Florida Local Technical Assistance Program |
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We would like to take this opportunity to offer thanks to all of you who have taken part in one of our trainings in the past year. Although there have been many challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has not disrupted our ongoing commitment to plan, coordinate, prepare, and execute online trainings to improve the skills and knowledge of the local and tribal transportation workforce. In fact, the Florida LTAP Center was given the TaxWatch Productivity Award for Service for our response to the challenges involved with transitioning in-person trainings offered to Florida local transportation agencies to online trainings during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 1989, the TaxWatch Productivity Awards program has publicly recognized and rewarded State employees and work units whose work significantly and measurably increases productivity and promotes innovation to improve the delivery of State services and save money for Florida taxpayers and businesses. Decisive action, planning, coordination, preparation, and execution allowed the Florida LTAP Center to attract large audiences to its training. Between March 1 and November 30, 2020, the Florida LTAP Center trained over 22,561 people at a significant cost-savings – something we could not have done without you.
This newsletter is a method to share our success stories, training opportunities, and relevant events and also to share your agency's accomplishments, initiatives, or feedback about the types of training we provide. We hope to see you in person at one of our in-classroom trainings and activities in the future. In the interim, we will continue the same quality and service expected of the Florida LTAP Center via online training that would be most beneficial to you.
Don’t forget, in-classroom and online training for our local and state agencies are free, and local agencies are given priority. Fully attending our sponsored trainings will award PDHs or Certificates of Completion for your attendance.
If you have any transportation-related success stories, feel free to share them with us to be included in our next newsletter, and contact us for any technical assistance needs or feedback via email, phone, or our website.
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Two Florida Elected Officials Selected to Champion Active People, Healthy Nation in Local Communities |
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The Active People, Healthy Nation Champions Institute |
The Active People, Healthy Nation℠ Champions Institute is a new initiative to help prepare a hand-picked group of elected officials to effectively advocate for and support safer and more complete streets. Two local elected officials from Boca Raton and St. Petersburg are among the inaugural class of 21 local elected officials who will receive comprehensive training over a six month period to help them become champions in their communities to promote activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations.
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Public Comment on Florida Transportation Plan Policy Element Available through
December 13th
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The draft of the Florida Transportation Plan Policy Element is posted for public comment through December 13th.
Public comments may be submitted by:
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The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has released the first-of-its-kind Pedestrian Safety Action Plan. This effort is being overseen by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Nicole R. Nason and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Deputy Administrator James Owens, with the goal of reducing pedestrian injuries and fatalities on America’s roads. It is the latest in a series of efforts by USDOT to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other road users.
According to NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 17% of all traffic fatalities in 2019 were pedestrians. In 2019—the most recent year for which data are available—6,205 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes, 44% more than in 2010. Pedestrian fatalities are largely a phenomenon in urban areas during dark conditions and typically increase in the fall and winter months.
Administrator Nason has made pedestrian safety a priority for FHWA and is leading nationwide efforts to amplify the substantial work that FHWA is doing in this area. In 2020, she started a national series of stakeholder discussions about this topic and launched “STEP UP,” a Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian campaign, to help states make roads safer for everyone.
USDOT’s new Pedestrian Safety Action Plan will promote the expanded use of countermeasures, technology, and data-driven practices to address pedestrian fatalities and injuries. For more information about the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, visit the USDOT’s Pedestrian Safety Summit website.
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TRB IDEA Program Announcement 2021 |
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The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's IDEA Program Announcement 2021 describes the IDEA programs and how they are administered, provides instructions and documents for submitting proposals for funding, and lists general research topics derived from program goals.
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Roundabout Design Fundamentals
and Intersection Control Evaluation
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The Florida LTAP Center, in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), will present a webinar series on Roundabout Design Fundamentals and Intersection Control Evaluation. The three-part series will focus on learning about roundabouts as a proven strategy for improving the safety and operations of intersections.
The physical characteristics of a well-designed roundabout reduce the frequency and severity of intersection crashes. This course will highlight the benefits of a roundabout in terms of traffic safety and operational efficiency and provide participants with the fundamental knowledge needed to plan and consider applying roundabout intersection projects. This course will also introduce the intersection control evaluation (ICE) process and applicable tools when a roundabout is a candidate control scenario.
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Session 1: Roundabout Design Overview
Recording Coming Soon!
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December 9, 2020
2:30 - 4:30 PM (ET)
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December 16, 2020
2:30 - 4:30 PM (ET)
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This webinar is provided at no cost and will award a certificate of training listing the Professional Development Hours (PDHs) or a certificate of completion verifying your attendance. Certificates will be awarded only for fully attending and completing one, two, or all three sessions of this webinar series.
Each session will award 2 PDHs each. A total of 6 PDHs can be earned for fully attending all 3 sessions.
December 9th & 16th
2:30 - 4:30 PM (ET)
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The Florida LTAP Center, in partnership with FDOT, will present this webinar series on Roadway Departure Safety. The three-part series will focus on learning about reducing roadway departure crashes. FHWA defines a roadway departure crash as one that occurs after a vehicle crosses an edge line or a center line or that otherwise leaves the travelway. Another term often used is a “lane departure crash,” as both can include head-on collisions when a vehicle enters an opposing lane of traffic. From 2016 to 2018, an average of 19,158 fatalities resulted from roadway departures, which is more than half of all traffic fatalities in the U.S.!
This series will look at a strategic approach to reducing roadway departure crashes, including identification of appropriate countermeasures such as the following:
✔ Delineation and Signing
✔ Improved Friction
✔ Rumble Strips and Rumble Stripes
✔ Clear Recovery Area
✔ Crash Safety Hardware
Throughout the series, attendees will be introduced to other resources to use to help reduce roadway departure crashes in their area.
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Session 1: Foundations of Roadway Departure Safety
Recording Coming Soon!
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December 10, 2020
2:30 - 4:30 PM (ET)
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December 17, 2020
2:30 - 4:30 PM (ET)
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This webinar is provided at no cost and will award a certificate of training listing the Professional Development Hours (PDHs) or a certificate of completion verifying your attendance. Certificates will be awarded only for fully attending and completing one, two, or all three sessions of this webinar series.
Each session will award 2 PDHs each. A total of 6 PDHs can be earned for fully attending all 3 sessions.
December 10th & 17th
2:30 - 4:30 PM (ET)
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Central Florida Transportation Planning Group:
Transportation Planning in 2020
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How Travel Modes and Behavior
Have Changed in 2020
The Florida Department of Transportation, District Five's Central Florida Transportation Planning Group, in partnership with the Florida LTAP Center, presents this webinar on Transportation Planning in 2020 - How Travel Modes and Behavior Have Changed in 2020. This webinar will take a data-driven approach to evaluating impacts on various modes of transportation and showcase data management tools and resources to identify trends. The webinar will also highlight perspectives from agencies on how they have responded to these changes.
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Presenters:
Neil Pedersen, Executive Director of Transportation Research Board
Jessica Baas, Director of Performance Management, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Cassandra Borchers, AICP, Chief Development Officer, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
Mario Péloquin, Chief Operating Officer, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Brenda Young, P.E., State Safety Engineer, Florida Department of Transportation
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Part 1
The first part of the event will feature presentations by representatives from the Transportation Research Board, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.
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Part 2
The second part of the event will include a moderated panel discussion by a transportation expert from the Florida Department of Transportation. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and to understand the short- and long-term travel trends.
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This webinar is provided at no cost and will award a certificate of training listing the Professional Development Hours (PDHs) for fully attending and completing this webinar. A total of 1.5 PDH's can be earned.1.5 AICP CM's are being requested.
December 15, 2020
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM (ET)
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UC ITS and TRB Webinar on COVID-19, Transit, and Shared Mobility
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A study focused on scenario planning for public transit and shared mobility and undertaken during the midst of the COVID-19 crisis will be published soon by the University of California’s Institute of Transportation Studies (UC ITS) and the TRB Executive Committee, with funding support from ClimateWorks.
The webinar will feature an overview of the study methods and key findings. The study provides a roadmap for the longer-term recovery of public transit and shared mobility, offering several key takeaways.
The scenario planning exercise comprised of 36 transportation experts — from across the nation and a wide variety of perspectives, ranging from public transit; state, regional and local government; industry; associations; non-governmental organizations; academia; and more. This webinar is provided at no cost.
December 17, 2020
3:00 - 4:15 PM (ET)
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Florida LTAP Webinars on Demand |
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Instructors: Carey Shepherd, Civil Rights Officer, FHWA – Florida Division
Jacqueline E. Paramore, FDOT State Title VI Coordinator
Instructor: Larry Hagen, P.E., PTOE, RSP
Instructors: Peter J. Yauch, P.E., PTOE, RSP2i, Iteris Transportation Systems;
John A. Albeck, P.E., PTOE, Iteris Transportation Systems
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Florida LTAP Center recorded webinars are available on our website which is updated regularly. Our webinars are provided at no cost and will award a certificate of training listing Professional Development Hours (PDHs) or a certificate of completion verifying your attendance. Certificates will be awarded only for fully completing a webinar.
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Every Day Counts (EDC) is a state-based model that identifies and rapidly deploys proven, yet underutilized innovations to shorten the project delivery process, enhance roadway safety, reduce traffic congestion, and integrate automation.
Proven innovations promoted through EDC facilitate greater efficiency at the State and local levels, saving time, money and resources that can be used to deliver more projects. EDC is your On-Ramp to Innovation!
FHWA works with State, local, and tribal agencies and private industry and other stakeholders to identify a new collection of innovations to champion every two years.
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Project Bundling for Local Public Agencies
December 16, 2020
2:00 - 3:30 PM (ET)
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Moving FoRRRwD with Safety Action Plans: Statewide, Regional, and Local
December 17, 2020
1:00 - 3:00 PM (ET)
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FDOT Transportation Symposium 2020 |
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The Transportation Symposium has been converted to the Transportation Symposium Webinar series (virtual format). To continue to keep staff and our industry partners up-to-date with FDOT policies, procedures, and best practices, we will be developing and implementing the Transportation Symposium Webinar Series, which will be providing weekly symposium sessions. Professional Development Hour (PDH) credits will be offered for the live version of the webinar, and a recorded version will be posted to view at a later date.
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National RTAP Peer Roundtables, Chats, and Webinars |
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Transit Manager Peer Roundtable
Join National RTAP staff, Review Board members, and your peers for this opportunity to discuss issues affecting your job, your agency, and your community. Please register in advance and share what topics you are interested in. Topics may include: technology, COVID fatigue, diversity and inclusion, microtransit, and electric vehicles.
December 16, 2020
2:00-3:00 PM (ET)
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State RTAP Manager Peer Roundtable
Join National RTAP staff and fellow State RTAP Managers for an informal discussion about State RTAP program issues and trends. No need to pre-register, just join the Roundtable at the time of the meeting. Find your local call-in number. If you would like a calendar invitation, please RSVP to info@nationalrtap.org.
January 12, 2021
2:00-3:00 PM (ET)
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RIBTC Session: Financial Management & Indirect Cost Rates Webinar
This session will focus on key compliance elements from the OMB guidance as it relates to the management of FTA grants and the impact of the recent regulatory changes. This session will also provide an overview of the requirements for establishing indirect cost rates under FTA grant awards.
January 12, 2021
3:00 - 5:00 PM (ET)
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What's New in the Transit Manager's Toolkit? Webinar
The National RTAP Transit Manager's Toolkit was updated with new content and resources, such as Leading during a Pandemic and Communicating with the Public, to give new transit managers the information needed on day one to ensure their rural transit organizations are operating smoothly and are in compliance with FTA Section 5311 funding.
January 26, 2021
2:00-3:00 PM (ET)
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Launching a New Century of Mobility and Quality of Life. |
The meeting program will cover all transportation modes, addressing topics of interest to policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions.
A number of sessions and workshops will focus on the spotlight theme for the 2021 meeting: Launching a New Century of Mobility and Quality of Life. This year’s meeting also will feature dozens of sessions on how COVID-19 has impacted transportation and how transportation professionals and researchers are responding.
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Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) announced the launch of its Rural Expansion Toolkit that offers grant opportunities directed to eligible rural communities across Florida to assist their economic engagement and capacity building efforts.
The Rural Expansion Toolkit consists of grant programs, including Consulting Services and Site Preparedness in Rural Communities, as well as existing Marketing & Training grant opportunities. Applications will be accepted from local or regional economic development or community partners in a rural community as identified in 288.0656(e) Florida Statutes and, in the case of the Site Preparedness Program, those who also can demonstrate a pathway to site readiness.
The 2020 grant application is now open
Deadlines for application submissions are as follows:
🚩Site Preparedness Grant – Applications will be accepted until December 15, 2020.
🚩Marketing & Training Grant – Applications will be accepted until May 1, 2021 for grant activities completed between July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021.
🚩Consulting Services Grant – Applications will be accepted until May 1, 2021 for grant activities completed between July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021.
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Safe Routes to Parks
Activating Communities Program
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The Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities program provides tailored technical assistance and awarded a $12,500 grant to seven non-profit organizations to develop and initiate action plans to increase safe and equitable access to parks and green space in their communities. Developed through a collaboration between Safe Routes Partnership and the National Recreation and Parks Association in 2017, the Safe Routes to Parks Action Framework provides a structured process for communities to approach this work.
Grantee communities will work closely with Safe Routes Partnership staff from February through September 2021 to proactively engage community members in the process of assessing park access, putting together an action plan to address barriers, and begin implementing that plan.
The 2021 grant application is now open
Timeline
🚩Applications due: December 18, 2020 by 11:59 p.m. PT
🚩Awards announced: Late January
🚩Program implementation: February – September 2021
🚩Orientation and framework training: February 10, 2021
🚩Equity in Safe Routes to Parks training: March 3, 2021
Stay Informed
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Stay tuned for more Florida LTAP-sponsored trainings, and be sure to visit our website or contact us for any technical assistance needs! |
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We want to showcase your success!
Does your agency have a successful project or initiative you would like for us to share? We would like to feature you in our next newsletter.
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Florida Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center
Center for Urban Transportation Research
University of South Florida
4202 East Fowler Ave., CUT100
Tampa, FL 33620-5375 USA
T: (813) 974-4450
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