Chapter III -Transportation Management Association
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FY2019UPWP Unified Planning Work Program Chapter III Transportation Management Association Program NJTPA FY 2019 UPWP Chapter III TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION PROGRAM TABLE OF CONTENTS PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 TMA BOUNDARIES MAP ............................................................................................................................7 ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES ...........................................................................................................9 FINANCIAL SUMMARY ..............................................................................................................................23 FY 2019 TMA WORK PROGRAMS ..........................................................................................................25 Cross County Connection ........................................................................................................................27 EZ Ride (formerly Meadowlink)..............................................................................................................53 Greater Mercer TMA) ...............................................................................................................................74 HART Commuter Information Services ...............................................................................................96 Hudson TMA ..........................................................................................................................................120 Keep Middlesex Moving (KMM) .........................................................................................................140 Ridewise of Raritan Valley .....................................................................................................................156 TransOptions ............................................................................................................................................178 NJTPA FY 2019 UPWP TMA PROGRAM PROGRAM BACKGROUND There are eight TMAs operating in the state of New Jersey, seven of which operate in the NJTPA region: Cross County Connection TMA, Greater Mercer TMA, HART Commuter Information Services (HART), Hudson TMA, Keep Middlesex Moving, EZ Ride (formerly Meadowlink), RideWise of Raritan Valley, and TransOptions. Greater Mercer TMA covers areas in both the NJTPA and Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) regions, and Cross County Connection TMA serves the DVRPC and South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO) regions. The other six TMA service areas are fully within the NJTPA region. All twenty one counties in New Jersey are served by a TMA. The NJTPA oversees the management and administration of the State of New Jersey’s federally funded TMA program. The NJTPA guides the development of annual work programs and coordinates activities among the TMAs, the subregions (city and county members of the NJTPA), NJ TRANSIT, NJDOT and other partners in regional mobility. To ensure overall statewide consistency, the NJTPA, in coordination with DVRPC, also administers the Greater Mercer TMA program, which covers Ocean County and Mercer County, and Cross County Connection TMA, which covers Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Salem, Cumberland and Cape May Counties in the SJTPO region. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Surface Transportation Program (STP-NJ and STP- SU) funds are currently used to fund the TMA Program. More information about eligible activities under FHWA sponsored programs can be found in the Title 23, U.S.C.—Highways, Subchapter 1.1, Section 133 at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/title23.pdf (page 73). All recommendations for new work program efforts by the TMAs must be reviewed and approved by the NJTPA, NJDOT and FHWA before any work can begin. The following is provided to guide applicants seeking funding under this program. All work and expenditures associated with the program must adhere to applicable federal and state circulars, and must be in keeping with the guiding principles and requirements of the program, including the NJTPA Regional Transportation Plan, the FHWA grant program provisions (23 CFR – Highways, 49 CFR – Transportation and 2 CFR Chapter I, Chapter II, Part 200, et al. - Uniform Administration Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards), and the NJDOT’s Basic Agreement and Task Order with NJIT and NJTPA (Prime Contract). March 2018 1 Goals and Objectives of the Program The purpose of the TMA work program is to support and advance broad federal and regional transportation goals. This guidance is outlined below. Federal Guidance: Fixing American’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) is the overarching federal transportation guidance that addresses the many challenges facing our transportation system today. The FAST Act has targeted investments to improve safety, encourage equity, foster public-private partnerships, reduce traffic congestion, improve efficiency in freight movement, increase intermodal connectivity, and protect the environment. The Act promotes efficient and effective federal surface transportation programs by focusing on transportation issues of national significance, while giving State and local transportation agencies flexibility for solving transportation problems in their communities. The NJTPA is also guided by federal emphasis areas, which the TMA work programs support. The three broad emphasis areas for FY 2018 were performance based planning; Models of Regional Planning Cooperation, which emphasizes coordination across MPO borders; and Ladders of Opportunity, which emphasizes increased access to essential services for all residents, particularly traditionally underserved communities. In addition, the FAST Act added Resiliency and Travel/Tourism as two additional focus areas. Ladders of Opportunity: The Federal Highway Administration emphasizes the importance of providing access to essential services as an important part of the transportation planning process. Essential services include housing, employment, health care, schools/education, and recreation. This emphasis may include MPO and State identification of performance measures and analytical methods to measure the transportation system's connectivity to essential services and the use of this information to identify gaps in transportation system connectivity that preclude public access, including traditionally underserved populations, to essential services. It could also involve identifying solutions to address those gaps. The TMAs make important contributions towards Ladders of Opportunity through their ongoing activities and through new activities and partnerships. TMAs should continue to integrate this federal initiative into their work activities. This may be accomplished by engaging in activities that improve access to jobs, training, and to transit service for underserved populations. TMAs may offer direct assistance or may create active partnerships with existing organizations in the fulfillment of this initiative, may participate in the implementation of regional and local Human Services Transportation Plans for their respective MPOs and counties, or through other activities. Models of Regional Planning Coordination: The TMAs support Models of Regional Planning Cooperation through activities in their individual work programs. The TMAs are required to coordinate with NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT and others to implement effective planning across the entire State. The TMAs are required to March 2018 2 perform work to mitigate construction related congestion through the use of social media and other digital platforms and to participate in local and regional efforts to improve human services transportation. The program also encourages the TMAs to participate in the statewide Street Smart NJ pedestrian safety campaign, as well as activities related to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, Together North Jersey, and North Jersey Partners. Performance Based Planning: The TMAs provide various metrics on activities related to their respective work programs on a quarterly basis. These include reports on the total number of carpools and vanpools, number of commuters provided with transit and trip planning assistance, participation in mass transit incentives, as well as the number of people contacted through various outreach activities. The TMAs should continue to work with the NJTPA to refine these reports for the purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of their work programs. The TMAs should also continue to participate in any relevant rulemaking discussions with the NJTPA as FHWA continues to develop performance measures. State Policy Guidance: The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) actively supports and encourages the development and implementation of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs and projects to mitigate traffic congestion, improve mobility and accessibility, improve air quality, and optimize the efficiency of the transportation system throughout the State of New Jersey. The means to achieve these aims includes strategies that increase travel choices and reduce reliance on single occupant vehicles. Strategies may be implemented individually or through partnerships that include NJDOT, Transportation Management Associations, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), other state and local governments, public and private transportation service