[Federal Register: December 8, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 236)]
[Notices]
[Page 71231-71236]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08de06-150]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary of Transportation
[Docket Nos. OST-2006-26266, FHWA-2006-26270, FTA-2006-26269, RITA-
2006-26271]
Applications for Urban Partnership Agreements as Part of
Congestion Initiative
AGENCIES: Office of the Secretary of Transportation (``OST''), Federal
Highway Administration (``FHWA''), Federal Transit Administration
(``FTA''), Research and Innovative Technology Administration (``RITA'')
ACTION: Notice of solicitation for applications to enter into urban
partnership agreements with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
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SUMMARY: In May 2006, the U.S. Department of Transportation (the
``Department'') announced its National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on
America's Transportation Network (the ``Congestion Initiative''), a
bold and comprehensive national program to reduce congestion on the
Nation's roads, rails, runways, and waterways. One major component of
the Congestion Initiative is the Urban Partnership Agreement (``UPA'').
The purpose of this Notice is to solicit proposals by metropolitan
areas to enter into UPAs with the Department in order to demonstrate
strategies with a combined track record of effectiveness in reducing
traffic congestion. To support congestion-reducing strategies adopted
by the Department's urban partners (``Urban Partners''), the Department
expects to utilize discretionary funding available under the
Department's Intelligent Transportation System Operational Testing to
Mitigate Congestion Program (the ``ITS-OTMC Program''), its Value
Pricing Pilot Program (the ``VPP Program''), and other discretionary
grant, lending and credit support programs administered by the
Department. In addition, to the maximum extent possible, the Department
will support its Urban Partners with regulatory flexibility and
dedicated expertise and personnel.
This Notice is the first of three solicitations to be issued by the
Department in connection with the Congestion Initiative. See below
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Coordination with Other Congestion
Initiative Solicitations.''
The Department reserves the right to solicit, and is actively
soliciting, by means other than this Notice, certain metropolitan areas
that the Department has determined, on a preliminary basis, to be
candidates for UPAs. Neither the procedures nor the criteria set forth
in this Notice shall be binding on the Department.
DATES: Applicants wishing to become Urban Partners must submit their
application on or before April 30, 2007. Applicants wishing to become
Urban Partners who intend to apply for funding under the VPP and ITS-
OTMC Programs must submit separate applications to the VPP and ITS-OTMC
Programs on or before April 30, 2007, in accordance with the requests
for proposals for those programs to be published by the Department in
the Federal Register this month. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Coordination with Other Congestion Initiative Solicitations.'' Late-
filed applications for designation as an Urban Partner and for funding
under the VPP and ITS-OTMC Programs will be considered to the extent
practical.
ADDRESSES: Applicants wishing to become Urban Partners may send three
copies of their application by U.S. Post or express mail to: Thomas M.
McNamara, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy,
U.S. Department of Transportation, Room 10305 (P-20), 400 7th Street,
SW., Washington, DC 20590. Alternatively, applicants may file
applications via e-mail to Thomas M. McNamara at
thomas.mcnamara@dot.gov.
Only applications received via U.S. Post, express mail or e-mail,
in each case as provided above, shall be deemed properly filed.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please address questions concerning
this Notice to David B. Horner, Esq., Chief Counsel, Federal Transit
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, via e-mail at
david.horner@dot.gov. Please address technical questions concerning
project development to either Thomas M. McNamara at 202-366-4462 (or by
e-mail at thomas.mcnamara@dot.gov) or Patrick DeCorla-Souza at 202-366-
4076 (or by e-mail at patrick.decorla-souza@dot.gov).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
Crisis of Congestion. Traffic congestion affects virtually every
aspect of peoples' lives--where people live, where they work, where
they shop, and how much they pay for goods and services. According to
2003 figures, in certain metropolitan areas the average rush hour
driver loses as many as 93 hours per year to travel delay--equivalent
to more than two weeks of work, amounting annually to a virtual
``congestion tax'' as high as $1,598 per traveler in wasted time and
fuel.\1\ Nationwide, congestion imposes costs on the economy of over
$65 billion per year,\2\ a figure that has more than doubled since
1993, and that would be even higher if it accounted for the
[[Page 71232]]
significant cost of unreliability to drivers and businesses, the
environmental impacts of idle-related auto emissions, or increased
gasoline prices.
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\1\ Texas Transportation Institute (``TTI''), 2005 Urban
Mobility Report, May 2005 (http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/mobility_report_2005.pdf
), Tables 1 and 2.
\2\ TTI, 2005 Urban Mobility Report, p. 1.
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Traffic congestion also has a substantial negative impact upon the
quality of life of many American families. In a 2005 survey, for
example, 52% of Northern Virginia commuters reported that their travel
times to work had increased in the past year,\3\ leading 70% of working
parents to report having insufficient time to spend with their children
and 63% of respondents to report having insufficient time to spend with
their spouses.\4\ Nationally, in a 2005 survey conducted by the
National League of Cities, 35% of U.S. citizens reported traffic
congestion as the most deteriorated living condition in their city over
the past five years; 85% responded that traffic congestion was as bad
or worse than the previous year.\5\ Similarly, in a 2001 survey
conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 79% of Americans from 10
metropolitan areas reported that congestion has worsened over the past
five years; 50% believe it has become ``much worse.'' \6\
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\3\ Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance 2005 Survey
(http://www.nvta.org/content.asp?contentid=1774).
\4\ Virginia Department of Transportation.
\5\ National League of Cities survey of cities (2005).
\6\ U.S. Conference of Mayors survey on traffic congestion
(2001).
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The Urban Partnership Agreement. In May 2006, the Department
announced its National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America's
Transportation Network (the ``Congestion Initiative''), a bold and
comprehensive national program to reduce congestion on the nation's
roads, rails, runways, and waterways. One major component of the
Congestion Initiative is the Urban Partnership Agreement (``UPA''),
through which the Department plans to partner with certain metropolitan
areas or ``Urban Partners'' in order to demonstrate strategies with
proven effectiveness in reducing traffic congestion. Under UPAs, the
Department and its Urban Partners would agree to pursue four strategies
with a combined track record of effectiveness in reducing traffic
congestion, known as the ``Four Ts:''
1. Tolling: Implementing a broad congestion pricing or variable
toll demonstration;
2. Transit: Creating or expanding express bus services, bus rapid
transit (``BRT'') or other innovative commuter transit services, which
would benefit from the free-flow traffic conditions generated by
pricing;
3. Telecommuting: Securing agreements from major area employers to
establish or expand telecommuting and flex scheduling programs; and
4. Technology & operations: Utilizing cutting edge technological
and operational approaches to improve transportation system
performance.
In return for their commitment to adopt innovative, system-wide
solutions to traffic congestion, the Department, to the maximum extent
possible, would support its Urban Partners with the Department's
financial resources (including a combination of grants, loans, and
borrowing authority), regulatory flexibility and dedicated expertise
and personnel.
Congestion Pricing. The most innovative--and often misunderstood--
component of the UPA is congestion pricing. Congestion pricing
leverages the principles of supply and demand to manage traffic. It
does this by charging drivers a user fee that varies by traffic volumes
or time of day, thus managing highway resources in a manner that
promotes free-flow traffic conditions on highways at all times.
Congestion pricing achieves free-flow conditions by shifting purely
discretionary rush hour highway travel to other transportation modes or
to off-peak periods, taking advantage of the fact that many rush hour
drivers on a typical urban highway are not commuters. By removing a
fraction of the vehicles from a congested rush hour roadway, pricing
enables the system to flow much more efficiently, allowing more cars to
move through the same physical space. Similar variable charges have
been successfully utilized in other industries (airline tickets, cell
phone rates, and electricity, for example), and there is a consensus
among economists that congestion pricing represents the single most
viable approach to reducing traffic congestion.
Congestion pricing benefits drivers and businesses by reducing
delays and stress, increasing the predictability of trip times, and
allowing for more deliveries per hour. It benefits mass transit by
improving transit speeds and the reliability of transit service,
increasing transit ridership, and lowering costs for transit providers.
It benefits State and local government by improving the quality of
transportation services without tax increases or large capital
expenditures, providing additional revenues for funding transportation,
retaining businesses and expanding the tax base. It saves lives by
shortening incident response times for emergency responders. And it
benefits society as a whole by reducing fuel consumption and vehicle
emissions, allowing for more efficient land use decisions, reducing
housing market distortions, and expanding opportunities for civic
participation.
Congestion pricing is no longer simply a theory; it has
demonstrated positive results both here in the U.S. and around the
world. Successful American applications of congestion pricing include
California's SR-91 between Anaheim and Riverside, portions of I-15
outside of San Diego, and Express Lanes on I-394 between downtown
Minneapolis and the western suburbs, all of which have enabled
congestion-free rush hour commuting and proven popular with drivers of
all income levels. Internationally, congestion pricing has yielded
dramatic reductions in traffic congestion and increases in travel
speeds in Singapore, London, and Stockholm. Notably, a small reduction
in vehicles can yield dramatic improvements in traffic, as demonstrated
by a British study, which projected that a 9% drop in traffic could
yield a 52% drop in congestion delay.\7\ This same dynamic plays out in
metropolitan areas every August, as family vacations lead to a minor
decrease in rush hour drivers, which substantially reduces area traffic
congestion.
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\7\ Department of Transport, U.K., Feasibility Study of Road
Pricing in the U.K.: A Report to the Secretary of State for
Transport, Road Price Steering Group, Chapter 4, Figure 3.
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Transit. Another critical congestion-reducing strategy to be
incorporated into UPAs is increasing the quality and capacity of peak-
period transit service in order to offer a more attractive alternative
to automobile travel and to accommodate peak-period commuters who elect
to switch to transit in response to the imposition of congestion
pricing.
Congestion pricing and public transportation convey mutual
benefits-road pricing benefits public transportation by improving
transit speeds and the reliability of transit service, increasing
transit ridership, lowering costs per rider for transit providers, and
expanding the source of revenue that may be used for transit, while
public transportation benefits road pricing by absorbing commuters who
shift their travel from automobile to bus or rail. By replacing
congested traffic with free-flowing conditions on major routes,
congestion pricing will improve the speed and productivity of current
express bus services, making them more attractive to commuters while
reducing their operating costs. Reducing congestion will also
facilitate rapid deployment of innovative, high-performance BRT
operations in major
[[Page 71233]]
corridors, which require only modest investments in new vehicles and
passenger facilities that may be eligible for financial support through
the Department's various funding mechanisms. Improving the performance
and variety of peak-period transit commuting options through a
combination of congestion pricing and limited capital investment will
provide significant benefits to current transit riders, while improving
transit's effectiveness in reducing peak-period auto travel and
providing the expanded passenger-carrying capacity necessary to
accommodate shifts to transit commuting induced by the imposition of
congestion pricing.
Telecommuting. The third critical congestion-reducing strategy for
Urban Partners to adopt is promoting increased use of telecommuting and
flexible work scheduling, in order to reduce peak-period commuting and
shift some commuting travel to ``shoulder'' or off-peak hours.
Telecommuting can eliminate some peak-period commuting travel by using
computer and electronic communications technology to enable certain
employees to work from their homes or nearby telecommuting centers on
predetermined (often regularly scheduled) workdays, or in some cases on
a full-time basis. Flexible work schedules allow employees to shift
their commute trips from the peak period to less congested hours. The
most promising means to achieve these objectives is for public
officials representing Urban Partners to secure agreements from major
employers in their metropolitan areas to establish or expand
telecommuting programs, and to offer flexible work schedules to the
maximum number of their employees. The Department and local
transportation planning agencies can offer technical and logistical
support to employers for designing, implementing, and monitoring the
effectiveness of telecommuting programs and flexible work scheduling.
Technology. Technology makes possible congestion pricing, which
differs from traditional tolling in two material respects: (1) Instead
of charging a fixed fee, congestion pricing manages traffic by charging
drivers a user fee that varies by traffic volumes or time of day, thus
balancing supply and demand; and (2) unlike traditional tolling,
congestion fees are collected electronically at highway speeds. With
variable pricing, technology affords highway managers the flexibility
of setting user fees by time of day or ``dynamically''--by increasing
or decreasing fees depending on traffic volumes to maximize throughput
and the free flow of traffic. Technology facilitates this variability
by enabling the collection of user fees at highway speeds through the
use of transponders, Global Positioning Systems (``GPS''), or cameras.
With transponders, or ``tags,'' tolls may be collected as vehicles pass
under overhead antennae. With GPS technology, like that used on
Germany's autobahns, an in-vehicle device records charges based on the
vehicle's location, and periodically uploads a summary of charges to a
processing center along with payments. And with cameras, highway
managers can record the identity of vehicles that are not equipped with
a transponder or GPS unit.
In addition, technological advancements may enhance the quality of
transit service deployed to reduce urban congestion. These technology-
based improvements may include lane-keeping devices or longitudinal
control designed to enhance spatial efficiency on existing highways,
precision docking, signal priority systems for buses, contactless fare
collection, real-time travel information (bus arrival times, schedules,
etc.), advanced traveler information systems, parking alerts and
automatic vehicle locator systems.
Other technological innovations that may help reduce congestion
include:
Telecommuting technology, including high-speed wireless
internet service to allow download of large files, called ``WiMax.''
Traffic management technology, including adaptive traffic
signal control systems and the use of cameras to provide real-time
information to first responders that will help them determine what
equipment they will need before they arrive at the site of an accident
or incident.
Advanced traveler information systems that include web or
wireless access to route-specific travel time and toll information;
route planning assistance using historical records of congestion by
time of day; and communications technologies that gather traffic- and
incident-related data from a few vehicles traveling on a roadway and
then publish that information to drivers via mobile phones, in-car
units or dynamic message signs.
B. Funding Urban Partnership Agreements
The Department proposes to support UPAs with some or all of the
resources listed below. Please note, however, that the Department does
not intend for UPAs to replace the VPP or ITS-OTMC Programs; instead,
applicants wishing to become Urban Partners who intend to pursue
grants, loans or credit support under the programs below should apply
separately to such programs on or before April 30, 2007. With respect
to the ITS-OTMC and VPP Programs, the Department will publish separate
requests for proposals in the Federal Register this month. See below
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Coordination with Other Congestion Initiative
Solicitations.''
1. Intelligent Transportation Systems Funding: Since enactment of
the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991
(``ISTEA''), the Department has been administering the Intelligent
Transportation Systems (``ITS'') Program. In its discretion, the
Department may provide Urban Partnerships up to $100 million of ITS
research and development funds over three years through the ITS-OTMC
Program to be established by the Department as part of the ITS Program.
The Department may also continue or modify existing or currently
proposed programs or initiatives under the ITS Program to support the
Department's Urban Partners.
A primary objective of the ITS Program has been the development and
operational testing of systems and strategies to reduce congestion in
urban areas. As a result, the program has focused considerable
attention on the development of various products oriented towards
congestion mitigation, such as electronic toll collection, advanced
real-time adaptive traffic signals, transit signal priority systems,
innovative surveillance systems, improved incident detection and
response systems, advanced transit management systems, and multi-modal
traveler information systems. These and other congestion-mitigation
strategies have been shown to be very effective in improving overall
traffic operations and reducing congestion. In reauthorizing the ITS
Program, section 5306 of the recently-enacted Safe, Accountable,
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users
(``SAFETEA-LU'') requires the Department to continue to invest in
technologies and systems that can aid in reducing congestion by five
percent by 2010. Given the increasing demand on the Nation's surface
transportation system, this ambitious goal will require bold,
innovative approaches. Projects the Department will consider for
funding through the ITS-OTMC Program would incorporate strategies
comprised of the ``Four Ts.'' Such projects could also include:
Advanced traffic signal control, innovative incident detection and
management strategies, integrated
[[Page 71234]]
corridor management, real-time traveler information, parking management
tied to transit service, innovative traveler information services,
managed lanes, ramp control, technology enhanced bus rapid transit
systems, freight management, or other innovative and aggressive
technology-based congestion mitigation strategies.
2. Value Pricing Pilot Program Grants: Since the enactment of
ISTEA, the Department has also been administering the VPP Program, a
specific congestion-related deployment and evaluation program, formerly
known as the Congestion Pricing Pilot Program. The VPP Program provides
grants and tolling authority to up to 15 States or other jurisdictions.
It provides crucial support for pre-implementation and implementation
activities aimed at demonstrating how pricing improves transportation
services, specifically for highway and transit related travel. The
Department may award a significant portion of the discretionary funding
available under the VPP Program to support its Urban Partners.
3. Small Starts Funding: The Small Starts program administered by
the Federal Transit Administration (``FTA'') provides up to $75 million
per project for qualifying transit projects, with a focus on less-
capital intensive projects such as bus rapid transit. In its recently
issued guidance on Small Starts, the Department noted that because
congestion is one of the Nation's most daunting transportation
challenges, FTA will facilitate worthy projects that are a significant
element of a comprehensive congestion reduction strategy, especially
when such projects incorporate pricing strategies. Final funding
decisions are made by Congress in response to recommendations by FTA.
Projects sponsored by the Department's Urban Partners would be
candidates for Small Starts funding.
4. Private Activity Bonds: The Department has the authority to
issue Private Activity Bonds to qualifying projects, lowering the cost
of capital required to construct transportation facilities. The overall
program allows for the issuance of up to $15 billion in bonds, some of
which could be applied toward projects sponsored by the Department's
Urban Partners.
5. TIFIA Loans and Credit Assistance: The Department's program
administered under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and
Innovation Act (``TIFIA'') can issue direct loans, loan guarantees, and
standby lines of credit to qualifying projects. The overall program
allows for the support of approximately $10 billion in credit
assistance, some of which could be applied toward projects sponsored by
the Department's Urban Partners.
6. Other Assistance. The Department may also provide its Urban
Partners with the authority to institute tolls on portions of their
respective Interstate systems \8\ and expedite project delivery by
waiving certain FHWA regulations (in accordance with FHWA's Special
Experimental Project (or ``SEP-15'') program or as otherwise permitted
by law), and placing key projects on the Environmental Stewardship
Executive Order, allowing for the streamlining of some aspects of the
environmental review process. Finally, the Department may offer
extensive technical expertise and advice from world class engineers and
economists.
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\8\ As enacted by SAFETEA-LU, the High Occupancy Vehicle
(``HOV'') Facilities Program (23 U.S.C. 166) allows States and
localities to convert HOV lanes to high occupancy toll (``HOT'')
lanes which allow low-occupant vehicle users to pay for the chance
to travel on underutilized HOV lanes, shifting traffic from
congested regular lanes to HOV lanes, while maintaining free-flowing
travel speeds and vehicle throughput performance for all vehicles on
the HOV lanes. When operated in parallel with general purpose lanes,
HOT lanes offer drivers an option to pay for congestion-free
predictable trips when they need it the most, while improving the
performance of general purpose lanes. In coordination with 23 U.S.C.
166, FTA has recently published proposed guidance that, once adopted
as final, would eliminate certain existing disincentives to
jurisdictions to convert their HOV lanes to HOT lanes. In particular
the proposed guidance describes the terms and conditions on which
FTA would classify HOV lanes that are converted to HOT lanes as
``fixed guideway miles'' for purposes of the transit funding
formulas administered by FTA. See ``Policy Statement on When High-
Occupancy Vehicle Lanes Converted to High-Occupancy/Toll Lanes Shall
Be Classified as Fixed Guideway Miles for FTA's Funding Formulas and
When HOT Lanes Shall Not Be Classified as Fixed Guideway Miles for
FTA's Funding Formulas'' (http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/E6-14796.pdf
).
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Please note that designation as an Urban Partner does not, by
itself, qualify a party for any grant or funding amount. However, Urban
Partners will receive preferential treatment under the ITS-OTMC and VPP
Programs in accordance with their terms and certain other discretionary
programs administered by the Department. An Urban Partner will also
receive the commitment of the Department's leadership to work directly
with the Urban Partner in solving its congestion problems.
C. Coordination With Other Congestion Initiative Solicitations
This solicitation is one of three related solicitations being
issued by the Department in connection with the Congestion Initiative.
To be published separately in the Federal Register this month, the
other two solicitations are:
1. Solicitation for the VPP Program. The VPP Program, as
reauthorized in SAFETEA-LU, supports implementation of a variety of
pricing-based approaches for managing congestion on highways. The
forthcoming solicitation for the VPP Program will align the program
with the Congestion Initiative to support metropolitan areas in
implementing broad congestion pricing strategies in the near term.
2. Solicitation for the Intelligent Transportation System
Operational Testing to Mitigate Congestion Program. The ITS Research
and Development program, as reauthorized in SAFETEA-LU, supports the
research, development and testing of ITS for a variety of purposes. The
forthcoming solicitation for the ITS-OTMC Program will support the
operational testing and evaluation of advanced technologies to reduce
metropolitan congestion.
Please note: If an applicant wishing to become an Urban Partner
intends to apply for funding under both the VPP and ITS-OTMC
Programs, the applicant must apply to each program by submitting to
each program identical copies of a single application that is
responsive to both programs' requests for proposals. The Department
will publish both programs' requests for proposals in the Federal
Register this month.
D. Preliminary Urban Partner Designation; Urban Partner Designation
Step One. Applications to become Urban Partners must be submitted
on or before April 30, 2007 (with late-filed applications being
considered to the extent practical). See below SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION: ``Contents of UPA Application'' for instructions
concerning the content of applications to become an Urban Partner.
Step Two. The Department will designate certain applicants as
Preliminary Urban Partners on or before June 8, 2007. The Department
expects to select up to 10 Preliminary Urban Partners. Please note that
designation as a Preliminary Urban Partner does not, by itself, qualify
a party for any grant or funding amount. However, it will qualify the
designee to continue discussions with the Department to become an Urban
Partner.
Step Three. The Department will work towards selecting Urban
Partners by continuing discussions with its Preliminary Urban Partners
to determine whether an Urban Partnership is feasible.
Step Four. Following negotiations, the Department will announce its
Urban Partners by August 8, 2007, along with funding decisions under
the VPP and ITS-OTMC Programs. Please note that designation as an Urban
Partner does not, by itself, qualify a party for any
[[Page 71235]]
grant or funding amount. However, the designation will afford Urban
Partners preferential treatment under certain of the Department's
discretionary grant funding programs, such as the ITS-OTMC and VPP
Programs, in accordance with their terms. Designation as an Urban
Partner will also provide the designee with the commitment of the
Department's leadership to work directly with the Urban Partner in
solving its congestion problems.
Step Five. The Department will sign UPAs as soon as possible after
selecting its Urban Partners. The Department expects implementation or
pre-implementation efforts for the proposed congestion reduction
activities to commence shortly after the UPA is signed.
Signatories to UPAs may include city and county governments,
metropolitan planning organizations, State transportation departments,
chambers of commerce, academic institutions, citizen advisory groups,
or other responsible organizations that seek to resolve major
congestion problems (any of whom may apply to become an Urban Partner).
E. Contents of UPA Application
An application to become an Urban Partner should briefly describe,
with respect to the metropolitan area proposed, (i) Why its traffic
congestion is severe, (ii) the local public's acknowledgement of the
problem, (iii) the readiness of area's political leadership to solve
the problem and (iv) a solution to congestion that incorporates the
Four Ts. In addition, an application should be responsive to the
specifications and criteria set forth below. The Department recognizes
that information provided in an application to become an Urban Partner
may be preliminary and incomplete. If the Department selects an
applicant to be a Preliminary Urban Partner, the Department may ask the
Preliminary Urban Partner to supplement the data in its application to
the extent practical.
1. Length of Applications: An application should not exceed 25
pages in length, including both the proposal details and appendix
materials. Appendix materials may include maps of roadways and other
affected facilities (such as bridges and parallel routes), maps of BRT
routes and other transit services or facilities that are directly
involved and a list of possible local employers that might endorse new
or expanded telecommuting and flextime policies for its employees.
2. Participating Parties: An application should provide a
preliminary, non-binding list of the parties likely to participate in
the Urban Partnership.
3. Comprehensive Congestion Reduction Strategy: An application
should generally describe the metropolitan area's proposed
comprehensive congestion reduction strategy, and explain how different
parts of that strategy, if any, would interact to reduce congestion.
4. Congestion Pricing Measures and Affected Areas: An application
should describe the role pricing would play in the congestion reduction
strategy. To the extent practical, an application should indicate, in
specific terms, how traffic would be affected, what areas or routes
would be priced, how congestion prices would be determined, and which
vehicle categories would be affected (e.g., single occupant vehicles or
all vehicles). If the proposed congestion pricing configuration
contemplates a cordon pricing system, then the application should
specify the approximate area (e.g., 10 square miles surrounded by
certain highways or natural boundaries).
5. Transit Services: An application should describe transit
services, including BRT and other commuter transit services that are to
be provided or supplemented, and the expected impacts of the expanded
transit services on congestion. The application should also describe
transit fare pricing policies to be adopted with the objective of
increasing traveler throughput during peak traffic periods, while
avoiding excessive congestion in the transit system.
6. Telecommuting: An application should indicate telecommuting,
flex-time, and various related employer-employee policies to be
adopted, including likely employer participants and the number and
location of employees affected. These proposed non-pricing demand
management activities need not be limited to telecommuting or flex-time
schedules, and they may include activities like parking cash-outs or
other suitable incentives that seek to reduce peak-hour, drive-alone
travel.
7. Expedited Project Completion: An application should indicate any
major transportation projects or project components that are sought to
be expedited through an UPA. The application should also indicate the
expected effects on congestion from early completion of these projects.
8. Travelers Affected Daily: An application should indicate the
estimated number of daily travelers that will be directly affected by
priced facilities and by other measures expected to be adopted by the
Urban Partner. This should include the estimated number of persons
(vehicles) that will pay congestion charges, as well as the likely
number diverted to other travel times, routes, or other transportation
services, such as transit. Similarly, if telecommuting is to be
adopted, the application should indicate the estimated number of daily
employee participants.
9. Use of Technology: An application should clearly indicate the
extent to which a locality plans to operationally test innovative
technology in achieving its congestion reduction targets.
10. Research, Planning, and Experience To Date: An application
should indicate the prior work that participating parties (e.g., the
candidate city or other jurisdictions) have already done to reduce
congestion, including research, planning, and actual implementation of
congestion related activities in the metropolitan area.
11. Other Time-Frame Considerations: An application should indicate
the dates during which applicants expect to conduct congestion
reduction activities (e.g., a seven-month trial from June 1, 2008 until
December 31, 2008). If the applicant expects the activities to continue
indefinitely, the application should indicate this fact. Similarly, if
the pricing activity is adopted on a temporary, experimental basis and
the applicant expects it to be voted on by citizens of the
jurisdictions participating in an Urban Partnership or otherwise
considered for continuation, the application should provide this
information.
12. Funding Support: An application should indicate the estimated
cost to implement the overall congestion reduction strategy. An
application should also indicate the anticipated sources of those
funds, including the amount requested to be covered by Federal sources.
13. Contact Information: An application should clearly indicate
contact information, including name, organization, address, phone
number, and e-mail address. The Department will use this information to
inform parties of the Department's decision regarding selection of
interested parties, as well as to contact parties in the event that the
Department needs additional information about an application.
F. Consideration of Applications
The Department will review and consider applications upon receipt.
The Department will consider a variety of factors in reviewing
applications seeking designations an Urban Partner, including whether
proposals:
[[Page 71236]]
Are likely to be successfully implemented;
Affect the most daily surface transportation travelers;
Produce the greatest potential reduction in overall
traffic congestion;
Provide the greatest congestion-reduction benefits per
dollar of Federal support;
Provide the most cost-effective means of reducing traffic
congestion; and
Demonstrate innovative and potentially far-reaching
technology applications.
This Notice is not the sole means by which the Department is
soliciting candidates for UPAs. The Department reserves the right to
solicit, and is actively soliciting, by means other than this Notice,
certain metropolitan areas that the Department has determined, on a
preliminary basis, to be candidates for UPAs. Neither the procedures
nor the criteria set forth in this Notice shall be binding on the
Department.
Issued On: November 7, 2006.
Maria Cino,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. E6-20924 Filed 12-7-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P