National RTAP eNews - November 15, 2018

eNews - November 15, 2018

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 Webinar: Transit Employee Health and Wellness Programs

This webinar, to be held Thursday, November 29 at 2:00 PM ET, will discuss common health issues among drivers and other transit staff, the impact those issues can have on agencies, and the benefits of wellness programs. Presenters include Erwin Reitsma of Wyoming Independent Living and Jill Stedem of OATS Transit in Missouri. Register to learn how you can implement a wellness program that will benefit your agency, your employees, and your passengers.

GTFS Builder Checklist

Our GTFS Builder Checklist can be used in conjunction with our GTFS Builder Getting Started Guide to keep track of your progress in getting your route and schedule data into a trip planner application. The checklist is a spreadsheet that tracks the introductory steps and three main steps: gathering bus stops, building schedules and finalizing, validating and testing GTFS.

Featured Resource

Resources and Events

Upcoming National RTAP Webinar: FTA Rural and Tribal NTD Overview and Updates

Maggie Shilling, FTA NTD Program Manager, will lead a webinar on December 5, 2:00 PM ET covering basic requirements for rural and tribal NTD reporters, how the data are used in the funding formulas, and an overview of updates to the asset inventory requirements. Register and send any questions you would like answered during the webinar to info@nationalrtap.org in advance.

National RTAP State RTAP Manager Peer Roundtable

State RTAP Managers are invited to a Peer Roundtable on January 22, 2019 at 2:00 PM ET. This will be an informal discussion of issues affecting state transit programs and an open information exchange. We will plan some potential discussion topics, but please come with questions. National RTAP staff will facilitate. Join the Roundtable via GoToMeeting (no pre-registration required).

Notes Available from Transit Manager Peer Roundtable

Read the notes from National RTAP's Transit Manager Roundtable on November 6. Attendees discussed topics including the opioid crisis, charter service, useful training for de-escalation, and funding for training.

Call for Presentations for 2019 National RTAP Conference

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

U.S. DOT and FTA Updates

FTA has released 2018 National Transit Database (NTD) data products: Monthly Ridership Time Series and Monthly Safety Time Series. The data are available as downloadable spreadsheets.

At the end of FY 2018, U.S. DOT awarded over $63.9 billion multi-modal discretionary and formula transportation investments and $1.6 billion in discretionary funds. They've summarized highlights of the grants distributed in this time period.

Publications

TCRP's Contracting Fixed-Route Bus Transit Service can assist transit agencies in their decision-making process as they consider contracting fixed-route transit services instead of directly operating the service.

The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR)'s presentation, The Role of Public Transit during State of Emergency Declarations Due to Natural Disasters, discusses four phases of the emergency management cycle (mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery) and how agencies can incorporate lessons learned from each phase.

University of Minnesota's Using GIS to Improve Tribal Safety: Applications, Trends, and Implementation Dimensions investigated advances in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to enhance the collection, availability and use of transportation safety information and explored a framework for considering GIS implementation within the context and culture of tribal independence and governance.

National RTAP participated in America Walk's #10MinuteWalk Twitter Chat on November 6, 2018. Helpful resources shared included:

Walk Arlington's Do You Live in a Walkable Neighborhood?, Salud America's Resources to Inject Health into Transportation Projects and Policies and Build Healthy Places Network's Partnerships for Health Equity and Opportunity: A Healthcare Playbook for Community Developers.

Legislation

A Presidential Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies on Developing a Sustainable Spectrum Strategy for America’s Future was issued on October 30, 2018. The Memorandum explains how wireless technologies expand opportunities in rural communities and save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce the cost of transportation incidents.

A final rule on Environmental Impacts and Related Procedures was posted in the Federal Register on October 29, 2018. The rule amends FHWA and FTA regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 4(f) requirements.

Webinars and Training

NADTC is offering an online mini-course. Volunteer Transportation: Keys of a Successful Program focuses on volunteer transportation to meet transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities. The course uses a variety of media including prerecorded webinars, online forum and live webinar. Course registrants have until November 30, 2018 to complete requirements.

Opportunities

The National Operations Center of Excellence and the U.S. DOT ITS JPO PCB program are hosting a Transportation Technology Tournament for students to work directly with state and local DOTs on transportation problems utilizing Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) solutions. Students must submit their application by February 17, 2019.

National Rural Health Day

Today, November 15, 2018, is National Rural Health Day. National RTAP has been sharing photos and videos through our social media all week highlighting our work in rural health, and will be joining the #NationalRuralHealthDay Twitter Chat today from 12:00-1:00 PM ET.

Calendar of Upcoming Events

NADTC

Volunteer Transportation: Keys of a Successful Program

October 22-November 30

Online Mini-Course

National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health

#NationalRuralHealthDay Twitter Chat

November 15, 12:00-1:00 PM

Twitter Chat

MPTA

Mississippi Public Transit Association Conference

Biloxi, MS, November 13-16

Conference

Q'Straint

Wheelchair Securement Training

November 15, 12:00-1:15 PM

Webinar

Federal Transit Administration

Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) Final Rule Frequently Asked Questions

November 15, 2:00-3:30 PM

Webinar

National Transit Institute

Procurement III - RFPs & Competitive Contract Negotiations

Orange, CA, November 26-30

Training

TRB

Changes in Demographics and Markets for Public Transportation

November 28, 2:00-3:30 PM

Webinar

National RTAP

Transit Employee Health and Wellness Programs Webinar

November 29, 2:00-3:00 PM

Webinar

National Center for Mobility Management

An Introduction to Human-Centered Design and its Application to Transportation

San Diego, CA, December 3-4

Training

National Transit Institute

Title VI and Public Transit

Laredo, TX, December 3-4

Training

CUTR

Transit Supervisor Certification

Tampa, FL, December 3-7

Training

National Transit Institute

Transit Maintenance Leadership Workshop

Jacksonville, FL, December 3-7

Workshop

Rural Road Safety Center

Bridging the Gap Summit

Savannah, GA, December 4-6

Summit

National RTAP

FTA Rural and Tribal NTD Overview and Updates

December 5, 2:00-3:30 PM

Webinar

Transportation for America

Capital Ideas 2018: States’ Role in New Mobility

Atlanta, GA, December 5-6

Conference

Georgia Transit Association

Georgia Transit Conference

Jekyll Island, GA, December 5-7

Conference

Federal Transit Administration

Guidance on Using System Safety Program Plans (SSPPs) to Develop an Agency Safety Plan (PTASP)

December 6, 2:00 PM

Webinar

National Transit Institute

Procurement IV - Contract Administration

Orange, CA, December 10-14

Training

Q'Straint

Wheelchair Securement Training

December 19, 12:00-1:15 PM

Webinar

CUTR

Fundamentals of Bus Collision Investigation

Miami, FL, January 7-11

Training

National Transit Institute

TAM Implementation for Tier II Providers and Sponsors

Moline, IL, January 10

Training

Transportation Research Board

TRB Annual Meeting

Washington, DC, January 13-17

Conference

National Transit Institute

Introduction to Transit Service Planning

West Covina, CA, January 15-17

Training

National RTAP

State RTAP Manager Peer Roundtable

January 22, 2:00-3:00 PM

Peer Roundtable (no preregistration required, log on at the time)

National Transit Institute

Procurement for Small and Medium Transit Systems

Fort Myers, FL, January 29-30

Training

National Transit Institute

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise

Tucson, AZ, January 29-31

Training

National Transit Institute

Paratransit Management & Operations

Atlanta, GA, January 30-31

Training

METRO Magazine

Transit Bus eXchange (TBX)

Scottsdale, AZ, January 30 to February 1

Conference

National Transit Institute

Transit Fare Policy

Nashville, TN, February 6-7

Training

National Transit Institute

Quality Assurance & Quality Control

Los Angeles, CA, February 6-7

Training

For a list ing of all National RTAP and other national events, view our Calendar . To submit an event, email info@nationalrtap.org .

All event times listed as Eastern Time

Look for Us at these Upcoming Conferences

Mississippi Public Transit Association Conference, Biloxi, MS, Nov. 13-16
Georgia Transit Conference, Jekyll Island, GA, Dec. 5-7
TRB Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, Jan. 13-17
NM Transit Roadeo, Conference and Expo, Santa Fe, NM, Mar. 31-Apr. 2
NEPTA Conference & Expo, Warwick, RI, Jun. 26-27

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