Transit at the Table

In order for transit to play a meaningful role in creating sustainable transportation systems, transit agencies have to become more meaningful and pro-active partners in the Federal transportation planning and programming process. In order to get transit at the table (i.e., included in plans, funded, and built), transit agencies must first make their way to the table and actively participate in transportation decision-making. Recognizing that this may not be a traditional role for many transit agencies, the FTA sponsored a series of publications, supported by peer events and roundtables, called "Transit at the Table" that identifies ways for transit agencies to effectively participate in metropolitan and statewide transportation planning.

• TCRP Report: Linking Transit Agencies and Land Use Decisionmaking   NEW!
  TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 182: Linking Transit Agencies and Land Use Decision Making: Guidebook for Transit Agencies is designed to help transit agencies better address the connections among transit, land use planning, and development decision making. The report addresses improved transit and land use decision making by providing transit agencies with the tools that may help them become more effective at the decision-making table. The tools, which build on successful transit and land use decision-making experiences throughout the United States, can help transit agencies self-assess their readiness to participate effectively in the land use decision-making process and help improve their interactions with key stakeholders in the process, including local governments and developers.
• A Guide to Transportation Decisionmaking   NEW!
  Have you ever wondered how decisions are made about the transportation projects that affect your life? How do government officials decide where to put a bus stop, road, or bridge? How are these and other transportation projects planned? And how can you make sure your opinions are heard and considered by residents, planners, designers, and elected officials? The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) created this guide to answer these and other transportation project-related questions. We hope this guide will help you understand how transportation decisions are made at the local, State, and national levels; and that you will take advantage of the opportunities provided to contribute your ideas. We believe that the better the public understands the transportation decisionmaking process, the more certain it is that the transportation system will be safe and efficient, and that the planning process will be responsive to public needs and concerns about their communities and the natural environment. A revised version of this guide was published in April 2015.
• The Transportation Planning Process: Key Issues A Briefing Notebook for Transportation Decision makers, Officials, and Staff   NEW!
  The Briefing Notebook is a primer for transportation decisionmakers and stakeholders. It provides government officials, planning board members, transportation service providers, and the public at large with an overview of transportation planning in metropolitan settings. Along with a basic understanding of the key concepts, the notebook provides references for additional information. Part I discusses transportation planning and its relationship to decisionmaking. Part II presents short descriptions of key products that are prepared as part of the transportation planning process. This book was updated in 2015 to reflect recent changes in Federal legislation.
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  Eight states have case studies for Transit at the Table III. Click on a highlighted state to read that case study.
  Transit at the Table I - Explores how transit agencies in larger metropolitan areas (more than 200,000 in population) could be more effective partners with MPOs in the metropolitan transportation planning and programming process.
• Transit at the Table II - Explores how transit agencies in smaller metropolitan areas (populations between 50,000 and 200,000) could be more effective partners with MPOs in the metropolitan transportation planning and programming process.
• Transit at the Table III - View the text-only version of Transit at the Table III. You can also view the report by section:
  Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Appendix A - Appendix B - Appendix C
  Discussion Guides

• To browse all events on the TPCB website or to add new ones, please visit the events calendar or the TPCB Resource Index.

The TPCB peer program is a free resource for agencies in need of transportation planning assistance. Visit the peer program page to learn more or apply for a peer event.

• Recent peer events related to Transit at the Table:
  • Transit Oriented Development in Southern Nevada Peer Exchange Report
  • Cross-Modal Project Prioritization (December 2014)
  • Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Business Development Programs (October 2014)
Read other peer event reports.

• American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
• American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
• Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO)
• Center for Transit Oriented Development (CTOD)
• Community Transportation ssociation of America (CTAA)
• National Association of Development Organizations (NADO)
• National Association of Regional Councils (NARC)
• National Rural Transit Assistance Program
• Reconnecting America
• RPO America
• RuralTransportation.org - Developed under partnership between the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), this is a web-based resource tool for rural transportation stakeholders, including local elected officials and regional development professionals.
• Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Public Transportation Planning and Development (AP025)
• TRB Statewide Multimodal Transportation Planning