Overview
FTA sponsors several organizations created to provide technical assistance to federal, state and local jurisdictions and public transit providers and operators. The National Transit Institute and the Transportation Research Board’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) were designed to provide technical training and promote the exchange of valuable information related to the planning, design, operation and management of transportation resources between industry professionals, agency leaders and their staffs and other organizations.
Information and technical assistance is also provided by staff in the 10 FTA Regional Offices and FTA Headquarters staff in the form of informational and technical conferences, webinars and publications.
Resources
FAST Act Fact Sheet: Metropolitan, Statewide, & Non-Metropolitan Planning - Brief FTA fact sheet on the planning provisions in the FAST Act.
FHWA FAST Act Fact Sheet: Metropolitan Planning - FHWA fact sheet on the metropolitan planning provisions of the FAST Act.
MPO Certification Review Primer - This joint FTA-FHWA primer provides a basic understanding of the key concepts and expectations addressed through a certification review, along with references to pertinent laws, regulations, policies, and other resources.
National Cooperative Highway Research Program - The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) conducts research in problem areas that affect highway planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance nationwide.
National Highway Institute - The National Highway Institute (NHI), a division of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), works to improve the performance of the transportation industry through classroom-based and online learning as well as free Web-based seminars and other training materials.
National Transit Institute - The National Transit Institute (NTI) was established under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) to develop, promote, and deliver training and education programs for the public transit industry and other transportation professionals and stakeholders.
NTI Course: Financial Planning in Transportation - National Transit Institute (NTI) course on financial planning and fiscal constraint.
NTI Course: Introduction to Metropolitan Transportation Planning - National Transit Institute (NTI) course providing a general introduction and overview of the metropolitan transportation planning process.
NTI Course: Public Involvement in Transportation Decisionmaking - National Transit Institute (NTI) course designed to provide an overview of public involvement techniques strategies.
NTI Course: State and Metropolitan Transportation Programming - National Transit Institute (NTI) course providing instruction on the basic concepts, components, and participants in the transportation programming (TIP/STIP) process.
NTI Webinar: Friends, Fans, and Followers: How Transit Agencies Use Social Media - This webinar presented the findings from TCRP Synthesis 99, Uses of Social Media in Public Transportation. The report explores use of social media among transit agencies in the United States and Canada.
Traffic Assignment and Feedback Research to Support Improved Travel Forecasting - This research investigated the current traffic assignment and feedback practices in US MPO models, identified deficiencies, and recommended remedial action.
Transit Cooperative Research Program - The Transit Cooperative Research Program is an FTA-funded organization dedicated to practical and applicable public transportation-related research.
Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program - The Transportation Planning Capacity Building (TPCB) Program is designed to help decision makers, transportation officials, and staff resolve the increasingly complex issues they face when addressing transportation needs in their communities.
Transportation Planning Capacity Building Webinar: Transportation Planning Implications of Census Urbanized Area Designations - This Urbanized Designations Webinar describes changes brought by the 2010 Census on the transportation planning activities of new urbanized areas, and identifies key procedural steps for transit service providers, MPOs, and States.
Transportation Planning Implications of Transportation Management Area Designations - This webinar describes the transportation planning activities required in transportation management areas (TMAs), anticipated outcomes, and the procedural steps to be taken by transit providers, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and States to ensure that the new and changed planning responsibilities are met timely and effectively.