Glossary

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Earmark A federal budgetary term that refers to the specific designation by Congress that part of a more general lump-sum appropriation be used for a particular project; the earmark can be designated as a minimum and/or maximum dollar amount.

EIR/EIS - Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement An analysis of the environmental impacts of proposed land development and transportation projects; it's an EIR when conducted in response to CEQA , and an EIS when conducted for federally funded or approved projects per NEPA. A draft EIR or draft EIS (DEIR or DEIS -- often they're prepared simultaneously) is circulated to the public and agencies with approval authority for comment. Like a pollywog whose next stage in life is a frog, a DEIR or DEIS grows up to be a certified FEIR or FEIS that contains responses to public comments and ways to mitigate adverse impacts.

Elevated (Railway) See "Rail, Heavy".

Equity, Federal Transit Funding A ratio of appropriated dollars between Sections 9 and 18 (formula funds) to Section 3 (discretionary funds).

ETC - Employee Transportation Coordinator Someone designated by a business or organization to assist its workers with forming carpools and vanpools, plotting their commute by public transit, and the like. Otherwise known as an SOV-buster, and definitely a career with growth potential the 1990s and beyond.

Ethanol An alternative fuel; a liquid alcohol fuel with vapor heavier than air; produced from agricultural products such as corn, grain and sugar cane.

Exclusive Right-of-Way A highway or other facility that can only be used by buses or other transit vehicles.

Executive Order 12372A presidential directive that furnishes guidance to federal agencies for cooperation with state and local governments in the evaluation, review and coordination of federal assistance programs and projects.

Express Bus See "Bus, Express".

FAA - Federal Aviation Administration See DOT.

Fare Box Recovery Ratio Measure of the proportion of operating expenses covered by passenger fares; found by dividing fare box revenue by total operating expenses for each mode and/or systemwide.

Fare Box Revenue Value of cash, tickets, tokens and pass receipts given by passengers as payment for rides; excludes charter revenue.

Fare Elasticity The extent to which ridership responds to fare increases or decreases.

Fare Structure The system set up to determine how much is to be paid by various passengers using a transit vehicle at any given time.

FCAA - Federal Clean Air Act See CAA.

FCR - Flexible Congestion Relief A state-directed funding program that applies state and federal dollars to local and regional transportation projects that case traffic congestion, regardless of mode.

Feeder Bus See "Bus, Feeder".

Ferryboat A boat providing fixed-route service across a body of water.

FETSIM - Fuel-Efficient Traffic Signal Management State provided financial fuel for local traffic signal coordination projects.

FHWA - Federal Highway Administration See DOT.

FIP - Federal Implementation Plan When you don't do your Sip as required by the CAA, you get "FIPped," which means the feds step in and do one for you.

Fixed Cost An indirect cost that remains relatively constant, irrespective of the level of operational activity.

Fixed Guidway Modernization See "Rail Modernization".

Fixed Guidway System A system of vehicles that can operate only on its own guideway constructed for that purpose (e.g., rapid rail, light rail). Federal usage in funding legislation also includes exclusive right-of-way bus operations, trolley coaches and ferryboats as "fixed guideway" transit.

Fixed Route Service provided on a repetitive, fixed-schedule basis along a specific route with vehicles stopping to pick up and deliver passengers to specific locations; each fixed-route trip serves the same origins and destinations, unlike demand responsive and taxicabs.

Flexible funding Unlike funding that flows only to highways or only to transit by a rigid formula, this is money that can be invested on a range of transportation projects. Examples of flexible funding programs include the Surface Transportation Program, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement, and Flexible Congestion Relief.

Flexible Funds Those federal funds which can be used for highway, transit or other transportation projects, as decided by regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and state governments. Examples of such funds are the Surface Transportation Program (STP) and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) fund.

Formula Funds Funds distributed or apportioned to qualifying recipients on the basis of formulas described in law; e.g., funds in the Section 18 program for Small Urban and Rural Transit Assistance, which are distributed to each state based on the state's percentage of national rural population. See also "Section 9".

Fringe Parking An area for parking usually located outside the Central Business District (CBD) and most often used by suburban residents who work or shop downtown.

FSP - Freeway Service Patrol Faster than you can say "change my tire," chances are this free, roving tow truck service will be by to get you moving. By the spring of 1993, FSP trucks will aid stranded motorists and help to clear incidents along 100 miles of the region's most congested freeways. A JUMP Start project that is jointly sponsored by the MTC SAFE, Caltrans and the CHP.

FTA - Federal Transit Administration See DOT.

Fiscal Year The yearly accounting period for the federal government which begins October 1 and ends on the following September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends (e.g., FY 94 is from October 1, 1993 to September 30, 1994).

HAR - Highway Advisory Radio (IVHS term) "Chains required on Donner Summit." Sound familiar? It may not be a top 20 hit, but such radio warnings broadcast via a special frequency are music to the ears of drivers who want to prepare for, avoid altogether, hazardous or difficult road conditions ahead. See TOS.

Headway Time interval between vehicles moving in the same direction on a particular route.

Heavy Rail See "Rail, Heavy".

High Speed Rail See "Rail, High Speed".

Highway Trust Fund The federal trust fund established by the Highway Revenue Act of 1956; this fund has two accounts -- the Highway Account and the Mass Transit Account. Trust fund revenues are derived from federal highway-user taxes and fees such as motor fuel taxes; trust fund uses and expenditures are determined by law.

HOV - High-Occupancy-Vehicle Lane The technical term for a carpool lane, commuter lane or diamond lane, which is still a commuter's best friend no matter what you call it.

HSOPP - Highway System Operations and Protection Plan This is a state-mandated group of projects to maintain the state highway system.

Headway See "Bus, Intercity".

Interest Arbitration The process of arriving at the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement, by asking an impartial third party to make rulings after both labor and management have presented their cases.

Intermodal Those issues or activities which involve or affect more than one mode of transportation, including transportation connections, choices, cooperation and coordination of various modes. Also known as "multimodal".

Intermodal The term "mode" is used to refer to and to distinguish from each other the various forms of transportation, such as automobile, transit, ship, bicycle and walking. Intermodal refers specifically to the connections between modes.

ISTEA - Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act This landmark $151 billion legislation signed into law in December 1991 proposes broad changes to the way transportation decisions are made. In the words of the STPP folks, it emphasizes diversity and balance of modes, as well as the preservation of existing systems over construction of new facilities, especially roads.

ISTEA - Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act Pronounced "Ice Tea," this landmark $155 billion federal legislation signed into law in December 1991 calls for broad changes in the way transportation decisions are made. ISTEA emphasizes diversity and balance of modes, as well as the preservation of existing systems before construction of new facilities.

ITS - Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California The stated goal of this multicampus research unit is to "improve the way transportation is organized, managed and maintained." Projects cover transportation policy, new technology (see PATH), safety, traffic management, infrastructure, and freight and logistics.

IVHS - Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems Also known as "smart cars," "smart streets" and even "smart buses," it promises to move the daily commute from the era of the Flinstones to the age of the Jetsons, from frustration-filled gridlock to computer guided navigation. The term refers to a wide range of advanced electronics and communications technology applied to roads and vehicles. Designed to improve safety and productivity, IVHS also can have a positive impact on air quality by cutting congestion. When the term is applied to transit, it is called APTS; in commercial trucking, it is referred to as CVO. The European especially seem to stretch the limits of the English language to come up with clever names for the nearly endless IVHS programs that have been spawned of late: DRIVE (Dedicated Road Infrastructure for Vehicle Safety in Europe) is a European Community-sponsored IVHS program that contains within it CIDER (Communication Infrastructure for DRIVE on European Roads), PAMELA (Pricing and Monitoring Electronically of Automobiles), PANDORA (Prototyping a Navigation Database of Road Network Attributes) and SOCRATES (System of Cellular Radio for Traffic Efficiency and Safety).

Jitney Privately-owned, small or medium-sized vehicle usually operated on a fixed route but not on a fixed schedule.

Joint Development Ventures undertaken by the public and private sectors for development of land around transit stations or stops.

JUMP - Joint Urban Mobility Program Designed to jolt the Bay Area into action, this package of innovative, short-term projects will smooth the flow of traffic, reduce automobile emissions and streamline the planning process in the region. Launched in 1992 by a consortium of some three dozen public agencies and spearheaded by MTC.

Layover Time Time built into a schedule between arrival at the end of a route and the departure for the return trip, used for the recovery of delays and preparation for the return trip.

Level Playing Field A balanced approach to federal funding proportions for highway projects and transit projects; may also refer to employee transportation benefits so that the monthly, tax-free value of a transit pass is equal to that of a parking space; generally, any situation in which transit and highways receive equal treatment in federal funding and other federal procedures.

Light RailSee "Rail, Light".

LNG -Liquefied Natural Gas An alternative fuel; a natural gas cooled to below its boiling point of -260 degrees Fahrenheit so that it becomes a liquid; stored in a vacuum bottle-type container at very low temperatures and under moderate pressure. LNG vapor is lighter than air.

Load Factor The ratio of passengers actually carried versus the total passenger capacity of a vehicle.

LOS - Level of Service A report card that rates traffic flow from A (excellent) through F (flunks), and compares actual or projected traffic volume with the maximum capacity of the intersection or road in question.

LRT - Light-Rail Transit Fixed guideway transportation mode that typically operates on city streets and draws it electric power from overhead wires; include streetcars, trolley cars and tramways. Differs from heavy rail -- which has a separated right of way, and includes commuter and intercity rail -- in that it has lighter passenger capacity per hour and more closely spaced stops.

LRV - Light-Rail Vehicle LRV - Fancy name for streetcar.

LTC - Local Transportation Commission A body composed of members of boards of supervisors, mayors' select committees of counties, transit districts and other transit operators for areas not within the jurisdiction of an "RTPA" such as "MTC".

Maglev - Magnetic Levitation This technology permits trains to move at high speed above a guideway on a cushion of air generated by magnetic force.

Managers of Mobility Transit systems which expand their role to include services and approaches beyond traditional public transportation to include ridesharing, high occupancy vehicle programs, public education on transit's benefits and integration of land use, air quality and transportation decisions; the phrase was developed as part of the industry's Transit 2000 policy effort undertaken in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Mass Transit See "Public Transportation".

Mass Transit Account The federal account, established by the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, into which a designated portion of the federal Highway Trust Fund revenue from motor fuel taxes is placed (1.5 cents in 1994). This account is used for federal mass transportation assistance.

Mass Transportation See "Public Transportation".

MBE - Minority Business Enterprise A business owned and operated by one or more individuals who are defined as minorities under U.S. Department of Transportation regulations. See also "disadvantaged business enterprise".

MDBF - Mean Distance Between Failures The average distance in miles that a transit vehicle travels before failure of a vital component forces removal of that vehicle from service.

Mediation Efforts by an impartial third party to encourage agreement between a labor union and management by counseling each side and facilitating negotiations. Also known as "conciliation".

Medium-Size Bus See "Bus, Medium-Size".

Methanol An alternative fuel; a liquid alcohol fuel with vapor heavier than air; primarily produced from natural gas.

Metropolitan Railway See "Rail, Heavy".

Modal Split A term which describes how many people use alternative forms of transportation. Frequently used to describe the percentage of people using private automobiles as opposed to the percentage using public transportation.

Model An analytical tool (often mathematical) used by transportation planners to assist in making forecasts of land use, economic activity, travel activity and their effects on the quality of resources such as land, air and water.

Monorail An electric railway in which a rail car or train of cars is suspended from or straddles a guideway formed by a single beam or rail. Most monorails are either heavy rail or automated guideway systems.

MPO - Metropolitan Planning Organization A federally required transportation planning body responsible for the RTP and the TIP in its region; the governor designates an MPO in every urbanized area with a population of over 50,000.

MTC - Metropolitan Transportation Commission The transportation planning and financing agency for the nine-county San-Francisco Bay Area.

MTS - metropolitan transportation system At the heart of ISTEA and by extension the RTP, this is an integrated, multimodal transportation system consisting system consisting of major highways, arterials and transit routes used to move people and goods around a region.

Multimodal Refers to the availability of multiple transportation options, especially within a system or corridor. A concept embraced in ISTEA, a multimodal approach to transportation planning focuses on the most efficient way of getting people or goods from place to place, be it by truck, train, bicycle, automobile, airplane, bus, boat, foot or even a computer modem.

NARC - National Association of Regional Councils The nationwide organization for MPOs, COGs and other such entities; based in Washington, D.C.

NEPA - National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 See EIS.

New Look Bus See "Bus, New Look".

New Start Federal funding granted under Section 3(i) of the Federal Transit Act (formerly known as the Urban Mass Transportation Act). These discretionary funds are made available for construction of a new fixed guideway system or extension of any existing fixed guideway system, based on cost-effectiveness, alternatives analysis results and the degree of local financial commitment.

NHS - National Highway System An approximately 155,000-mile, still-to-be-designated network brewed in ISTEA to provide an interconnected system of principal routes to serve major travel destinations and population centers. Picks up where the Interstate Highway System left off.

NHS - National Highway System An approximately 155,000-mile network called for in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act to provide an interconnected system of principal routes to serve major travel destinations and population centers. The NHS is expected to be designated by Congress in 1995.

Nonattainment Area Any geographic region of the United States that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated as not attaining the federal air quality standards for one or more air pollutants, such as ozone and carbon monoxide.

NTS - National Transportation System An intermodal system consisting of all forms of transportation in a unified, interconnected manner to reduce energy consumption and air pollution while promoting economic development and supporting the Nation's preeminent position in international commerce. The NTS includes the National Highway System (NHS), public transportation and access to ports and airports.

NTS - National Transportation System Called for in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, the NTS to date is a proposal by the U.S. Transportation Secretary to integrate all aspects and modes of the transportation system into a single national system. The National Highway System is expected to be a subset of the larger, multimodal NTS.

Obligation A federal budgetary term that refers to a binding agreement that will result in an outlay; an agreement by the federal government to pay for goods or services immediately or at some future time when the goods or services are delivered. Also known as a "commitment".

Obligation Limitation A federal budgetary term that refers to a limit placed in appropriations bills on the amount of federal assistance that may be obligated during a specified time period. It does not affect the scheduled apportionment or allocation of funds; it just controls the rate at which these funds may be used.

Off-Peak Period Non-rush periods of the day when travel activity is generally lower and less transit service is scheduled. Also called "base period".

Operating Assistance Financial assistance for transit operating expenses (not capital costs); such aid may originate with federal, local or state governments.

Operating Deficit The sum of all operating expenses minus operating revenues.

Operating Expense Monies paid in salaries, wages, materials, supplies and equipment in order to maintain equipment and buildings, operate vehicles, rent equipment and facilities and settle claims.

Operating Revenue Receipts derived from or for the operation of transit service, including fare box revenue, revenue from advertising, interest and charter bus service and operating assistance from governments.

Operating Revenue Monies used to fund general, day-to-day costs of running transportation systems. For transit, costs include fuel, salaries and replacement parts; for roads, operating costs involve maintaining pavement, filling potholes, paying workers' salaries, and so forth.

Outlay Outlay A federal budgetary term that refers to a payment made to meet an obligation; the point at which an actual payment of money is made.

Paratransit Comparable transportation service required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 for individuals with disabilities who are unable to use fixed-route transportation systems.

Park and Ride Lot Designated parking areas for automobile drivers who then board transit vehicles from these locations.

Particulate Trap A filter which removes a portion of the particulates (solids, soot, etc.) from a vehicle's exhaust stream and generally includes a regenerative unit and associated control system to burn the collected solids.

Passenger Miles The total number of miles traveled by passengers on transit vehicles; determined by multiplying the number of unlinked passenger trips times the average length of their trips.

PATH - (California) Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways A leading research and development program for IVHS, sponsored by Caltrans and managed by ITS-Berkeley. Research is carried out by public and private academic institutions across the state.

PCC - paratransit coordinating council MTC-created body made up of representatives of social service and paratransit agencies as well as users to set priorities for annual paratransit operating subsidies and capital assistance allocated by MTC. There is one in each of the Bay Area's nine counties.

Peak Period Morning and afternoon time periods when transit riding is heaviest.

Peak/Base Ratio The number of vehicles operated in passenger service during the peak period divided by the number operated during the base period.

PIP - Productivity Improvement Program Where MTC, per state mandate and in conjunction with transit operators, lays out projects and programs to streamline and integrate the region's more than two dozen transit systems.

PMS - Pavement Management System Used in the Bay Area to refer to MTC's computer-assisted program for diagnosing and curing potholes in a timely, cost-effective manner -- and preventing them in the first place through judicious maintenance. In wide use among the region's cities and counties.

POP - Program of Projects Adopted by MTC every fall, it shows projects and programs to benefit from federal transit funding flowing to the Bay Area by formula in the coming fiscal year from the FTA Section 9, FTA Section 3 Fixed Guideway, STP and CMAQ programs.

Program(1) verb, to assign funds to a project that has been approved by MTC, the state or other agency; (2) noun, a system of funding for implementing transportation projects or policies, such as through the State Transportation Improvement Program (see STIP).

Propane An alternative fuel; a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) which is stored under moderate pressure and with vapor heavier than air; produced as a by-product of natural gas and oil production.

PT - Passenger Transport The weekly newspaper of the transit industry that is published by the American Public Transit Association (APTA).

Obligation Limitation An organization that provides transportation services owned, operated, or subsidized by any municipality, county, regional authority, state, or other governmental agency, including those operated or managed by a private management firm under contract to the government agency owner.

Public Transportation Transportation by bus, rail, or other conveyance, either publicly or privately owned, which provides to the public general or special service on a regular and continuing basis. Also known as "mass transportation," "mass transit" and "transit".

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