With oversight from the Working Group, FHWA produced a draft of the Framework for Better Integrating Health into Transportation Corridor Planning, which is an action-oriented, flexible guide for considering health at each step in an agency’s existing corridor planning process. The Working Group recruited five agencies to beta test the Framework, applying some or all of its components to one of their corridors. Each beta test agency provided feedback on the Framework, which will be documented in case studies. The feedback received from the beta test agencies will also inform the final Framework.
The Working Group supported the Office of the Secretary, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the development of the Transportation and Health Tool (THT). The THT provides data on 14 transportation and health indicators relating to safety, active transportation, air quality, connectivity, and equity. Indicator data are available for States, Metropolitan Statistical Areas, and Urbanized Areas, and scores are provided for each indicator, allowing users to see how a jurisdiction compares to its peers in terms of public health performance. The tool also provides 25 evidence-based strategies that transportation practitioners can use to address health. The Tool was released to the public in October 2015 and has been publicized through several webinars and conference presentations.
In 2014, DOT and CDC held a workshop in Washington, DC, to identify ways that the two agencies could work more closely together on transportation and health issues. That Workshop resulted in a series of next steps for the DOT and CDC to undertake together. In 2015, DOT and CDC implemented some of those next steps, including conducting a second CDC-DOT Workshop in Atlanta, GA. That workshop generated additional collaboration ideas and resulted in next steps, one of which was implemented: a webinar to teach CDC staff about the DOT transportation planning process.
The Working Group held its second Workshop with CDC in Atlanta, GA, in March 2015. The purpose of the Workshop was to identify ways for the two agencies to coordinate existing efforts and identify new opportunities to work together on the connections between health and transportation. DOT presented an overview of the collaborative work done by CDC and DOT since the first Workshop. There were four breakout sessions, each of which led to several action items. The session topics were:
The Volpe Center developed a report that summarizes the discussions and outcomes of the Workshop.
One of the next steps identified during the 2015 CDC-DOT Workshop was to hold webinars for DOT and CDC to share information about each agencies’ funding programs. To provide a basis for DOT funding programs, the FHWA Planning Office conducted a transportation planning process webinar for CDC staff on November 17. The webinar included an overview on how DOT Federal-aid funding is distributed to States and regions. The webinar also covered some major grant programs such as TIGER. This information will help CDC staff understand at which points in the decisionmaking process they and their grantees may have opportunities to influence the transportation planning process.
The TRB Health and Transportation Subcommittee hosted a workshop at the 2015 TRB Annual Meeting, which was called Tools to Support Health and Transportation Planning and Analysis. The workshop highlighted the Framework for Better Integrating Health into Transportation Corridor Planning and the THT.
TRB’s Technical Advisory Council approved a new Task Force on Arterials and Public Health. The purpose of the Task Force is to develop a research agenda that will inform the planning, design and operation of arterials while considering health implications. By bringing together a group with diverse interests and tasking it with a single purpose, the Task Force will identify what type of research is most relevant and needed.
The focus of the September-October 2015 edition of TR News was on the links between public health and transportation, and the research that Federal and other agencies and entities are conducting on that topic. It also featured transportation agencies that are conducting studies and implementing projects and programs that aim to improve health. Several Working Group members wrote and reviewed articles for the issue.
In 2015, the Working Group conducted a self-assessment to identify how it should change to adapt to the current health in transportation environment within and outside of DOT. The Volpe Center developed a survey of Working Group members to learn how members felt the Working Group has been functioning and to identify ways to meet the current and future needs of its members and DOT broadly.
The Volpe Center conducted eight telephone interviews of Working Group members and Office Directors to have more in-depth discussions about the agency’s health in transportation needs and how the Working Group should address them. The Volpe Center analyzed the survey and interview results and identified two themes: “Action-Oriented or Information-Sharing?” and “Thinking Outside of the Headquarters Box.”
The Working Group discussed the two themes during its December 2015 meeting. Also during that meeting, the Working Group presented the methodology and preliminary results of the Self-Assessment to the DOT leadership that were in attendance. To briefly summarize, Working Group members agreed that, while there was interest in producing content on health in transportation subtopics such as access to services, health decisionmaking tools, and non-motorized transportation, many members did not have additional time to commit to these activities. In addition, many felt that quarterly in-person meetings with more focused agendas would help the Working Group better pursue its purpose.
Based on the discussion during the December meeting and the results of the survey and interview findings, the Working Group agreed to a series of next steps. The Self-Assessment Report details the entire process; however the next steps are listed here:
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| Topics and Activities |
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| Outreach to Interested Parties |
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In 2015, the Working Group updated the Health in Transportation website to make it easier to navigate and maintain. In particular, the new website has a streamlined Resources page that includes additional relevant health in transportation links.
Typically the Working Group tracks visitation to the Health in Transportation website, a technical error eliminated this opportunity for 2015. The Working Group will resume tracking and reporting website visitation in 2016.
The Working Group developed its 2015 Work Plan, which outlined its planned activities for the year. The activities were split into two categories: external activities that engage individuals and organizations outside the Working Group (including within and outside of DOT), and internal activities that will improve the function of the Working Group.
