Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility - Draft DOT Strategic Plan part 3

Department of Transportation Draft Strategic Plan
COORDINATING COUNCIL ON ACCESS AND MOBILITY (CCAM):

DOT embraces CCAM, which seeks to coordinate the many transportation programs dispersed throughout the federal bureaucracy. Explicitly mentioned for continued federal support are:
* Local coordinating councils,
* One-call services - "single point of access that links human services with transportation providers to address the special mobility needs of persons with disabilities, older adults, low-income persons and others without ready access to automobiles,"
* ITS to assist human service transportation via transportation management centers (such as the Mobility Services for All Americans - MSAA - program), and
* "[T]echnical assistance and training activities to improve the operations of local public and non-profit community transportation providers."

With no discussion, the plan directly ties CCAM's work and the technical assistance and local efforts mentioned above to DOT's livability initiative. Mobility for vulnerable transportation-challenged populations is considered a livable communities issue that is part of DOT's overarching mission. Connecting CCAM’s work to the major goal at three federal agencies (DOT, HUD and EPA) will lend gravitas to the Council’s efforts and allows it to fit in with the Administration’s emphasis on federal cooperation and coordination.

The plan delves into the performance measures for CCAM's assistance to states, regions and communities. These include:
* Increase in "transit seat-miles by urbanized area transit systems,"
* Increase in non-urbanized area transit trips,
* Increase in "intermodal transportation options for travelers,"
* Improved transit reliability,
* Improved walking and biking networks - a Federal Highway Administration task,
* Improved ADA access on rail and buses for people with disabilities.

DOT plans to seek reauthorization of transportation legislation that will foster livable communities,

providing funding to regions and communities to carry out livability goals in partnership with States and other public agencies; strengthening the consideration of land use, energy, the environment, and other livability elements in transportation planning; and establishing criteria for performance-based planning and incentives to focus on outcomes.

DOT acknowledges that there will be resistance to the livability agenda and its vision of a multi-modal future. Housing, land use design, roads and other infrastructure are investments that last a generation, the plan recognizes, and many communities and states are not accustomed to thinking in terms of sidewalks, bike paths, distances between residential and commercial areas, or connectivity among transportation modes.

Remember that DOT comment invites the public to comment on its proposals. Read the draft plan sections that interest you and respond to DOT.

Best Tidbits from the Draft DOT Strategic Plan

I read the 74-page Department of Transportation Draft Strategic Plan so you would not have to read every section and every word. This is DOT’s first ever draft plan and the agency invites the public to comment on its proposals. So read the blog, read the meaty parts of the draft plan and share your responses with DOT.

In a series of five (yes, five) subsequent blog entries are some facts and objectives buried in the proposed plan. I’ve divided up the blog entries in pretty much the same way DOT has categorized its proposed strategies, with a couple of departures. The blog entries will separately address safety, livability, the Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility, environment and sustainability, and emergency preparedness. The plan also covers employee performance and practices.

Feel free to use these blog entries as a guide to the draft plan and an easy way to find what interests you. Share your responses with the DOT by submitting public comments.

There are some quotes in these blog posts, but mostly I paraphrase pretty closely about interesting tidbits. While my observations follow, I recognize that coming up with such an ambitious document takes great diplomacy a balancing of interests, and fulfilling legislative requirements.

A Bird’s Eye View of the Draft Plan:

The terms that come to mind after reading the entire draft plan are livability, multi-modal, transportation choices and environmental friendliness – or the actual term used, sustainability. Pedestrians, bicyclists as well as the National Complete Streets coalition should be pleased as these three interests are woven into the fabric of DOT’s vision for livable communities with good transportation options beyond the automobile.

Public transportation is featured prominently. It is seen as a safe travel choice and as one that promotes our national goals of reducing reliance on foreign fuel, reducing congestion and improving our environment. Human services transportation is recognized as a big contributor to livability for people who are transportation challenged and wish to remain in their homes.

Not at all mentioned are the privately-run and publicly available modes of taxis (the original guaranteed ride home) and intercity bus service, which complement public transportation and the zero-emission modes of biking and walking. High-speed rail, perhaps because of the crucial role of federal funding, is mentioned, though not given too much space.

Auto travel is prominently discussed in the draft plan, with safety and environmental concerns providing the most interesting reading about that mode. Automobile issues are not covered in this blog except where directly relevant to public and human services transportation.