Acronyms:
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AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act ADA Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization ADT Average Daily Traffic NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards AICP American Institute of Certified Planners NARC National Association of Regional Councils APTA American Public Transit Association NHS National Highway System ATC Automated Toll Collection OTAQ Office of Transportation and Air Quality ATM Advanced Traffic Management System PDR Purchase of Development Rights BZA Board of Zoning Appeals PM-10 Particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter CAAA Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 PMS Pavement Management System CBD Central Business District PMSA Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area CDC Community Development Corporation PRT Personal Rapid Transit CFR Capital Improvements Plan (or Program) PUD Planned Unit Development CMP Congestion Management Process RFP Requests for Proposals CMAQ Congestion Management and Air Quality Program RFQ Requests for Qualifications COG Council of Governments ROW Right-of-Way CZM Coastal Zone Management RPC Regional Plan Commission DHS Department of Homeland Security RTA Regional Transportation Authority DOT Department of Transportation (US) RTP Regional Transportation Plan DU Dwelling Unit SIP State Implementation Plan ECO Employee Commute Options SMSA Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area EIS Environmental Impact Statement STIP State Transportation Improvement Plan FAA Federal Aviation Administration SOV Single Occupant Vehicle FHWA Federal Highway Administration STP Surface Transportation Program FONSI Finding of no significant impact TAZ Traffic Analysis Zones FRA Federal Railroad Administration TDM Travel Demand Model FTA Federal Transit Administration TIF Tax Increment Financing GIS Geographic Information Service TIGER Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Reference File HOV High Occupancy Vehicle TIP Transportation Improvement Program HPMS Highway Performance Monitoring System TOD Transit Oriented Design or Development INDOT Indiana Department of Transportation TMA Transportation Management Area INSTIP Indiana Statewide Transportation Improvement Program TSM Transportation System Management ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 USDOT United States Department of Transportation ITS Intelligent Transportation Systems USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency LMOP Lake Michigan Ozone Plan UPWP Unified Planning Work Program LOS Level of Service VHT Vehicle Hours of Travel
Definitions:
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
| A | |
|---|---|
Access, Accessibility | The ability of vehicles or facilities to accommodate people with disabilities. |
Activity Center | A location that includes one or more land uses that generate a significant number of trips during the typical day or on special occasions. Regional shopping malls, concentrations of office buildings, large industrial complexes, schools, and sports stadiums are examples. |
Adaptive reuse | Rehabilitation or renovation of existing building(s) or structures for any use(s) other than the present use(s). |
Allocation | A method of dividing federal funds among states when no apportionment formula exists for those funds. Suballocations are sometimes made within states or regions. |
Alternative Fuels | Any motor fuel other than ordinary gasoline which generally results in lower levels of air pollutants. Examples are reformulated gasoline, natural gas, liquid propane, liquefied natural gas, bio-diesel, electricity, and ethanol (also known as gasohol), |
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) | Federal law requires accessible public transportation services for persons with disabilities, paratransit services in areas where fixed route transit is not available, and eligibility for accessible services to persons with mental disabilities, temporary disabilities, and conditions related to substance abuse. |
Apportionment | The mathematical formula or process of dividing appropriated federal funds among the States and Territories, and then into the various funding programs within a State or Territory (or Urbanized Areas by FTA). The formula or process is specified by statute (usually the Authorizing legislation). Indiana sub-apportions 25% of its highway funds each year to LPA projects in urbanized areas and non-urbanized areas. (See Obligation). |
Appropriation | The annual Congressional process (Appropriations Bill) by which authorized funds are committed to expenditure by States. Appropriations sometimes fall short of, but cannot exceed, authorized levels (See Authorization). |
Area Plan | A plan that covers a specific sub-area of the community and provides a blueprint for future development of the area. The plan also identifies specific catalytic projects that will be undertaken to support that development. The plan provides policies and strategies based on shared values that will shape development for years to come. Such a plan typically outlines an implementation strategy and framework for community partnerships. |
Arterial | A class of street serving major traffic movement. There are principal and minor arterials, which are designed to primarily provide mobility and are a higher class than local or collector streets, which are designed to primarily provide access. |
Attainment Area | An area (consisting of a county or multiple counties), which has air quality at least as good as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) health standards used in the Clean Air Act or published periodically in the Federal Register. An area may be in attainment for one pollutant and a non-attainment area for others. (See National Ambient Air Quality Standards and Non-Attainment Area). |
Authorization | The maximum level of funding authorized by Congress in its transportation authorizing legislation. Amounts appropriated in each year covered by the authorizing legislation may not exceed the amounts authorized. Occasionally, an appropriation bill may authorize a new program or project. Examples of recent transportation authorizing legislation include ISTEA (1991), TEA-12 (1998), SAFETEA-LU (2005), MAP-21 (2012), and FAST Act (2015). |
Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVL) | A combination of communication and computer equipment that provides a central operations center with information regarding the current location of transit vehicles outfitted with transponders. |
Average Daily Traffic (ADT) | The average number of vehicles passing a fixed point within a 24-hour time frame is a standard measure of traffic volume. Annual average daily traffic (AADT) is determined by using a factor to adjust for the changing amounts of traffic at different times of the year. |
Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO) | The typical number of people in a vehicle on the road network. The average auto occupancy in Indiana is 1.64 persons per vehicle, according to the 2009 National Household Travel Survey. |
| B | |
|---|---|
Bike Lane | A corridor expressly reserved for bicycles existing on a street or roadway in addition to any lanes for use by motorized vehicles. These lanes are usually designated by signs or stencils on the pavement and a painted line on the pavement marking the exclusive lane. |
Blueways | Water trails or blueways are rivers that are used for recreation. They are navigable waterways defined as having the capacity, in terms of length, width, and depth, to enable a kayak, canoe, or other type of craft to make successful progress through a waterway. In practice, water trails span a wide array of levels of challenge, from standing water to challenging whitewater. Some blueways are formally designated, typically through a state or federal program, with developed facilities such as boat launches with parking. |
Brownfield | Abandoned, idled, or underused industrial and commercial facilities/sites where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. |
Building Code | The various policies of the community that regulate construction and require building permits, electrical permits, mechanical permits, plumbing permits, and other licenses or certifications to do work regulated by city code pertaining to building and building regulation. |
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) | A broad term given to a variety of transportation systems that, through improvements to vehicles, infrastructure, and scheduling, attempt to use buses to provide a service that is of a higher quality than ordinary bus service. BRT can include an exclusive high-occupancy or bus-only lane. |
| C | |
|---|---|
Capacity (Highway) | It is the ability of a road to accommodate traffic volume. It is the maximum number of travel movements that can pass through a given transportation facility in one direction during a given time period under prevailing travel conditions. Capacity has different standards depending on the type of facility that is being analyzed. |
Capital Assistance | Financial assistance granted to an agency by the Federal Transit Administration for the purchase or construction of facilities, rolling stock, or equipment required to provide public transportation services. In addition, maintenance, capital cost of contracting, and complementary (corresponding) service for persons with disabilities are eligible capital costs. |
Carbon Monoxide (CO) | A gas without color and odor, which is toxic because too much of it can dangerously reduce oxygen in the bloodstream. It is formed, in large part, by the combustion of fuel. It is one of the criteria pollutants. (See Criteria Pollutant.) |
Catalytic Projects | Redevelopment projects and programs aimed at increasing economic and community value within areas, districts, or neighborhoods of a municipality. These projects leverage a significant and visible investment in the area, increase the value of surrounding properties, and support comprehensive planning goals. |
Catenary | The overhead power line system for electrically propelled rail vehicles, including light-rail or commuter rail cars. The South Shore Railroad, operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, uses such a system. |
Central Business District (CBD) | The most intensely commercial sector of a community. Often referred to as the downtown. |
Charette | An intensive, focused, facilitated workshop in which designers, property owners, developers, public officials, residents, environmentalists, and other stakeholders work together to brainstorm and envision potential projects of benefit to the community or region. |
Collector | A class of street serving neighborhood circulation, and providing a balance between accessibility to adjacent land and mobility of traffic. |
Commercial corridor | A concentration of retail and commercial buildings usually located along a high traffic. Pedestrian and transportation corridor. Commercial corridors may be as little as two to three blocks in length, or may extend to several miles along a main street or highway. |
Community Development Block Grant | CDBG is a flexible program that provides annual grants to cities, counties and states to develop strong communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanding economic opportunities. Eligible activities must benefit low-and moderate-income persons. CDBG-eligible activities are initiated and developed at the state and local levels based on a community’s needs, priorities, and benefits. |
Complete Streets | Street rights-of-way designed and operated to enable safe, attractive and comfortable access and travel for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities are able to safely and comfortably move along and across a complete street. |
Comprehensive Plan | A plan for development of a municipality, which recognizes the physical, economic, social, political, aesthetic, and related factors of the community involved. The plan usually includes policy statements, goals, objectives, standards, strategies, catalytic projects, maps, and statistical data for the physical, social, and economic development, both public and private sectors of the community. |
Comprehensive Planning | A planning process that typically includes sections on land use, transportation, environment, water and sewer, education, recreation, health, housing, annexation potential, and economic development prospects. Also known as master planning. |
Conformity (air quality) | Transportation conformity is a way to ensure that Federal funding and approval goes to those transportation improvement / activities that are consistent with air quality goals. It is a process to assess the compliance of a metropolitan transportation plan, program or project with air quality control plans. The conformity process is defined by the Federal Clean Air Act and the Transportation Conformity Rule, as amended. A conformity determination demonstrates that the total emissions projected for a plan, program, or project are within the emissions limits (budgets) established by the State Implementation Plan for Air Quality. Metropolitan Planning Organizations, like NIRPC, make initial conformity determinations, which are then made by FHWA/FTA. |
Congestion | The experience of poor travel performance on a transportation system or facility caused by excessive use. It is when the capacity of the system is greatly exceeded. (See Capacity) |
Congestion Management Process (CMP) | A process to identify the performance of the transportation system with regard to traffic congestion, and to analyze alternative responses and implement strategies to alleviate congestion. The use of transportation demand management (TDM) and transportation system management (TSM) strategies must be fully considered and implemented in conjunction with any project that would add capacity to the system available to single-occupant vehicles in Transportation Management Areas (TMAs) that are also air quality non-attainment areas. |
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) | A federal funding program established under the Federal reauthorization act in 1991 and continued under the present act, known as MAP-21. Funds are to be expended on projects within air quality non-attainment areas, which contribute to meeting National Ambient Air Quality Standards. CMAQ funds may not be used for projects that expand single-occupant vehicle capacity or involve the preservation and maintenance of an existing transportation facility. With minor exceptions, all CMAQ projects must result in a reduction of emissions that cause ground-level ozone to materialize. These funds are allocated through the state departments of transportation, such as INDOT, to non-attainment and maintenance areas. |
Consultation | One party confers with another identified party and, prior to taking action, considers that party’s view, and keeps that party informed about actions taken. |
Context Sensitive Development | Development that is sensitive and responsive to the setting in which it occurs. This type of development seeks to balance growth and expansion goals with other desirable outcomes, for example, historic preservation, environmental sustainability, and the creation of vital public spaces. |
Continuous Counter | A machine that provides an uninterrupted count of traffic volume on a particular point of the highway system. The detector is generally embedded into the pavement in a relatively permanent installation. The equipment provides hourly traffic information for every day of the year. |
Coordination | The comparison of the transportation plans, programs, and schedules of one agency with related plans, programs, and schedules of other agencies or entities. The comparison may lead to the adjustment of plans, programs or schedules to achieve general consistency. Coordination can also lead to identifying transportation needs more completely, developing consistent goals, fostering understanding, and better ensuring implementation. |
Cooperation | The parties involved in carrying out the planning and/or project development processes working together to achieve a common goal or objective. Cooperation can improve decision-making, save time and money through shared resources, and help agencies achieve more by working together. |
Corridor | Broad geographical band connecting major sources of trips. Usually associated with transportation facilities. |
Coverage Count | A traffic count taken as part of the requirement for system-level estimates of traffic. The count is typically short-term, and may be volume, vehicle classification, speed, or weigh-in-motion counts. Coverage counts are usually used to estimate average daily traffic volumes throughout the transportation system. |
Creating Livable Communities (CLC) Program | Its purpose is to support community-based transportation/land use projects in Northwest Indiana that bring vitality to downtown areas, neighborhoods, commercial cores, transit station areas, and transit corridors. It will fund development and redevelopment projects. |
Criteria Pollutant | A pollutant with significant health risks that warrants the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to monitor and set National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone, Particulate Matter, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur Dioxide, and Lead are the criteria pollutants. |
| D | |
|---|---|
Deadhead | Refers to bus travel between a garage and a passenger route, or between passenger routes, during which time it is carrying no passengers. Less deadhead time means more efficiency. |
Demand-Response | Descriptive term for a service type, usually considered paratransit, in which a user can access transportation service, which can be variably routed and timed to meet changing needs on a semi-daily basis. Sometimes referred to as dial-a-ride. (See Paratransit; also, compare with Fixed-Route.) |
Demographics | Selected population characteristics as used in government, marketing, or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research. Commonly used demographics include race, age, income, disabilities, mobility (in terms of travel time to work or the number of vehicles available), educational attainment, homeownership, employment status, and area or location. Demographic trends describe the changes in a population over time. |
Demonstration Project | A transit or highway project that is authorized by an act of Congress. |
Designated Recipient | An entity selected and entitled by the Governor to receive Federal transit funds from FTA. For the Indiana portion of the Chicago, IL/IN urbanized area, there are three Designated Recipients: Gary Public Transportation Corporation, City of East Chicago, and NIRPC. For the Indiana portion of the Michigan City, IN/MI urbanized area, there are two Designated Recipients: NIRPC and the City of Michigan City. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), although not a Designated Recipient itself, does receive and disburse FTA grant funds directly from FTA by way of an agreement with NIRPC. |
Destination | End point of a trip. It is the there, in “are we there yet?” |
Destination Retail | Retail businesses that generate a special-purpose trip and that do not necessarily benefit from or require a high-volume pedestrian location. Typically, destination retail acts as a market draw from a relatively wide area and/or an anchor for other retail that stands to benefit from proximity to its customers. |
Development Impact Fee | A fee levied on the developer of a project by a city, county, or other public agency as compensation for otherwise-unmitigated impacts the project will produce. This fee is intended as total or partial reimbursement for the cost of providing additional facilities or services needed as a result of the new development (e.g., wider roads, new sewers, etc.). |
Development Incentive | Measures that can be taken, usually by a governing agency, to encourage certain types of developments. |
Dial-a-Ride | Term for demand-responsive systems usually delivering door-to-door service to clients who make requests by telephone on an as-needed reservation, or subscription basis. |
Discretionary User | A transit rider who has an alternate means, such as an automobile, to make the trip, but chooses to use public transit. |
| E | |
|---|---|
Easement | A donation by a property owner to the use of land by the public, a corporation, or persons for specific purposes, such as the construction of utilities, sidewalks, drainage ways, or roadways. |
Electric Rail Service Fund | The ERSF is a special state fund generated from property tax on a railroad company’s distributable property that provides service with a commuter transportation district established under Indiana Code 8-5-15. These funds are only available to commuter transportation districts that have substantially all of their service performed by electrical powered railroads. Qualifying commuter transportation districts must receive equal shares of this fund. Currently, all funds are allocated to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), the only entity eligible to receive these funds at present. |
Emissions Inventory | A complete list of sources and amounts of pollutant emissions within a specific area and time interval. |
Environmental Corridor | A linear landscape or topographic feature containing a concentration of natural and cultural resources, or combined features of water, wetlands, and steep topography of 12.5% or greater. The planning community has often modified or expanded this definition to meet state and federal planning requirements and to include scenic, recreational, and historic resources in urban or urbanizing environments. |
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) | A document prepared by a government agency that evaluates the effects of a proposed project on the environment. The document includes a purpose and need explaining why the project is warranted and how a "no action ", as well as various action alternatives, would meet the purpose and need while minimizing the adverse effects on the environment. Extensive work involving participation with stakeholders likely to be impacted by the project determines the scope of the adverse effects addressed in the EIS. Ultimately, a federal agency issues a Record of Decision (ROD), selecting either the no-action alternative or one of the action alternatives. |
Environmental Justice (EJ) or Environmental Equity | A process to identify, avoid, minimize, or mitigate disproportionately high and adverse effects of transportation projects on minority populations and or low-income populations. |
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or USEPA) | The federal agency that is responsible for planning, funding, and enforcing environmental laws. EPA is the source agency of air quality control regulations affecting transportation. |
Expressway, Freeway | A divided arterial highway for through traffic with limited controlled access; the intersections of which are usually separated from other roadways by differing grades. It can be a toll road. |
| F | |
|---|---|
Fare Recovery | The ratio equating public transportation fare revenue to total expenses. This measure is used to indicate the level at which the passenger fares support the transit system. |
Fast Act | The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) funds surface transportation programs - including, but not limited to, Federal-aid highways - at over $305 billion for fiscal years (FY) 2016 through 2020. It is the first long-term surface transportation authorization enacted in a decade, providing long-term funding certainty for surface transportation and building on the changes made by MAP-21 (See MAP-21). |
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) | A division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which executes the highway-oriented provisions of the federal transportation program, through the state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations. The FHWA administers federal funding for highway planning and programming, leading to the construction of highway-oriented projects. In cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, the FHWA prepares and issues regulations as required by law, monitors compliance, and provides support for the technical developments necessary to implement the Federal Transportation Authorization Act. |
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) | A division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which is responsible for administering federal public transportation funds and programs. This ranges from planning and operating assistance to the purchase of buses, trains, and the building of transit stations. |
Field Check | Physical inspection of land used to confirm or learn more about the impacts the transportation project would have on some portion of the natural or socio-economic environment. |
Fiscal Constraint | Refers to U.S. Department of Transportation requirements that an adequate financial plan for funding and sustaining transportation improvements be in place prior to programming federally-funded projects. Generally refers to the stability and reliability of revenue in meeting proposed costs. There needs to be a reasonable expectation that the revenue will be available. |
Fixed Guideway | Any public transportation facility that uses a separate right-of-way, which may or may not include rails, for the exclusive use of public transportation service. Such service can include fixed rail, automated guideway transit, and exclusive facilities for buses and other high-occupancy vehicles. |
Fixed Route | A term applied to public transit service that is regularly scheduled and operating over a predetermined route. Usually refers to bus service. |
Forecasting | The process of estimating the future values of specific variables used in the transportation planning process, including population, income, and employment. |
Functional Classification | The categorization of streets and roadways based on their travel use. There are three types of road classifications: arterials, collectors, and local. Arterials primarily provide a mobility function with higher speeds, while local roads afford access to adjacent land uses. Collectors provide a mix of mobility and access. |
| G | |
|---|---|
Gateway | An entrance corridor that heralds the approach of a new landscape, neighborhood, or area and defines the arrival point as a destination. |
Gentrification | The buying, rehabilitation, and resettlement of houses and businesses in deteriorated urban neighborhoods. Although improving property values, gentrification often replaces low-income families or individuals. |
Green Building | Structures that incorporate the principles of sustainable design - where the impact of a building on the environment will be minimal over the lifetime of that building. Green buildings incorporate principles of energy and resource efficiency, practical applications of water reduction and pollution prevention, good indoor air quality, and natural light to promote occupant health and productivity, and transportation efficiency in design and construction, during use and reuse. |
Green Infrastructure | A strategically planned and managed network of wilderness, parks, greenways, conservation easements, and working lands with conservation value that supports native species, maintains natural ecological processes, sustains air and water resources, and contributes to the health and quality of life of communities. |
Greenway | A greenway is a corridor of open space. They vary greatly in scale, from narrow ribbons of underdeveloped landscapes that run through urban and suburban development, to wide corridors that incorporate diverse natural cultural features. A greenway can be land- or water-based. It can incorporate both public and private property, but always provides benefits for the larger community. Some greenways are primarily recreational corridors, while others function almost exclusively intended for substantial human passage. Some greenways run along stream corridors, shorelines, or wetlands; others follow old railway tracks or other land-based features. Greenways differ in their location and function, but overall a greenway network will protect natural and cultural resources, provide recreational opportunities, improve and sustain hydrological functions, and enhance the natural beauty and the quality of life in neighborhoods and communities. |
| H | |
|---|---|
Headway | A transit term meaning the time between buses or trains on the same route or line. |
Heavy-Rail Transit | An electric railway with the capacity to handle a heavy volume of traffic. The term is often used to distinguish it from light rail systems, which usually handle a smaller volume of passengers. |
High-density land use | Compact or clustered development, resulting in a higher overall number of units built in the same area and possibly reducing the demand for development in other areas. Higher-density development does not necessarily mean multifamily development or high-rise buildings. Higher densities can be achieved by building homes on smaller lots, by building attached homes (rowhouses or townhomes), or by building multifamily structures (apartment buildings). |
High Occupancy Vehicles (HOVs) | Generally applied to vehicles carrying two or more people (some define it as three or more). Freeways, expressways, and other large-volume roads may have lanes designated for HOV use, such as by carpools, vanpools, and buses. The term HOV is sometimes used to refer to high-occupancy vehicle lanes themselves. Such lanes are often called "diamond " lanes. |
Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) | The system used by the FHWA to provide information to Congress, the states, and the public on the extent and physical condition of the nation's highway system, its use, performance, and needs. The Metropolitan Planning Organization and State Departments of Transportation are partners in collecting some of the data, including monitoring the traffic count stations and validating the results. |
Home-Based Work Trip | A trip for the purpose of one's employment, with either end of the trip being one's home. |
| I | |
|---|---|
Impact Fees | A payment, also called a development fee. levied on the developer of a project by a city, county, or other public agency as compensation for otherwise unmitigated impacts the project will produce. |
Impervious (impermeable) Surface | Any hard-surfaced (e.g., asphalt, concrete, roofing material, brick, paving block, plastic), man-made area that does not readily absorb or retain water, including but not limited to building roofs, parking and driveway areas, graveled areas, sidewalks, and paved recreation areas. The pavement materials seal the soil surface, eliminating rainwater infiltration and natural groundwater recharge. |
Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) | The State of Indiana Department responsible for completing and carrying out environmental policies and requirements. This includes the development of State Implementation Plans (SIPs). |
Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) | The multi-modal transportation agency for the state which builds projects, maintains the state and interstate highway systems, and administers transportation funds. |
Indiana State Transportation Improvement Program (INSTIP) | Indiana's multi-year program of transportation projects, which comprises all the MPOs' Transportation Improvement Programs, projects for non-urbanized areas, and state jurisdiction projects. |
Infill development | The construction of a building on a vacant parcel located in a predominantly built-up area. The local zoning regulations determine whether the new building fits harmoniously into the neighborhood. Sometimes called land recycling, infill has been promoted as an economic use of existing infrastructure for community redevelopment and growth management, or smart growth, and a partial remedy for urban sprawl. |
Infrastructure | A term connotating the physical underpinnings of society at large, or system of public works, including, but not limited to, roads, bridges, transit, waste systems, public housing, sidewalks, utility installations, parks, public buildings, and communications networks. |
Inspection and Maintenance Program (I/M) | An emissions testing and examination program implemented by states in air quality non-attainment areas to ensure that the catalytic or other emissions control devices on vehicles are properly maintained. Indiana's Clean Air Car Check Program has seven locations in Lake and Porter Counties. Vehicle emissions testing is not required in La Porte County. |
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) | Elements in or relating to transportation that communicate information flows between the traveler and the travel environment with the aim of making travel safer, more efficient, and more user-responsive. Telecommunications infrastructure, including that between the transportation system and emergency responders, travel time signs, toll collection transponders, and electronic transit fare payment cards, are all examples of ITS. |
Intermodal Facility | A transportation element that accommodates and interconnects different modes of transportation, such as between rail and highway or waterway and rail. |
| J | |
|---|---|
Journey | An entire one-way trip from beginning to end, including intermediate stops and changes of mode. It is also known as a linked trip. For example, from the City of Portage to Willis Tower in Chicago, including auto mode to South Short Station, train to Chicago, and bus, taxi, or walk to the final destination. |
| L | |
|---|---|
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) | A certification program and nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. |
Let | A project is said to be "let " when the contract bidding process is complete. |
Level of Service (LOS) | A set of qualitative descriptions of a transportation facility's or corridor's performance. The Highway Capacity Manual defines levels of service for intersections and highway segments, with ratings that range from A (best) to F (worst). Transportation projects are usually planned and designed to result in a LOS of C or D, depending on the severity of the congestion problems and the ability to make improvements. |
Light-Rail Transit | Street cars or trolley cars that typically operate entirely or substantially in mixed traffic and in non-exclusive, at-grade rights-of-way. Passengers typically board vehicles from street level (as opposed to a platform level with the train), and the driver may collect fares. Vehicles are each electronically self-propelled and usually operate in one or two-car trains. |
Linear Park | A linear park is a strip of public recreation property longer than it is wide. Linear parks are often created from land next to rivers, creeks, canals, easements for electrical lines, former rail corridors, scenic highways, and shorelines. A primary use of linear parks are multi-use trails. |
Link | A representation of a road segment on a transportation model network. One part of a chain of trips. |
Linked Trip | An entire trip that is part of a chain of trips made for various purposes between the origin of the first trip and the destination of the last trip in the chain. (See Journey) |
Local Public Agency (LPA) | LPAs are Indiana Counties and Municipalities. An LPA has road construction and maintenance duties assigned to them by the Indiana General Assembly, receives Motor Vehicle Highway (MVH) and/or LRS (Local Road and Street) funds from the State, is controlled by elected officials, and is eligible to apply for federal funds from FHWA for local road construction projects. |
Local Street | A street intended solely for access to properties contiguous to it. |
| M | |
|---|---|
Maintenance Areas | A non-attainment area (consisting of a county or multiple counties) that has improved its air quality to the extent that it is in compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Maintenance areas still qualify for CMAQ funds. Lake and Porter Counties have been designated as maintenance areas for particulate matter (PM2.5). |
MAP-21 | The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act is a former piece of legislation by the U.S. Congress, signed in 2012, that reauthorizes and restructures programs and funding for highway and transit programs. Reauthorizing of the surface transportation programs continues the requirement and funding for metropolitan area transportation planning and programming, which is done by designated Metropolitan Planning Organizations, such as NIRPC. |
Mass Transit | The provision of general or special passenger services provided by public, private, or nonprofit entities, such as the following surface transit modes: commuter rail, rail rapid transit, light rail transit, light guideway transit, express bus, and local fixed bus routes on a regular and continuing basis. Does not include school bus, charter or sightseeing service, or service provided to clients of special service organizations. |
Metropolitan Area Boundary | At a minimum, the existing urban area, non-attainment area, and contiguous area are expected to become urban in the next twenty years. The metropolitan area boundary for Northwest Indiana and the area within which NIRPC conducts the transportation planning process includes the entire counties of Lake, Porter, and La Porte. |
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) | The organizational entity designated by law with lead responsibility for developing transportation plans and programs for urbanized areas with a population of 50,000 or more. It serves as a forum for cooperative transportation decision-making. MPOs are established by agreement of the Governor and units of general-purpose local government. The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission was established in 1975 as the MPO for Northwest Indiana, initially Lake and Porter Counties. LaPorte County joined NIRPC in 1979 and was added to the metropolitan Area Boundary in 1994. |
Mixed-Use Development | The development of a tract of land or building or structure with two or more differing uses, such as residential, office, retail, service, public, or entertainment, in a compact urban form. These types of developments can result in measurable reductions in traffic impacts. |
Mobile Source | This includes motor vehicles, aircraft, seagoing vessels, and other modes of transportation that emit pollutants. In air quality planning, it generally refers to highway motor vehicles. |
Mobility | The ease with which desired destinations can be reached, usually greatest on facilities designed to handle through movements of traffic, such as arterials. Greater mobility usually means higher speeds and less accessibility. |
Mode | The method used for personal travel or the movement of goods on a particular trip. Modes include automobile, bus, commuter rail, bicycle, walking, rail freight, and trucking. |
Model | A process to estimate the use of the transportation system under various scenarios, using specific computer software, combined with socioeconomic data, forecasts, and the transportation system represented by a network of links and nodes. |
Movement | The usage of the transportation system by a particular mode to get from an origin to a destination. |
Multimodal | The consideration of more than one mode to serve transportation needs in a given area. Refers to the diversity of options for the same trip; also, an approach to transportation planning or programming that acknowledges the existence of or need for transportation options. |
| N | |
|---|---|
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) | Federal Standards that set allowable concentrations and exposure limits for various pollutants, called criteria pollutants. (See Criteria Pollutant). |
National Highway System (NHS) | A classification of roads authorized by federal law comprised of interstate highways and roads designated as important for interstate travel, national defense, intermodal connections, and international commerce. Federal funds are designated for projects on the NHS. |
National Transit Database (NTD) | The annual reporting requirement for public transit operators receiving FTA Section 5307 funds. For public transit operators within large UZA's, the data submitted by reporting operators is used in determining future apportionments of these funds. |
Network | A system of links and nodes that represent highway segments and intersections, and transit services, used in a transportation model to estimate the use of the transportation system. |
New Start | An entirely new transit service, or a significant extension or expansion of an existing service. For example, an extension of an existing fixed guideway service by more than one mile would be considered a new start. |
New Urbanism | The process of reintegrating the components of modern life - housing, workplace, shopping, and recreation - into compact, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use neighborhoods linked by transit and set in a larger regional open space framework. It established new planning and design principles that may be applied to metropolitan areas and, especially, to new suburban neighborhoods. It is committed to the concepts of strong citizen involvement, affordable housing, and social and economic diversity. Initially called "neo-traditional planning ", the principles that define new urbanism can be applied successfully to infill and redevelopment sites within existing urbanized areas. |
Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) | A pollutant that is involved in the production of ozone in the lower atmosphere. |
Node | An element of a transportation model network that represents either an intersection or the centroid of a traffic analysis zone. |
Non-Attainment Area | Any geographic region of the United States that the USEPA has designated as a non-attainment area for criteria pollutants for which a national ambient air quality standard exists. Non-attainment areas are areas considered not to have met these standards for criteria pollutants. Lake and Porter Counties have been designated for non-attainment for Ozone. (See Criteria Pollutant). |
Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) | The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Northwest Indiana urbanized area. It is a cooperative of all local governments, with a board of 53 members. The Counties of Lake Porter and La Porte are included within NRIPC's planning area. Formerly named the Lake-Porter County Regional Transportation and Planning Commission, the first meeting was held in March 1966. La Porte County was added in 1979. |
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Obligated |
1) Federal funds for a phase (Preliminary Engineering, Right of Way, or Construction) of a local highway project are considered to be "obligated " after INDOT has submitted an electronic Fund Obligation Request to FHWA through FHWA's FMIS Accounting System, FHWA has approved the request, and INDOT
has issued a Purchase Order. (This is preceded by the full execution of a Master Project Agreement between the Local Public Agency (LPA) and INDOT.) 2) Public Transit project funds are considered "obligated " by FTA when a grant, including the project funds, is made by FTA. 3) Public Transit funds are also considered "obligated " by an FTA grantee whenever an FTA grantee executes a federal fund conveyance agreement with a sub-recipient. |
Obligation | The commitment and/or assignment of appropriated and apportioned funds by a State or Federal agency to a specific transportation project (i.e., an encumbrance, reservation, or setting aside of an amount of money for a particular project or purpose by a State or Federal grantor). |
Obligation Limitation or Obligation Ceiling | Obligation limitation is the amount of contractual authority (i.e., actual funds) allowed to a state against the Highway Trust Fund or General Fund within a fiscal year. The Obligation Limit is expressed as a percent of the Apportionment and usually (but not always) less than 100%. Each year's Obligation Ceiling is established by Congress in the annual Transportation Appropriations bill. The ceiling is based on actual and projected cash flow into and out of the Highway Trust Fund. It is intended to control or limit the rate at which funds are obligated. |
Off-Peak Period | The period of travel outside of the morning and afternoon peak periods, characterized by less congestion. |
Open Space | An area of land that is valued for natural resources and wildlife habitat, for agricultural and forest production, for active and passive recreation, and/or for providing other public benefits. Open space in urban areas is also defined as any public space not dedicated to streets or parking. |
Operating Assistance | Financial assistance granted to an agency by the Federal Transit Administration for the payment of costs related to the day-to-day operation of the transit system. Expenses such as labor, fuel, lubricants, small spare parts (with a value of less than $300), marketing, utilities, and insurance are considered operating expenses. It is only eligible in rural and small urban areas. |
Operating Subsidy | Revenue received through federal, state, and local cash grants or reimbursements to fulfill operating expense obligations not covered by fares or other revenues generated by the transit system. |
Origin | For transportation purposes, it is the location of the beginning of a trip or the travel analysis zone in which the trip begins. |
Origin-Destination Survey (O-D Survey) | A survey typically undertaken of travelers (motorists or transit passengers) to identify travel patterns, habits, and needs. |
Overlay District | Overlay districts or zones are special zoning districts where new developments and redevelopments must follow design guidelines, requirements, and/or restrictions established by a community. Typically, this is an area where certain additional requirements are superimposed upon a base zoning district or underlying district and where the requirements of the base or underlying district may or may not be altered. |
Ozone (O3) | A substance that exists in the atmosphere with both positive and negative health effects. In the upper atmosphere, ozone screens out ultraviolet radiation, making life on Earth possible. In the lower atmosphere (at ground level), it is a criteria pollutant that causes serious health effects. Ozone is formed in the atmosphere when hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and in some cases small particulate matter combine at high temperature in the presence of sunlight. These precursor pollutants are emitted from point sources (including industrial smokestacks), mobile sources (including automobile tailpipes), and area sources (including a wide range of activities, such as the use of lawn mowers, charcoal-started fluid, and volatile chemicals) |
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Paratransit | Alternatively known as special transportation when applied to social services systems. Applies to a variety of smaller, often flexibly scheduled and routed, nonprofit-oriented transportation services using low-capacity vehicles, such as vans, to operate within normal urban transit corridors or rural areas. These services usually serve the needs of persons who standard mass transit services would serve with difficulty, or not at all. Common patrons are the elderly and persons with disabilities. |
Parkway | A parkway signifies a roadway designation where routes are enhanced with natural features such as street trees, median gardens, or public art. |
Particulate Matter (PM) | Solid matter of a small diameter that is carried into the atmosphere by industrial processes and by transportation activities. In high concentrations, the particles cause respiratory difficulty. There are two PM criteria pollutants, PM2.5 and PM10. Lake and Porter Counties are a maintenance area for PM2.5. (See Criteria Pollutant) |
Passenger Miles | The sum of the distance ridden by each passenger. |
Pavement Management System (PMS) | A systematic process of evaluating the condition of the pavement on all elements of the transportation system. The PMS provides information to decision-makers in selecting cost-effective strategies for providing and maintaining pavement in a serviceable condition, as well as balancing the various investment needs. |
Peak Hour or Peak Period | The period in the morning or evening during which the largest volume of travel is experienced. Travel peaks are typically the result of trips to and from work, and are more likely to experience congestion. |
Pedestrian-Friendly | The density, layout, and infrastructure that encourage walking and biking within a subdivision or development, including short setbacks, front porches, sidewalks, and bike paths. |
Performance Measure | Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timebound measures that can determine progress toward transportation planning goals and objectives. |
Person-Trip | A trip made by one person from one origin to one destination. |
Pervious (permeable, porous) Surface | A surface that presents an opportunity for precipitation to infiltrate into the ground by virtue of the surface material's porous nature or by large spaces in the material (e.g., gravel, stone, crushed stone, open paving blocks, turf). Permeable surfaces allow water to percolate into the soil to filter out pollutants and recharge the water table. |
Placemaking | Placemaking capitalizes on a local community's assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating interesting and attractive public spaces that promote people's health, happiness, and well-being. Landscape plays an important role in the placemaking design process. |
Planned Unit Development (PUD) | A development guided by a total design plan in which one or more of the zoning or subdivision regulations, other than use regulations, may be waived or varied to allow flexibility and creativity in site and building design and location, in accordance with general guidelines. |
Planning | A predetermined course of action. Sections 134 and 135 of the US Code Title 23 define transportation planning as the process by which a common vision or goal is set forth, with consideration given to a range of social, economic, and environmental factors. Within the planning process, a set of long-range objectives and an identification of reasonably available fiscal resources are also outlined for at least a 20-year period. The plan specifies projects and activities to be carried out in the planning period, but not at the level of detail found in the Transportation Improvement Program. |
Planning Horizon | The period to which a transportation plan applies. commonly at least 20 years. |
Public Hearing | A formal, required meeting at which a public agency receives public comments on a proposed action. There are specific findings or recommendations upon which people are asked to comment. A transcript of the comments is prepared. |
Public Involvement or Public Participation | This means actively engaging members of the public in the various phases of planning, including the initial development of a plan, defining the issues, developing alternatives, commenting on a proposed list of projects, or reviewing a draft report. Involvement can take many forms, including responding to a survey, telephoning, writing a letter, participating on committees, attending a public meeting or hearing, or social media interaction. Elements of participation that can foster meaningful involvement include adequate notification, access to information, a reasonable opportunity to comment, the potential to influence decisions, and convenient and accessible meetings. The public's participation is needed in order to proceed with certain federally funded projects or programs. Federal law requires that state departments of transportation and MPOs "shall provide citizens, affected public agencies, representatives of public transportation, representatives of users of pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities, representatives of the disabled, and other interested parties with reasonable opportunity to be involved in the metropolitan transportation planning process. " |
Public Mass Transportation Fund (PMTF) |
A line item in the state budget dedicated to subsidizing public bus transit in the state of Indiana. Nine transit systems in Northwest Indiana currently receive PMTF. Electric Rail Service Fund: The Electric Rail Service Fund (ERSF) is a special fund generated from property tax on a railroad company's distributable property that provides service with a commuter transportation district established under I.C. 8-5-15. These funds are only available to commuter transportation districts that have substantially all of their service performed by electric-powered railroads. Qualifying commuter transportation districts must receive equal shares of this fund. Currently, all funds go to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), the only entity eligible for these funds at the present time. In 2015, INDOT allocated $373,149 in ERSF funds to NICTD. Commuter Rail Service Fund - Sales Tax: The Commuter Rail Service Fund (CRSF) is distributed to commuter transportation districts established under I.C. 8-5-15 to be used for maintenance, improvement, and operations of commuter rail services. This fund receives 0.123 percent of the state's general sales and use tax revenue. In 2015, INDOT allocated a total of $8,943,883 from General Sales and Use Tax to NICTD. Commuter Rail Service Fund - Situs Tax: Collections from the indefinite-situs tax on distributable property of railroad card companies (I.C. 6-1.1-8 35) also contribute to the Commuter Rail Service Fund. These funds must be used for debt financing for long-term capital needs. In 2015, INDOT allocated $8,960,512 from Indefinite Situs Tax to NICTD. Currently, all CRSF monies are allocated to the NICTD, the only entity eligible for these funds at present. |
Public Meeting | A forum at which the public agency seeks the input of residents. |
Purpose and Need | The intended outcome and sustaining rationale for a proposed transportation improvement, including, but not limited to, mobility deficiencies for identified populations and geographic areas. |
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Rails-to-Trails | Former rail corridors that have been converted to paths designed for pedestrians, bicycles, skaters, and occasionally equestrians. Most are multi-use trails offering pedestrians and cyclists recreational access (hike and bike trails) and right-of-way to these routes. |
Record of Decision (ROD) | A document prepared by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that formally concludes a process. The ROD will approve a particular corridor or will select the No-Build alternative. The ROD will not select the exact alignment for the project. |
Regional Planning | Public sector activities encompassing economic, social, and physical elements to develop and implement appropriate public policy in an area covering more than one local jurisdiction. |
Regionally Significant Project | A transportation project other than an exempt project, that is a facility which serves regional transportation needs. It would normally be included in the modeling of a metropolitan area's transportation network, including, as a minimum, all principal arterial highways and all fixed guideway transit facilities that offer a significant alternative to regional highway travel. (See Fixed Guideway). |
Request for Bids, Proposals, Qualifications (RFB, RFP, RFQ) | Preliminary stages of competitive procurement processes, most commonly associated with the procurement of capital items or consulting services. |
Reverse Commute | Travel from home to work or from work to home against the main direction of traffic. |
Revitalization | Re-establishing the economic and social vitality of urban areas through infill, legislation, tax incentives, commercial development, etc., within existing urban areas to take advantage of existing investment in infrastructure and reduce the negative impacts of urban sprawl. |
Ride Share | Any vehicle or arrangement in which two or more occupants share the use or cost of traveling between fixed points on a regular basis, commonly a carpool or vanpool. |
Riparian Owner | One who owns land bounding upon a lake, river, or other body of water, whose ownership rights include access to the river and use of its waters, or riparian rights. Riparian ownership may, in some instances, extend from the river bank to the center point of the river or "thread of the stream. " |
Route Miles | Total miles over which public transportation vehicles travel while in revenue service. |
Rural Areas | Includes all areas of a State outside of the FHWA-approved adjusted Census boundaries of small urban and urbanized areas. In Northwest Indiana, rural or non-urbanized areas include the approximate southern half of Lake County, the southern two-thirds of Porter County, and most of La Porte County. |
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Safe Routes to School (SRTS) | The purpose of this federal program is to enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school, making walking and bicycling to school safer and more appealing. It is to facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of projects that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution in the vicinity of schools. The SRTS program empowers communities to make walking and bicycling to school a safe and routine activity once again. It makes funding available for a wide variety of programs and projects, from building safer street crossings to establishing programs that encourage children and their parents to walk and bicycle safely to school. |
Sections 5303, 5304, and 5305 | Metropolitan, statewide, and non-metropolitan planning programs. These programs provide funding and procedural requirements for multimodal transportation planning in metropolitan areas and states that are cooperative, continuous, and comprehensive, resulting in long and short-range transportation programs. |
Section 5307 | This is the largest of FTA's formula-based public transit grant subsidy program for urbanized areas (known as USA's). Funds are distributed by formula based on the level of transit service provision, population, and other factors. New eligible activities include services eligible under the former Jobs Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program, and expanded eligibility for operating assistance for fixed-route systems in large urbanized areas. |
Section 5310 | Refers to funding made available under Section 5210 of the Federal Transit Act to assist public agencies, as well as non-profit corporations and associations, in meeting the specialized needs of elderly persons and persons with disabilities. |
Section 5311 | FTA's formula-based public transit grant subsidy program for rural or small urban areas. Funds are allocated by INDOT to eligible transit projects. Section 5311 funds may be used for operating assistance (50% local match) or capital/planning projects (20% local match). Section 5311-funded transit projects may provide service into a UZA, but generally not from point to point within the UZA. |
Section 5337 - State of Good Repair | Funding is limited to fixed guideway systems (including rail, bus rapid transit, and passenger ferries) and high-intensity bus (buses operating in high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Projects are limited to replacement and rehabilitation or capital projects required to maintain public transit systems in a state of good repair. |
Section 5339 - Bus and Bus Facilities Program | This capital program provides funding to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment, and to construct bus-related facilities. |
Setback | The minimum distance by which any building or structure must be separated from a street right-of-way or lot line. |
Single Occupant Vehicles (SOVs) | Vehicles carrying a driver with no passengers. 'The vehicle occupancy of SOVs is therefore 1.00. |
Smart Growth | This is planned economic and community development that attempts to limit or reduce urban sprawl and worsening environmental conditions. Smart growth in an efficient way to build and maintain communities. It means building urban, suburban, and rural communities with housing and transportation choices near jobs, shops, and schools. This approach supports local economies and protects the environment. |
Sprawl | The commercial and residential development of land away from denser urban communities into areas that have lower or no population. It often results in automobile dependency and an increased need for roads and utilities. Sprawl may promote further segregation economically and racially, thereby isolating low-income people and people of color from economic and social opportunities. Lower densities make the areas more difficult to serve with public transportation. Residents of sprawling neighborhoods tend to live in single-family homes and commute greater distances by automobile to work, school, shopping, recreation, etc. |
State Implementation Plan (SIP) for Air Quality | A process for a state to specify actions, programs, and regulations to implement designated responsibilities under the Clean Air Act that lead to the attainment and maintenance of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The SIP includes several components, including the attainment strategies for each pollutant in each non-attainment area, the emissions inventories, and procedures for assuring that the implementation of the transportation plans, programs, and projects would not hinder the attainment or maintenance of the NAAQS. Transportation conformity must demonstrate conformity to be an element of SIP. |
Statewide Transportation Improvement Program ISTIP) | A staged, multi-year, statewide, intermodal program of transportation projects, which is consistent with the statewide transportation plan and planning processes and metropolitan plans, TIPs, and processes. |
Statewide Transportation Plan | The official statewide, intermodal transportation plan that is developed through the statewide transportation planning process. |
Surface Transportation Program (STP) | A category of federal transportation funds administered by the Federal Highway Administration and allocated to states and metropolitan areas based on a prescribed formula. This category of funds can provide 80% of the cost to complete transportation improvement projects. These funds are flexible and can be used for planning, design, land acquisition, and construction of highway improvement projects. |
Sustainable Development | A human activity that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. There is a concern whether the Earth's resources will be able to meet the demands of a growing human population that has rising aspirations for consumption and quality of life, while maintaining the rich diversity of the natural environment or biosphere. |
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Tax Increment Financing (TIF) | An economic (re)development tool used by municipalities to leverage private development investment. TIF allows communities to capture increased tax revenues generated by economic development projects and to use this money to pay back public funds injected at the front end of the development, most often for public infrastructure (e.g., streets, sewer, environmental remediation, or other site improvements). |
3-C Planning | A Comprehensive, Cooperative, and Continuous transportation planning process is required in metropolitan areas by the U.S. Department of Transportation. |
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act | Provides that no person on the basis of race, color, or national origin shall be excluded from participating in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. |
Traffic Calming | Measures taken to reduce the adverse impact of motor vehicles on built-up areas. Traffic calming usually involves reducing vehicle speeds, providing more space for pedestrians and cyclists, and improving the local environment and safety by installing speed bumps, traffic circles, alternate paving materials at crosswalks, etc., to slow traffic. |
Transit | Generally refers to passenger service provided to the general public along established routes with fixed or variable schedules at published fares. Related terms include: public transit, mass transit, public transportation, urban transit, and paratransit. |
Transit Dependent | Persons who must rely on public transit or paratransit services for most of their transportation. Typically refers to individuals without access to a personal vehicle, or a person with mobility limitations requiring mobility assistance. |
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) | Moderate- to high-density mixed-use communities within an average 2,000-foot walking distance of a transit stop and core commercial area. TODs mix residential, retail, office, and public uses in a walkable environment, making it convenient for residents and employees to travel by public transit, bicycle, foot, or car. Development in such areas is designed to make transit use as convenient as possible, lessening dependence on an automobile for mobility. |
Transportation | The moving of people and goods from one place to another. |
Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) | TAP provides federal funds for programs and projects defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities, and environmental mitigation, recreational trail projects, safe routes to school projects, and other roadway enhancements. |
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) | Demand-side technique to mitigate congestion by reducing the need for Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) travel. Carpooling, employer flex-time/telecommuting, parking charges and restrictions, universal transit fare policies, congestion pricing, etc., are examples of TDM techniques. |
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) | A staged, multi-year intermodal program of transportation projects in the metropolitan planning area, which is consistent with the metropolitan transportation plan. A TIP is a major tool toward the implementation of the plan. |
Transportation Management Area (TMA) | An urbanized area designated by the Secretary of Transportation, having an urbanized area population of over 200,000. Within a TMA, all transportation plans and programs must be based on a Comprehensive, Cooperative, and Continuous (3-C) planning process carried out by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in cooperation with the state, transit operators, and others. The TMA boundary affects the responsibility for the selection of transportation projects that receive federal funds. In Northwestern Indiana, the TMA is the same as the NIRPC planning or MPO area - all of Lake, Porter, and La Porte Counties. |
Transportation Plan | A plan that identifies facilities that should operate as an integrated metropolitan transportation system. It gives emphasis to those facilities that serve important national and regional transportation functions, and includes a financial plan that demonstrates how the plan can be implemented. |
Transportation System Management (TSM) | Supply-side technique to mitigate congestion by improving the utilization of existing capacity more efficiently. High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes, tolling, and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are examples. |
Travel Analysis Zone (TAZ) | A subdivision of the metropolitan area used for transportation modeling. The characteristics of the travel or traffic analysis zones are used to estimate the number of trips that start and end in the zone, for a base year, and for specific forecast years. A zone can be from one to 10 square miles. Northwest Indiana is divided into 455 travel analysis zones. |
Travel Time | Customarily calculated as the time it takes to travel from door to door. In transportation planning, particularly in forecasting the demand for transit service, measures of travel time include time spent accessing, waiting, and transferring between vehicles, as well as that time spent on board. |
Trip | A one-directional movement from an origin to a destination. |
Trip End | The origin or destination of a trip. |
Trip Purpose | The reason for a trip, such as work, shopping, education, recreation, returning home, etc. |
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Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) | A document that describes transportation and related planning activities to be undertaken in a metropolitan area during a period of time. The UPWP is endorsed by the MPO board, and some or most of the work is typically performed by the MPO staff. It is also referred to as the Transportation Planning Work Program. It is one of the major products of a metropolitan transportation planning process. |
Urban Agriculture | The sustainable practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in a community. Urban farming is practiced for income generation, food production, recreation, and relaxation. Urban agriculture contributed to food security and food safety by increasing the amount of food available to people living in cities. It provides fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, and meat products to urban consumers. |
Urbanized Area | A geographic area with a population of at least 50,000. The urbanized area of Northwest Indiana, as defined by the Census, is the approximate northern half of Lake County, and the northern third of Porter County, plus a separate urbanized area in La Porte County, which includes the Cities of Michigan City and La Porte and nearby areas. However, the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) gets input to revise the Urbanized Area boundaries, and NIRPC has done so to include a slightly larger area than originally defined by the Census. |
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Vehicle Miles of Travel (VMT) | A measurement of miles traveled by vehicles in a specified region for an identified time period. It is a very common measure of travel activity. |
Vehicle Revenue Miles (VRM) | The total miles traveled by transit revenue vehicles while in passenger service. Excludes miles traveled to and from storage facilities and other deadhead travel. It is a common measurement of the amount of transit service. |
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) | The primary pollutant in the mixture that forms ozone in the atmosphere in the presence of sunlight and high temperatures. Also called Hydrocarbons (HC) and Reactive Organic Gasses (ROG). |
Volume-to-Capacity Ratio (V/C) | A measure of a transportation facility's estimated congestion. For a link, it is measured by the link's observed or modeled volume divided by the link's capacity. A value of 1.0 or higher indicates a breakdown of flow or gridlock. A value between .08 and 1.0 indicates that the facility is approaching breakdown in flow. |
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Walkability | The measure of the overall walking conditions in an area, as well as the extent to which the built environment is friendly to pedestrians. Increased walkability has been proven to have individual and community health benefits, as well as economic advantages. A very walkable community is one where daily errands do not require an automobile. |
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Zoning | Legislative regulations for development by which a municipal government can control the use and characteristics of buildings and land use within its boundaries. Zoning laws consist of two parts: text, which spells out specific regulations for each zoning district, and maps that show where each district applies. It has become, in the United States, a widespread method of controlling urban and suburban development (e.g., density, nuisance, etc.) and is also used to correct or compensate for defects of existing plans. |
