Presentation by Carrie Kissel, National Association of Development Organizations, at the FTA State Programs Meeting, August 7, 2013, in Washington, DC.

1. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS
Rural Transportation Planning
Trends and Issues
Carrie Kissel
National Association of Development Organizations
with support from the Federal Highway Administration

2. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
About NADO
 National association for 540 regional
development organizations, including emerging
network of Regional Transportation Planning
Organizations (RTPOs or RPOs)
 Promote public policies that strengthen local
governments, communities and economies
through the regional strategies, coordination
efforts and program expertise of the nation’s
regional development organizations

3. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Regional Development Organizations
 Formed by state statute or executive order
 May be called: Council of Governments, Regional
Planning Commission, Economic Development
District
 Participate in/administer many state and federal
programs
• Economic Development
• Regional Planning
• Human Services

4. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
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5. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
About RPO America
 Program affiliate of NADO
 Serves as the national professional association for
rural and small metro transportation planners
 National Rural Transportation Peer Learning
Conference
 www.RuralTransportation.org
Rural Transportation Newsletter
www.Facebook.com/RPOAmerica
Twitter @RPOAmerica

6. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
What’s Happening in Rural
Transportation Planning?

7. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Rural Planning Organization
•R‐Relationships
•P‐Priority
•O‐One
• Communication is Essential

8. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
How Did We Get Here?
• ISTEA (1991)
– Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
• TEA‐21 (1998)
– Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
• SAFETEA LU (2005)
– Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for Users
• 2003 FHWA/FTA planning regulations were adopted implementing
language on rural planning and state‐local consultation. (4 year
process )
• Same language used in 2007 regulations
• In essence requires meaningful input by local officials in the
transportation planning process/decision making—separate from
public outreach efforts

9. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
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10. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
RTPO Governance Framework
• Policy board/committee
– local elected officials or their designees, plus reps of
state, transportation providers, modal representatives,
& public
– Often same as “parent” COG/RPC board
• Technical committee
– to provide guidance and advice on practitioner‐level
issues
– consider relationship with CEDS committee, including shared
membership and coordinating project identification and ranking
processes as appropriate
• Fiscal agent
– to serve as management, planning, and administrative
support (COG/RPC)

11. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Typical RTPO Tasks

12. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Local Government Technical
Assistance
• Be a general transportation resource
• Assist with traffic counts, parking counts, local
roads issues
• Convene local transit providers
• Convene local road managers
• Learn major state/fed program categories to
answer questions about what projects are eligible
or assist with grantwriting
• Joint purchasing opportunities

13. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Facilitate Input in Statewide Plan
• Invite DOT to participate in regional RTPO
board/committee meetings regularly
– One meeting for DOT staff to attend, rather than
separate outreach every jurisdiction
• Help DOT host regional local official forum, public
involvement forum
• Offer to assist with reviewing projects in the
pipeline:
– What’s changed at local level?
– What’s still a priority?

14. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Develop Regional Priorities
• Help DOT to solicit project ideas for
available funds
• Develop regional priority list:
– What can we agree on?
– What issues/projects are most important?
• Be realistic and strategic—may need to
focus on specific corridors or issues,
rather than needs of region’s entire
network

15. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Connect State and Local Levels
• Local jurisdictions may not have extensive
planning and zoning, but they still have a sense of
community direction
• Where is development planned or desired? New
housing? New schools?
• Impact of those on transport network?
• If there are upcoming construction or service
change projects, how will they impact
communities?
– Assist with Context Sensitive Solutions
– Assist with outreach to businesses and facilities located
on affected routes

16. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
General Transportation Challenges
• Unpredictable funding levels
• Shrinking resources for planning and
construction
• Turnover—local officials, state officials, and
legislators
• Long‐term horizon—benefit may not be
realized during term of office

17. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
RTPO Challenges
• Recognize limits‐‐no national standards until
MAP‐21, planning framework is voluntary
• No uniform work program
• Little, if any, financial authority
• Keeping local officials engaged and committed to
the process
• Lack of “buy‐in” by: DOT, Elected Officials, staff
• Varying resources and capabilities among the
RTPOs: within state, between states
• Turf‐‐Is there room in the sandbox?

18. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
What are RTPOs doing
about transit?

19. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Work Program Elements
• Ensure transit providers, interests are
aware of and invited to table
• Gather, prioritize 5311 applications
• Inventory existing services
• Mobility management
• Coordinated planning
• Assist providers with planning service

20. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Emerging Issues and Themes
• Increasing focus on mobility
• Ability to convene partners
• Relationships with human services entities
• Access to regional data
• Experience in data analysis, mapping,
database development
• Connections to economic trends

21. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
GA: Transit Development Plans
GDOT contracts with regional commissions to:
• Assist local governments with transit planning:
– Identify areas, populations of need
– Inventory, assess existing services
– Develop support organizations
– Present a plan or vision
– Obtain local support

22. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
GA: Transit Development Plans
GDOT contracts with regional commissions to:
• Organize and facilitate community meetings to
develop “transit development plans”
• Facilitate completion of environmental tasks for
transit earmark projects

23. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
GA: Essential Elements of TDPs
• Executive Summary
• Demographic Analysis
• Goals & Objectives
• Performance Evaluation of Existing Service
• Demand Estimation, Transit Needs Assessment
• Transit Alternatives & Recommendations
• Compliance with Federal & State Requirements
• Five Year Capital and Operating Projections
• Adoption of the Plan

24. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Arizona: Coordinated Planning
State Context
ADOT Uses 9 Planning
Regions to:
• Improve management of
existing assets
• AZ Institute 4 Coordination
• Strengthen Regional
Human Service
Coordination Plans
• Develop Coordination
Councils

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Northern AZ: Projects Underway
• Sr. Cntr – Para Transit
• COG AAA – NOMT
• COG – MPO Senior Transportation
Network Development
• COG AAA – Para Transit Voucher
NON EMERG
MEDICAL
NACOG
AAA
Senior
Center
DTD
PROJECT

27. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Lowcountry COG & Partners (SC)
Conditions for Coordination/ Consolidation:
• ONE well‐established public transit service provider
• Large, sparsely settled area
• Many human service agencies discovering they do
not want to be in “transportation business”
• Purchase of Service contracts (with 5310 funding)
with the transit provider an important option
• Opportunities for sharing routes
• Potential for multiple funding sources
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28. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
SCDOT Coordination Plan 2007
Regional Transportation Needs
• More service for medical appointments, urban
and rural
• Work trips—to Hilton Head Island, Bluffton,
within and between all of the COG counties
• Interregional medical trips (outside of COG
region Charleston, Savannah)
• General public transportation
• Retirees and other older people
• Youth (after school) transportation
• Fixed route/fixed schedule services
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29. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
2013 Service Consolidation:
SCDOT Coordination Plan 2007
Challenges Facing Agencies Met by 2013
through Consolidation √
1. Need to move away from 48‐hour advanced
reservation; more spontaneous trips √
2. Cost of fuel
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30. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Service Consolidation:
SCDOT Coordination Plan 2007
3. Need to upgrade vehicles, equipment √
4. Need for additional funding for expanded
services √
5. Implementation of a mechanism to centralize
transportation services, i.e., lacking a mobility
manager √
6. Need for technology to coordinate trips among
agencies, across jurisdictional lines √
7. Vehicle assets rapidly deteriorating √
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31. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
CTAA/Lowcountry Plan 2012
Evaluated Five Potential Structures/Strategies
1. Consolidated Structure: Nonprofit and public
agencies consolidate transportation into
Palmetto Breeze
2. Brokerage Structure: Palmetto Breeze brokers
trips to participating transportation providers,
operates public/coordinated transportation
3. Hybrid Structure: Some participating
organizations consolidate, others serve as
independent, contracted service providers
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32. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
CTAA/Lowcountry Plan 2012
Evaluated Five Potential Structures/Strategies
4. Coordination: Shared use of vehicles, staff,
maintenance, training, grant writing
5. Information and Referral: Mobility Manager
continues to refer passengers, uses technology
to promote efficiency
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33. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Coastal Regional Commission (GA):
Rural Commuter Vanpooling
• Contract with VPSI
• Target workforce living 10+ miles away,
those unable to conveniently use fixed‐route
transit
• Provide service as groups are identified, with
the riders deciding where and when a route
operates
• Save costs for workers, promote productivity
for employers

34. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Iowa: Rural Transit Planning
• Regional Planning Affiliations created post‐
ISTEA
• Most are co‐terminus with regional transit
boundaries
– Some housed in same parent org as transit
• Transit planning, coordination plans
• Emerging issues: connect workforce
development/employment transportation
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35. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Thomas Jefferson PDC (VA)
• The TJPDC received a grant from the Virginia Board of
People with Disabilities to develop and expand the use of
the Transportation Housing Alliance Toolkit.
• This funding focuses on 3 deliverables:
• Work also involves training and presentations to localities
and PDCs throughout the state.
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‐ Six case studies in the region to focus on assessing the inclusiveness of
local ordinances, procedures and plans.
‐ A standardized assessment tool to identify gaps.
‐ A list of common barriers to meeting needs.
‐ Model language that localities can consider for adoption to address
those gaps

36. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Southwest RPC (NH): Rural TDM
Travel Demand Management Advocacy Group
• Public & private sector
• Meeting since 2006
• Advocacy, education, leadership
• Role of transportation on economy, environment and
society
• Monadnock Region Transportation Management
Association
• Web‐based toolkit

37. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Web‐Based TDM Toolkit
• Clearinghouse of information
• Accessible
• User friendly
• Diverse audience
• Residents/visitors
• Employers
• Educators
• Municipal officials www.monadnocktma.org

38. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Web‐Based TDM Toolkit
Information on transportation options
Employer toolkit
Guide for municipalities
Materials for Educators and Schools

39. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
RTPOs and State DOTs:
Opportunities for Transit Planning
Use regional partners to:
• Leverage investments: transportation
service supports changes in population,
land use, economic, and local quality of
place efforts
• Identify an area’s economic assets that
may be key service destinations

40. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
RTPOs and State DOTs:
Opportunities for Transit Planning
Use regional partners to:
• Innovate in outreach, service delivery,
planning frameworks
• Partner with new organizations—major
employers? Community foundations?
Other local institutions?

41. RURAL PLANNING PRACTICE
Additional Resources
www.NADO.org
www.RuralTransportation.org
Carrie Kissel
ckissel@nado.org
202.624.8829