# Presentation: 680714

## Alternative Transportation in the Parks & Public Lands

- Program Progress
- Research Needs

## Progress

- FY 2007 Call for Proposals Published
- Program Guide
- Webinar
- Information improvements
- Transportation Assistance Groups (TAG)

## Progress

- FY 2007 Call for Proposals
- 	- Published in the Federal Register in fall
- 	- Improvements to proposal evaluation criteria
-       and rating process
- 	- Project proposals due February 16th
- 	- If Continuing Resolution continues,
-      funding will be held at the FY 2006 level

## Progress

- Program Guide
- Webinar
- 	- Program background, legislative authority, eligibility, program requirements, project application submission and evaluation, sample language and funding resources
- 	- Both available on line at: http://www.fta.dot.gov/attpl

## Progress

- Information Improvements
- 	- Resources on web provide a ‘one-stop’ source for 	program information
- 	- Requirements document being drafted
- 	- FTA Planning Rulemaking complete
- 	- Clarification on non-motorized projects for 	consideration by Interior leadership under the 	program

## Non-motorized projects

- General rule for Non-motorized projects (involving facilities for bicycling, walking, and watercraft:
- 	1.  Must reduce or mitigate number of private automobile 	trips
- 	2.  Must provide connectivity
- 	3.  Must improve safety for motorized and non-motorized 	system users
- Recreational trails must connect to transit system or provide access to transit facility

## TAG Activities

- Site Visits to USFS and BLM lands
- 	1.  Tri Canyons/Wasatch-Cache – Report published
- 	2.  Spring Mountains
- 	3.  Red Rock Canyon
- 	 -  Urban areas with public lands adjacent
- Areas of high recreational day use
- Pre planning in nature
- Conference Call/TAG
- 	1.  Mendenhall Glacier – Agreement on plan of action
- 	-  Review of 5- year plan focusing on operations and
- 	   management strategies

## Research Needed 

- Need for research in support of the ATTPL program fall into two general and interrelated categories:
- 1.  Activities to support reauthorization - immediate
- 2.  Activities to support program implementation

## Research Needs

- Best practices manuals
- 	 - Planning
- 	 - Financing
- 	-  Networking/Partnerships
- Success stories (short time frame)
- Comparison of management strategies
- Categorization of peer parks
- Peer-to-peer program (pre-planning)
- Provide for comparison between ‘like’ parks in variety of areas

## Research Needed

- Visitor attitude information
- 	- sensitivity to paying for use of transit in parks and on public lands
- 	- willingness-to-pay based on type of federal land
- 	- willingness to modify behavior (incentives!)

## Research Needs

- State of practice
- 	- methods of payment collection across federal land types and/or size (e.g., entrance, gate, fare box)
- 	- fee structures
- 	- transportation impact data collection/measurement (e.g., ridership, congestion, air quality, etc.)

## Research Needs

- Support TAG activities
- 	-  Before/After studies
- 	- Methods for providing assistance to   	recipients and potential recipients
- 	- Central database of transit operators, 	State DOTs, transit agencies and MPO 	information (facilitate planning)

## Looking Forward

- ATPPL program allows us to revisit the concept of sustainable communities
- 		- new measurements of sustainability
- 		- new concept of community
- 		- a well-defined example of strategies 		to realize successful rural 			transportation planning