ITS in Academics

ITS University Workshop #5
November 8-9, 2017 | Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, Virginia

Day 1 Presentation | November 8, 2017

NARC Perspective on Transportation Planning and Technology Trends

Presenter: Leslie Wollack
Presenter’s Org: National Association of Regional Councils (NARC)

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The slides in this presentation are branded with the NARC Building Regional Communities logo.

Slide 1: NARC Perspective on Transportation Planning and Technology Trends

U.S. DOT’s ITS University Workshop
November 8, 2017

Presented by:
Leslie Wollack, Executive Director
National Association of Regional Councils

Slide 2: About NARC

• Membership association in Washington, DC
• Members include: councils of government, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), planning commissions, other regional entities
• Work on a wide range of issues such as: transportation, aging, housing, brownfields, etc.

Slide 3: Automated Vehicles

• Senate and House have each passed AV bills
  • Similar but not identical
  • A final agreement is likely, but not guaranteed
  • First step, with more to come
• Issues of local concern:
  • Federal preemption of state/local decisions
  • Data sharing
  • Uncertainty in planning

Slide 4: Smart Cities

• Lots of attention on this
• Smart regions?
• MORPC, Columbus, Ohio is U.S. DOT Smart City award recipient
• Opportunity for MPO to transform the transportation system
• Other regions are implementing aspects of this approach

[This slide contains an illustration of a road with vehicles, transit, and bicyclists in front of a cityscape background with the “#SMARTCOLUMBUS” logo imposed over the top.]

Slide 5: Data Availability

• Increasing concern over data collection, management, utilization
• What data will available to MPOs for planning?
• Examples:
  • Accessibility of ridesharing data for evaluating transportation trends
  • How to manage and leverage large quantities of data that AV/CV will create

Slide 6: Scenario Planning

• Barriers to entry and state of the practice synthesis report
• Created a consortium to accelerate adoption of scenario planning and improvement of tools
• How can this be used in the future for AV/CV and other technology planning?

[This slide contains a reproduction of the cover of the Federal Highway Administration’s “Advancement of Performance-Based Scenario Planning for Regional Planning and Decision-Making” report.]

Slide 7: Bike and Ped Planning

• Important piece for MPO planning and for incorporating new technology and trends
• Bikeshare and dockless bikeshare
• Bike trail developments
• Bike/Ped safety in Florida

[This slide contains a simple line drawing of a bicycle.]

Slide 8: Freight Innovation

• AVs will have big impact on this sector
• How can regions, urban and rural, plan for the future?
• Members recognize the need to think about this issue more broadly (megaregionally)
  • Metropolitan Area Planning (MAP) Multi-State Freight Working Group; includes NYMTC, NJTPA, Lehigh Valley, much of CT

Slide 9: Equity in Transportation Planning

• Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, Dayton, Ohio
• Profile provides historical context, presents an analysis of equity for places and people
• Two significant issues in terms of inequity: racial and economic segregation
• Helps inform future decisions

[This slide contains an aerial photo of a small city with the title “Miami Valley Equity Regional Profile: Our 5+ County Region Includes Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, and northern Warren.”]

Slide 10: Transportation Funding

• Membership is thinking of next steps on funding after the FAST Act expires in 2020
• Concern during appropriations process that local authority is at risk
• Woodall Amendment in the House THUD bill: would make local funds available to meet the bill’s $800M rescission
• Local sales tax

Slide 11: Rules that Affect MPO Planning

• MPO Coordination rule
  • Introduced by Obama Administration; repealed by Trump Administration
  • Would have consolidated many MPOs and regions and made significant changes to planning
  • NARC opposed
• Proposal to extend LRTP horizon
  • NARC members are divided

Slide 12: Thank you!

Leslie Wollack
Executive Director
leslie@narc.org
202-618-5696

Erich W. Zimmermann
Director of Transportation Programs
erich@narc.org
202-618-5697

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