National RTAP eNews - February 4, 2021

eNews - February 4, 2021

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.

Protect your Digital Assets by Joining Next Week's National RTAP Cybersecurity 101 Webinar

As described in Mass Transit Magazine in November and December 2020, many transit agencies are not taking cybersecurity and potential ransomware attacks seriously enough. To help address this issue, National RTAP will be hosting two training webinars on cybersecurity.

This first webinar on February 11, 2021, 2:00-3:00 PM ET, presented by David Javaheri of Direct IT, will be an overview of cybercrime and ways to protect yourself and your organization. The second, to be held later this spring, will address transit specific cybersecurity and data security concerns.

Join us and start taking action now to protect your organization. Register for the webinar.

Advocating for Your Transit Agency Tech Brief Updated

National RTAP and National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) collaborated on the update of our Advocating for Your Transit System technical brief. Advocating for your transit system is one of the most important tasks of a transit manager. The technical brief will provide you with the tools you need to successfully build coalitions to coordinate available resources, consolidate service to eliminate duplication, and communicate effectively with their community.

Originally published in 2008, the 2021 update includes advocacy models and flowcharts, a case study of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians' successful advocacy efforts, and new information about how mobility managers can advocate for transit agencies.

We gratefully acknowledge contributions from National RTAP Review Board Members Jeremy Bell, Choctaw Transit, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; Julia Castillo, HIRTA Public Transit; and Pradip Pant, Hawaii DOT, who created the Advocacy Cycle graphic, which is shown partially above.

Featured Resource

Resources and Events

Relax. A Special Stress Management Workshop from National RTAP

In this special workshop, built on principles of National RTAP's Healthy Habits technical brief, you will learn how to manage stress and truly relax, even during difficult times.

You will be led through gentle exercises and a relaxing rural transit-themed guided visualization that will truly make your stress disappear. Plus you'll receive tips to help you reduce stress now and in the future. Register to attend the workshop on February 17, 2021, from 2:00-3:00 PM ET.

Learn about TACL - The Transportation Technical Assistance Coordination Library in our Webinar

The new Transportation Technical Assistance Coordination Library (TACL) provides a sustainable methodology and platform for access and findability of coordination resources across a diverse range of transportation technical assistance centers and FTA. Please join us for a webinar on February 23, 2:00-3:00 PM ET, to learn more about TACL and how to utilize it to find transportation coordination technical assistance resources.

Upcoming National RTAP Webinar on Bus Driver Work Stations: How To Retain Drivers through Ergonomics

Keep the drivers you have healthy and on the job. Brian Sherlock, a Safety Specialist with the Amalgamated Transit Union International, makes the case that you can keep your drivers longer if you procure safer buses with ergonomic seat strategies. Join us for a webinar on Bus Driver Work Stations: How To Retain Drivers through Ergonomics on February 25, 2021, from 2:00-3:00 PM ET to review the data and discuss your options for ergonomic bus driver work stations that keep drivers healthy and on the job.

Participate in a National RTAP Intercity Bus Survey and Peer Roundtable

National RTAP is updating resources and training for intercity bus stakeholders involved in meeting rural transportation needs through Section 5311(f). We are working with FTA and TRB’s AP055 Rural, Intercity Bus, and Specialized Transportation Committee to reach stakeholders interested in supporting national and regional networks.

Please take the 2021 Intercity Bus Survey by February 12, 2021, to help determine priority topics and issues. Based on responses, we will hold a Peer Roundtable on March 9, 2021, from 2:00-3:00 PM ET to develop webinars, peer roundtables, technical briefs, and/or other training formats. Register for the Roundtable.

What's New in the Transit Manager's Toolkit Webinar Recording Posted

We hosted a What's New in the Transit Manager's Toolkit webinar on January 26, 2021. National RTAP Review Board members Laura Corff and Shauna Miller provided an introduction to the updated content. Access the webinar recording and presentation slides.

National RTAP Transit Managers Peer Roundtable Summary Available

National RTAP staff and Review Board members held a Transit Managers Peer Roundtable on December 16, 2020, to connect with peers and discuss issues affecting their jobs, agencies, and communities. Topics discussed included COVID fatigue, vaccination plans, and capacity limits. Read the roundtable summary.

U.S. DOT and FTA Updates

The new Secretary of Transportation is Pete Buttigieg. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Secretary Buttigieg served two terms as mayor of South Bend, Indiana. A graduate of Harvard University and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, Buttigieg served for seven years as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Additional U.S. DOT appointees were introduced on January 21, 2021 and February 2, 2021.

U.S. Department of Transportation announced $15.8 Million in Grant Awards to 37 projects to improve the operational efficiency of transit agencies affected by COVID-19 on January 19, 2021. Rural projects include automated wheelchair securement systems on buses, contactless mobile transit tickets to customers through local businesses, and adopting longer-term zero-fare policies. The funding will also be used to enhance mobility and access to public transportation for Tribal communities.

The Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) invites public comment on the document, Automated Vehicles Comprehensive Plan. U.S. DOT is working towards the safe and full integration of Automated Driving Systems (ADS) into the surface transportation system. Comments are due by March 22, 2021.

FTA's January 2021 Transit Safety and Oversight Spotlight newsletter was published. The issue includes information about FTA's Notice of Enforcement Discretion, providing enforcement relief for FTA recipients and subrecipients unable to meet the certification requirements for the PTASP regulation (49 CFR Part 673).

FTA posted the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (CRRSAA) on their website. Answers to questions about CRRSAA and other funding are available in FTA's COVID-19 FAQs. CARES Act and CRRSAA funds can be for Section 5311 and 5307 recipients, and CRRSAA funds can also be used for Section 5310 recipients to provide transit services for seniors and persons with disabilities.

U.S. DOT updated its National Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Reference Architecture ARC-IT software tools: Regional Architecture Development for Intelligent Transportation (RAD-IT) and the Systems Engineering Tool for Intelligent Transportation (SET-IT). ARC-IT provides a common framework for planning, defining, and integrating ITS.

Webinars and Training

Today, February 4, from 2:00-3:30 ET, the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) will present the webinar, Mobilizing Transportation to Increase COVID-19 Vaccination (Passcode: 566406) with public health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides training videos that explain the importance of vaccination and how to effectively address questions about vaccine safety and effectiveness.

Cara Marcus Featured as National Transportation Knowledge Network Member Spotlight

The National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN) recently featured National RTAP Resource Center Manager Cara Marcus as their Member Spotlight. The article discusses the National RTAP Resource Center and Cara's research strategies.

Publications

The AASHTO Data Committee created a new newsletter to highlight how investing in data management research provides more tools to help improve transportation system management.

A National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) case study on Scheduling and Dispatching Deployment and Broadband Expansion in Rural Ohio shows how the Transit Tech Ohio project increased trip scheduling by 400% in two years, and the operational cost per passenger was decreased by $2 per passenger.

FHWA's Example Practices for Performance-Based Planning and Programming is intended to provide a collection of examples that might be useful for other agencies as they work to implement. Rural practices include travel time reliability and providing better connections between residential areas, workplaces, schools, shopping, parks/recreational facilities, and other services.

NHTSA's Tribal Crash Reporting Toolkit is designed to help Tribal governments collect, manage, and analyze crash data. It contains tools on crash facts, data analysis, crash reporting, instruction, quality control, database, and self-assessment.

Welcome New RTAP Managers

National RTAP extends a warm welcome to new US Territory RTAP Manager Alex Zodiacal and RTAP Assistant Fa'afeumalo (Feu) Guthrie, both from the Department of Commerce, American Samoa, and to South Dakota State RTAP Manager Monte Meier. If you would like to get in touch with them or any other RTAP Managers, visit our Directory of State RTAP Managers.

Databases and Tools

The National Safety Council and NORC at the University of Chicago updated The Real Cost of Substance Use to Employers tool. Data are presented by state, number of employees, and industry.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) National Transportation Atlas Database was updated, including the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Alternative Fueling Stations, National Parks, and Metropolitan Planning Organization boundaries.

The National Risk Index is a new online mapping application from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) that identifies communities most at risk to natural hazards. Data are available at the county and census tract level on topics including expected annual losses and community resilience.

HealthLandscape created a Community of Immunity Vaccination Deficit Explorer. The interactive map shows the estimated number of COVID-19 vaccinations that may not be administered in each U.S. county based on previous annual influenza vaccination rates. Data can be filtered by state.

Opportunities

The Appalachian Regional Commission released a Request for Proposals for the 2021 POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative. POWER seeks to diversify economies in communities and regions affected by job losses in coal-related chain industries due to the changing economics of America’s energy production. Letters of Intent are due by March 5, 2021.

The Active Transportation Resource Center (ATRC) provides an Automated Counter Loan Program Pilot that makes automated pedestrian and bicycle counters available for agencies to borrow.

The Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) is holding a Mobility Hub Reader Survey to obtain feedback about their newsletter.

The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) is planning a peer exchange on FTA's Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) and Micromobility initiative in February. If you are interested in participating, please contact Danny Drees.

Legislation

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) published Requirement for Persons to Wear Masks While on Conveyances and at Transportation Hubs in the Code of Federal Regulations on January 29, 2021. The order must be followed by all passengers and staff using public transportation. People must wear masks that cover both the mouth and nose when awaiting, boarding, traveling on, or disembarking public conveyances. The order provides additional information about what type of masks fulfill the requirements of the order.

A number of new COVID-19-related Executive Orders and documents have been published, including:

Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel - mandates mask-wearing on public and intercity transportation
Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and Recovery - information on the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force
Improving and Expanding Access to Care and Treatments for COVID-19
National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness

An Interim Final Rule was published in the Federal Register on January 14, 2021 to govern new Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans made under the Economic Aid Act, as well as applications for loan forgiveness on existing loans where the forgiveness payment has not been remitted. The rule also allows borrowers of first draw PPP loans to use 2019 or 2020 to calculate their maximum loan amount.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is accepting comments through March 20, 2021 on recommendations it has received to increase the minimum urban area population to qualify a metropolitan statistical area from 50,000 to 100,000.

NHTSA announced an extension of the comment period on an advance notice of proposed rulemaking requesting comment on NHTSA’s development of a framework for Automated Driving System (ADS) safety. The comment period will now end on April 1, 2021.

An Executive Order on Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers was published on January 25, 2021. This legislation includes all statutes, regulations, rules, and Executive Orders relating to Federal financial assistance awards or Federal procurement, including Buy America.

RIBTC Student Paper Competitions Open

The 24th National Conference on Rural and Intercity Bus (RIBTC) is scheduled for October 24-27, 2021 in Charleston, SC. Undergraduate and graduate students can take part in research paper competitions. Two winning student research papers will be awarded and the authors will receive travel funds to attend the conference (U.S. travel only). If you would like to receive instructions on either contest, please contact us. The entry must be sent electronically to Del Peterson by April 15, 2021.

Help Us Select a Book for a National RTAP Book Discussion Group

National RTAP will be launching a Books in Transit Book Discussion Group this summer. The group will meet (virtually for now) twice a year to participate in a facilitator-led book discussion about fiction books focusing on buses and bus drivers. Please take our survey to select the first book we will read.

Save the Date for our Second #ClimateTransit Twitter Chat

Please join us for a #ClimateTransit Twitter chat on April 20, 2021, from 2:00-3:00 PM ET to discuss how climate change could impact rural communities and transit agencies. We will also discuss how transit agencies can prepare for potential effects of a changing climate, as well as tackle their emissions to mitigate potential climate impacts. The chat will be moderated by Josh Goldman, Associate Director, Climate Nexus. Panelists are Jimmy O’Dea, Senior Vehicles Analyst, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Camron Gorguinpour, Director of Sustainability Solutions, ENGIE Impact. RSVP for an invite.

Calendar of Upcoming Events

All event times listed in Eastern Time. Subtract 1 hour for Central Time, 2 for Mountain Time, 3 for Pacific Time, 4 for Alaska, and 6 for Hawaii.

FTA/Intelligent Transportation Society of America

Findings and Lessons Learned from the MOD Sandbox Trip Planning and Fare Payment Deployments

February 4, 1:00 PM