An Analysis of Success Plans and Performance Measures for Rural Transit Systems in North Carolina

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Monast ◽  
Charlie Stanfield
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Mission Statement ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North

Performance measurement and funding allocation based on these measurements are becoming increasingly popular in public transportation. Understanding what is important to transit systems is critical to properly assess them on their operational and administrative performance. The research goals were to determine how rural transit systems in North Carolina define success, what performance metrics the systems select for themselves, and why they selected those metrics. Each transit system was required by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to create a Success Plan for themselves that consisted of a mission statement, vision statement, values, and a scorecard that contained performance metrics. The analysis of these Success Plans shows that rural transit systems broadly define their values based on customer service, safety, and reliability. However, aside from safety, the specific metrics that the systems use for evaluating their performance are not well connected to these values. This lack of internal consistency within the Success Plans means that rural transit systems are not selecting performance metrics that complement their stated goals. This lack of internal consistency could have many causes and interviews were conducted with public transit administrators in North Carolina to try and understand the causes. From these interviews, it was determined that the lack of internal consistency in the plans could be partially attributed to the following: (1) system administrators were not aware of the importance of internally consistent plans; (2) system administrators had difficulty creating metrics; and (3) system administrators included metrics that they felt the state wanted to see.

Context-Sensitive Solutions in the Planning Process

2005 ◽  
Vol 1904 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-83
Author(s):  
Janet D'Ignazio ◽  
Julie Hunkins
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North ◽  
Long Range Planning ◽  
Institutional Challenges

During the past 5 years, there has been a national movement to integrate context-sensitive solutions (CSS) into transportation project planning and design. Applying CSS principles in the long-range planning process would help ensure that projects were CSS friendly from their earliest conception. This possibility has prompted CSS experts to discuss how CSS can be integrated into long-range planning. Two environmental stewardship initiatives under way at the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) provide a unique opportunity to explore this area. In the first initiative, NCDOT has a substantial CSS training program in place. To date, nearly 800 staff members and consultants have attended 3-day CSS training courses. In a separate stewardship initiative, NCDOT is redesigning the traditional thoroughfare plan process to create a new comprehensive transportation plan (CTP) process. Although these two initiatives have not been explicitly connected, this discussion examines how CSS principles are embedded in the proposed CTP process. However, substantial technical and institutional challenges must be dealt with before the CSS-based CTP process can be implemented fully. The conclusion of this discussion is that a state-of-the-practice, long-range transportation planning process should incorporate the CSS principles and decision-making characteristics that have been adopted in North Carolina.

Economic Impact of Investments in Bicycle Facilities

2005 ◽  
Vol 1939 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Paul Meletiou ◽  
Judson J. Lawrie ◽  
Thomas J. Cook ◽  
Sarah W. O'Brien ◽  
John Guenther
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Public Investment ◽  
Outer Banks ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
Economic Impact Analysis ◽  
The North ◽  
Spending Patterns ◽  
The One

The northern Outer Banks coastal area in North Carolina is well suited to drawing bicycle tourism because of its geography, climate, and attractions. In 2003, the North Carolina Department of Transportation commissioned a study to examine the value of public investment in bicycle facilities that have been constructed in this area over the past 10 years at a cost of approximately $6.7 million. A particular challenge in conducting this study was that tourists visited the Outer Banks for a variety of reasons, not just for cycling. Thus, the collection of information on the amount and nature of bicycling activity and on the spending patterns of bicyclists in the area was critical for the development of an economic impact analysis. Researchers surveyed cyclists using the bicycle facilities (shared-use paths and wide paved shoulders) and obtained data from self-administered surveys of tourists at visitor centers during the primary tourist season. The data collected were then used to determine the economic impact of bicycling visitors to the area. Seventeen percent of tourists to the area reported that they bicycled while there; this translates to 680,000 people annually. The economic impact of bicycling visitors is significant: a conservative annual estimate is $60 million, with 1,407 jobs created or supported per year. This is almost nine times greater than the one-time expenditure required to construct the facilities. Continued investment in bicycle facilities is expected to increase this favorable economic impact and is therefore recommended.

North Carolina's Ecosystem Enhancement Program

2005 ◽  
Vol 1941 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet D'Ignazio ◽  
Kathryn McDermott ◽  
Bill Gilmore ◽  
Chris Russo
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Army Corps ◽  
Cumulative Impacts ◽  
Army Corps Of Engineers ◽  
Compensatory Mitigation ◽  
Implementation Processes ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North

Even before FHWA's focus on ecosystem conservation as part of its vital goals, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) had begun to examine how and where compensatory mitigation was being implemented in the state. Over the past 4 years, NCDOT, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–Wilmington District have partnered to redesign the mitigation process with one goal in mind: to create a compensatory mitigation program that delivers guaranteed environmental benefits. The result of these efforts is the Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP). Instead of focusing on individual highway project impacts, the EEP concept revolves around watershed plans and considers cumulative impacts associated with a given watershed. Accordingly, EEP provides cumulative mitigation for cumulative impacts. It was clear from the start that EEP was going to change fundamentally the goals, approach, and structure of providing mitigation in North Carolina. Although the mitigation experts knew how the mitigation process needed to change, they lacked expertise in how to manage that change. Not surprisingly, this has presented several hurdles that the sponsoring agencies are still trying to scale today. As implementation moves forward, many valuable lessons are being learned, which are laying the groundwork for successful change. This paper describes the origins of the EEP concept, outlines the implementation processes, discusses “change barriers” experienced and lessons learned, and provides an EEP progress report 2 years into the program's implementation.

Reconciling Transportation Corridor Preservation and National Environmental Policy Act Process: Evaluation of North Carolina Phased Environmental Approach

1997 ◽  
Vol 1601 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann E. Lackey
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
National Environmental Policy Act ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North ◽  
Transportation Projects ◽  
Transportation Corridor ◽  
National Environmental ◽  
National Environmental Policy

In recent years, transportation agencies have become increasingly interested in using corridor preservation to protect future highway locations from development. However, the preparation of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents in the late stages of the transportation planning process makes uses of these measures difficult. In an attempt to make the corridor preservation and NEPA processes more compatible, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and FHWA have developed the phased environmental approach, an environmental review process that allows early selection of highway location and makes the use of protection techniques feasible and effective. Although the phased approach has been used in several pilot projects and is intended to become a part of the state’s standard planning process, the procedure’s compliance with the requirements of NEPA has not been evaluated. The compliance of the phased environmental approach with NEPA is examined. Several disparities are identified that place the new procedure in violation of the statute. Considering these problems, three options for modifying the phased approach to provide for compliance with NEPA are identified. These options are compared on the basis of their capacity to provide those benefits offered by the phased approach. A tiered environmental impact statement (EIS) is determined to be the best alternative to the phased environmental approach. This option provides the same benefits as the phased approach while remaining consistent with NEPA. Although several potential problems have been cited regarding the practicality of using a tiered EIS in transportation projects, these concerns may not apply in many cases.

Surveying for Potential Diseases and Abiotic Disorders of Industrial Hemp (Cannabis sativa) Production

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 321-332
Author(s):  
Lindsey D. Thiessen ◽  
Tyler Schappe ◽  
Sarah Cochran ◽  
Kristin Hicks ◽  
Angela R. Post
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
The United States ◽  
Agricultural Commodity ◽  
Record Keeping ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North ◽  
Consumer Services ◽  
Industrial Hemp

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) has recently been reintroduced as an agricultural commodity in the United States, and, through state-led pilot programs, growers and researchers have been investigating production strategies. Diseases and disorders of industrial hemp in the United States are largely unknowns because record-keeping and taxonomy have improved dramatically in the last several decades. In 2016, North Carolina launched a pilot program to investigate industrial hemp, and diseases and abiotic disorders were surveyed in 2017 and 2018. Producers, consultants, and agricultural extension agents submitted samples to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Agronomic Services Division (n = 572) and the North Carolina Plant Disease and Insect Clinic (n = 117). Common field diseases found included Fusarium foliar and flower blights (Fusarium graminearum), Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum), and Helminthosporium leaf spot (Exserohilum rostratum). Greenhouse diseases were primarily caused by Pythium spp. and Botrytis cinerea. Common environmental disorders were attributed to excessive rainfall flooding roots and poor root development of transplanted clones.

Relating Public Opinions of Roadway Assets to Field Data with Survey and Focus Groups

2017 ◽  
Vol 2613 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-28
Author(s):  
Joy Davis ◽  
Chris Cunningham ◽  
Daniel Findley ◽  
Sarah Searcy ◽  
James Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Transportation Policy ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North

In recent years, transportation policy in the United States has increasingly focused on measuring and tracking performance outcomes. However, identifying how quantifiable outcomes—such as international roughness index ratings—influence less tangible outcomes—such as user satisfaction with a roadway—can be challenging. This paper outlines a method that enables researchers to compare stakeholder perceptions of assets with actual field-measured data for roadways. More than 350 residents in six locations in the state of North Carolina were surveyed about how those residents perceived and prioritized the roadway assets managed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Using a method termed “roadway reviews,” researchers asked participants about state-maintained roads as the participants were driven on those roads in real time; these surveys were supplemented with focus groups. In addition to identifying how well asset conditions on roadway segments aligned with the basic expectations of roadway users, researchers determined how these ratings compared with field measurements for the segments and captured how participants ranked the importance of specific roadway assets for overall condition, safety, and appearance. The findings will be used to improve asset management practice and will be integrated into the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s annual Highway Performance Monitoring System reports.

Integration of an Urban Ropeway into Munich’s Transit System Demand Modeling

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (10) ◽  
pp. 47-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Tiessler ◽  
Roman Engelhardt ◽  
Klaus Bogenberger ◽  
Christoph Hessel ◽  
Magdalena Serwa-Klamouri
Keyword(s):  
Public Transportation ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transportation Mode ◽  
Tourist Attractions ◽  
Demand Modeling ◽  
The North ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Interesting Alternative

Whereas in some cities ropeways already belong to the transit system, in Germany they are better known from skiing in the alps or as tourist attractions that were implemented in relation to expositions as in Koblenz or Berlin. Nonetheless, a ropeway system has several advantages, which make it an interesting alternative in urban public transportation. In this paper, we investigate the varying attitude of residents and commuters towards a ropeway system and its potential on a route in the north of Munich. To get an impression of their opinion, we conducted an online survey focusing on route choice depending on transit mode and travel times. In general, the respondents had a positive attitude towards this novel option and rate it with similar attractiveness to subway. To investigate the demand for the ropeway, the results of the survey were used to add a new transportation mode in the VISUM model for transit in Munich.

North Carolina DOT’s Skill-Based Pay Program: A Working Model for Training and Compensating Highway Workers

2000 ◽  
Vol 1729 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-11
Author(s):  
Donald R. Aschbrenner ◽  
Dan Domico ◽  
Alvin M. Fountain
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Broad Class ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
Contract Administration ◽  
The North ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
Paved Road

To meet the challenges of declining personnel resources, increased contract administration, and continuously increasing paved-road mileage, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is developing flexibility and multiple skills in its approximately 4,050 employees classified as Transportation Workers. The department is the first North Carolina agency to implement such a program on a broad scale. A training and compensation system, known as Skill-Based Pay, helps all transportation workers develop job-related technical skills through structured training. The goal of the program is to create a workforce highly trained across various skill levels, keeping NCDOT competitive in the market. The program promotes flexibility and equity in broad, generic job classifications that meet employees’ and NCDOT’s training needs. This meshes well with the department’s Performance Management program, which encourages employees to acquire skills and rewards them when they do. The program is built on “skill blocks”—unique sets of tasks and duties selected as significant by each operating unit and categorized as entry, intermediate, journey, and advanced levels—each of which is worth a set dollar value. Each skill block is achieved through a four-step process: testing, on-the-job training, certification, and compensation. In this system, employees advance through the four levels but remain in the same broad class of Transportation Worker. The program has created enthusiasm among workers, and the workers drive the program.

Reshaping the Region

2015 ◽  
Vol 2537 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41
Author(s):  
Stephanie Pollack ◽  
Anna Gartsman ◽  
Timothy Reardon ◽  
Meghna Hari
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Travel Behavior ◽  
Massachusetts Bay ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Commuter Rail ◽  
In Transit ◽  
The Impact

The American Public Transportation Association's use of a “land use multiplier” as part of its methodology for calculating greenhouse gas reduction from transit has increased interest in methodologies that quantify the impact of transit systems on land use and vehicle miles traveled. Such transit leverage, however, is frequently evaluated for urbanized areas, although transit systems serve only a small proportion of those areas. If transit leverage is stronger in areas closer to transit stations, studies based on larger geographies may underestimate land use and travel behavior effects in transit-served areas. A geographic information system–based data set was developed to understand better the leverage effects associated with the mature and extensive Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority transit system in areas proximate to its stations throughout Metropolitan Boston. The region was divided into the subregion that was transit-proximate (within a half mile of a rapid transit station or key bus route), the portion that was commuter rail–proximate, and the remaining 93.3% of the region that was not proximate to high-frequency transit. Households in the transit-proximate subregion were significantly more likely to commute by transit (and walking or biking), less likely to own a car, and drove fewer miles than households in the non-transit-served areas of the region. Commuter rail–proximate areas, although denser than the region as a whole, exhibited more driving and car ownership than regional averages. Given these spatial and modal variations, future efforts to understand transit leverage should separately evaluate land use and travel effects by mode and proximity to transit stations.

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