnership Toolkit helps agencies seeking to meet the transportation needs of constituents. The Toolkit assists in identifying possible partnerships through worksheets and provides examples of successful partnerships.

NCHRP's Guide to Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Innovation for Departments of Transportation helps State DOTS to assess their culture of innovation, identify ways to make the organization more adaptable and open to change, and sustain adaptability to respond to technology, workforce, and public priorities.

BTS has released the 2019 the Pocket Guide to Transportation. The guide also comes in a mobile version, with dynamic data updates, enhanced navigation, and shareable statistics to social media and email.

Webinars and Training

Elsevier's Researcher Academy is a free eLearning platform with courses and webinars on topics including writing for research, publishing data and navigating peer review.

Applications are being accepted for a new invitation-only, advanced-level National Transit Institute workshop on environmental justice. To be considered, complete the application by February 8, 2019.

National Transit Institute is offering many new courses in the upcoming year, including:

See their catalog to find out more about these and other trainings.

National RTAP ADA Topic Guide Updated

We've updated our ADA Topic Guide in January 2019. New resources include RHIhub's Access to Care for Rural People with Disabilities Toolkit and TCRP's ADA Paratransit Service Models.

Opportunities

TRB’s Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) annual program announcement solicits funding proposals for the upcoming review cycles. Transit IDEA projects should focus on innovation, payoff and research approach. Proposals are due September 15, 2019.

Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE), a newly formed coalition of industry, nonprofit and academic institutions, is seeking members. PAVE's goal is to educate the public and policymakers about self-driving vehicles. Current members include APTA, National Council on Aging and National Federation of the Blind.

Pioneer Institute's Moving People & Goods Forward competition is seeking ideas for getting commuters where they need to go and transforming the transportation system. Enter by April 17, 2019.

Legislation

FMCSA amended regulations on the Commercial Learner’s Permit Validity final rule (49 CFR Part 383) on December 21, 2018 to allow States to issue commercial learner’s permits with expiration date of up to one year from date of initial issuance. After one year, the CLP holder to retake the general and endorsement knowledge tests. This final rule is effective February 19, 2019.

New Technical Assistance Section of National RTAP Website

We've renamed the Peer Program section of our website Technical Assistance. The new section includes information on our Peer Roundtables and Chats and a form to request direct technical assistance.

Call for Presentations for 2019 National RTAP Conference

The call for presentations is open for our 2019 Technical Assistance Conference in Portland, Oregon, September 15-18. We're looking for presentations, workshops, and trainings on rural and tribal transit topics with a focus on innovation, best practices, and compliance. Submit the Presentation Proposal Form by February 28, 2019.

Calendar of Upcoming Events

NADTC

Introduction to Transportation Boot Camp Online Course

January 24 – March 1