Public Engagement Glossary Terms and definitions to assist users in better understanding conversations, resources, and materials found in this toolkit.

A nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.

An Act to establish a clear and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability. The legislation defines, under Title II, the responsibilities of and requirements for transportation providers to make transportation accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Used as a method to determine how many vehicles travel on a road on a given day over a year’s time. This allows traffic planners to prioritize projects by comparing traffic counts to determine need.

Used as a method to determine how many vehicles travel on a road on a given day. This allows traffic planners to prioritize projects by comparing traffic counts to determine need.

The original Clean Air Act was passed in 1963, but the national air pollution control program is actually based on the 1970 version of the law. The more recent 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments are the most far-reaching revisions of the 1970 law.

A broad linear geographical tract of land that follows a general directional flow connecting major sources of trips that may contain a number of streets, highways and transit route alignments. Often, new transport lines are built alongside existing ones to minimize pollution.

Establishes the nation's overall transportation policy. Under its umbrella there are ten administrations whose jurisdictions include highway planning, development and construction; urban mass transit; railroads; aviation; and the safety of waterways, ports, highways, and oil and gas pipelines. The Department of Transportation (DOT) was established by act of October 15, 1966, as amended (49 U.S.C. 102 and 102 note), "to assure the coordinated, effective administration of the transportation programs of the Federal Government" and to develop "national transportation policies and programs conducive to the provision of fast, safe, efficient, and convenient transportation at the lowest cost consistent therewith."

That act (action or inaction), whether intentional or unintentional, in any program or activity of a Federal aid recipient, sub recipient, or contractor that results in disparate treatment, disparate impact, or perpetuating the effects of prior discrimination, based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

A document prepared, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to determine whether a project would significantly affect the environment and require a more detailed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Environmental justice assures that services and benefits allow for meaningful participation and are fairly distributed to avoid discrimination.

FAA provides a safe, secure, and efficient global aerospace system that contributes to national security and the promotion of US aerospace safety. As the leading authority in the international aerospace community, FAA is responsive to the dynamic nature of customer needs, economic conditions, and environmental concerns.

The purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration is to promulgate and enforce rail safety regulations, administer railroad financial assistance programs, conduct research and development in support of improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policy, provide for the rehabilitation of Northeast corridor rail passenger service, and consolidate government support of rail transportation activities. The FRA was created pursuant to section 3(e)(1) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966 (49 U.S.C. app. 1652).

A branch of the US Department of Transportation that is the principal source of federal financial assistance to America's communities for planning, development, and improvement of public or mass transportation systems. FTA provides leadership, technical assistance, and financial resources for safe, technologically advanced public transportation to enhance mobility and accessibility, to improve the Nation's communities and natural environment, and to strengthen the national economy. (Formerly the Urban Mass Transportation Administration) operates under the authority of the Federal Transit Act, as amended (49 U.S.C. app. 1601 et seq.). The Federal Transit Act was repealed on July 5, 1994, and the Federal transit laws were codified and re-enacted as chapter 53 of Title 49, United States Code. The Federal Transit Administration was established as a component of the Department of Transportation by section 3 of Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1968 (5 U.S.C. app.), effective July 1, 1968. The missions of the Administration are 1) to assist in the development of improved mass transportation facilities, equipment, techniques, and methods, with the cooperation of mass transportation companies both public and private. 2) to encourage the planning and establishment of areawide urban mass transportation systems needed for economical and desirable urban development, with the cooperation of mass transportation companies both public and private. and 3) to provide assistance to State and local governments and their instrumentalities in financing such systems, to be operated by public or private mass transportation companies as determined by local needs; and 4) to provide financial assistance to State and local governments to help implement national goals relating to mobility for elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged persons.

An environmental document to show why a proposed project would not have a significant impact on the environment and thus would not require the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). A FONSI is based on the results of an Environmental Assessment (EA).

A divided arterial highway designed for the unimpeded flow of large traffic volumes. Access to a freeway is rigorously controlled and intersection grade separations are required.

In an effort to ease traffic congestion, some metropolitan areas or states have implemented HOV lanes or constructed HOV roadways. These stretches of highway are generally restricted in use to vehicles with two or more passengers.

The application of advanced technologies to improve the efficiency and safety of transportation systems.

Legislative initiative by the U.S. Congress that restructured funding for transportation programs. ISTEA authorized increased levels of highway and transportation funding from FY92-97 and increased the role of regional planning commissions/MPOs in funding decisions. The Act also required comprehensive regional and Statewide long-term transportation plans and places an increased emphasis on public participation and transportation alternatives.

1) A qualitative assessment of a road's operating conditions. For local government comprehensive planning purposes, level of service means an indicator of the extent or degree of service provided by, or proposed to be provided by, a facility based on and related to the operational characteristics of the facility. Level of service indicates the capacity per unit of demand for each public facility. 2) This term refers to a standard measurement used by transportation officials which reflects the relative ease of traffic flow on a scale of A to F, with free-flow being rated LOS-A and congested conditions rated as LOS-F.

A document resulting from regional or statewide collaboration and consensus on a region or state's transportation system, and serving as the defining vision for the region's or state's transportation systems and services. In metropolitan areas, the plan indicates all of the transportation improvements scheduled for funding over the next 20 years.

The official intermodal transportation plan that is developed and adopted through the metropolitan transportation planning process for the metropolitan planning area, in accordance with 23 U.S.C. 134, 23 USC 135 and 49 U.S.C. 5303.

MAP-21 (P.L. 112-141) is a funding and suthorization bill to govenr US federal surface transprotation spending. It was signed into law by President Obama on July 6, 2012. MAP-21 is the first long-term highway authorization enacted since 2005. It is a two0year bill that does not significantly alter total funding from the previous authorization, but it does include many significant reforms like consilidation of key funding programs, streamling of the environmental review process for faster project development, a national freight policy was developed abd tolling was reformed.

The cooperative research, development, and technology transfer (RD&T) program directed toward solving problems of national or regional significance identified by States and the FHWA, and administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), National Academy of Sciences.

Established by the President's Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) in 1969, NEPA is a national environmental policy requiring that any project using federal funding or requiring federal approval, including transportation projects, examine the effects of proposed and alternative choices on the environment before a federal decision is made.

The Administration was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 (23 U.S.C. 401 note). The Administration was established to carry out a congressional mandate to reduce the mounting number of deaths, injuries, and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes on the Nation's highways and to provide motor vehicle damage susceptibility and ease of repair information, motor vehicle inspection demonstrations and protection of purchasers of motor vehicles having altered odometers, and to provide average standards for greater vehicle mileage per gallon of fuel for vehicles under 10,000 pounds (gross vehicle weight).

Any geographic area that has not met the requirements for clean air as set out in the Clean Air Act of 1990.

1) Comparable transportation service required by the American Disabilities Act (ADA) for individuals with disabilities who are unable to use fixed route transportation systems. (49CFR37) (APTA1) 2) A variety of smaller, often flexibly scheduled-and-routed transportation services using low-capacity vehicles, such as vans, to operate within normal urban transit corridors or rural areas. These services usually serve the needs of persons that standard mass-transit services would serve with difficulty, or not at all. Often, the patrons include the elderly and persons with disabilities.

The 1-hour period during which the roadway carries the greatest number of vehicles. Traffic impacts are typically evaluated during the morning and afternoon peak hours when the greatest number of motorists are traveling to and from work.

An element in the planning process in which improvements are formalized in the transportation improvement program and provides more detailed strategies.

A locally sponsored, coordinated, and administered program, or any part thereof, to plan, finance, construct, maintain, or improve an intermodal passenger terminal, which may incorporate civic or cultural activities where feasible in an architecturally or historically distinctive railroad passenger terminal.

Required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), it is designed to provide the public the latest project information and an opportunity to express concerns about the project in a public forum at which all public comments are documented.

An organization that performs planning for multi-jurisdictional areas both urban and rural. MPOs, regional councils, economic development associations, rural transportation associations are examples of RPOs.

Guarantees funding for highways, highway safety, and public transportation totaling $244.1 billion, SAFETEA-LU represents the largest surface transportation investment in our Nation's history. It was signed into law by President George W. Bush on August 10, 2005, and expired on September 30, 2009. Congress renewed its funding formulas ten times after its expiration date, until replacing the bill with Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act in 2012.

Person or goup affected by a transportation plan, program or project. Person or group believing that are affected by a transportation plan, program or project. Residents of affected geographical areas.

The STIP is the state's 4-10 year capital improvement program that includes the MPO and Rural TIPs, and contains all phases of transportation projects to be built during the four-year period. Projects must be consistent with the sStatewide Transportation Plan (STP) and metropolitan long-range plans and processes.

Federal-aid highway funding program that funds a broad range of surface transportation capital needs, including many roads, transit, sea and airport access, vanpool, bike, and pedestrian facilities.

The bill refers to the market value of all purchases of transportation services and facilities; it includes all domestic expenditures made by an economy for transportation purposes. Although the transportation bill does not reflect several significant non-market costs, it is a useful indicator of a country's transportation expenditures, and transportation analysts closely follow changes in the bill and its components.It is interchangeably used for "Transportation Act".

A TIP is a capital improvement program developed cooperatively with local and state transportation entities by a metropolitan planning organization that lists projects to be funded with FHWA/FTA funds for the next 3 to 5 years. It is a short-term programming document that includes a list of multi-modal transportation projects, such as highway, transit and bicycle, etc.

Visioning is a planning and policy exercise that engages community stakeholders in creating a consensus about the future of their community. Visions describe the desired future (or futures) of communities and outline clear strategies for reaching the desired future(s), based on present conditions and anticipated future trends. *