Councils and Committees
Urban Transportation council
GOVERNMENT AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS ANNOTATED LINKS
Canada
United States
International
CANADA
Government of Canada - www.canada.gc.ca
- Transport Canada - www.tc.gc.ca
Publication: "Guide to Benefit-Cost Analysis in Transport Canada", September 1994. TP11875E
Early chapters review the establishment of the evaluation framework and the measurement of benefits, costs and other effects. Third chapter looks more closely at the analysis of options.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/finance/BCA/en/Section1.htm
The Government of the Province of Ontario - www.gov.on.ca
- Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAH) - www.mah.gov.on.ca
Publication: "Municipal Financial Tools for Planning and Development", publication of The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ontario. This Ontario government document suggests that municipal councils, chief administrative officers, planners, economic development officers, treasurers and legal advisers are being challenged to find ways to plan, fund and implement new visions for their communities.
- Ministry of Transportation (MTO) - www.mto.gov.on.ca
MTO Research Library's Online Catalogue: www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/transrd/index.html
The MTO Research Library, in conjunction with the Engineering Standards Branch, is now providing online access to the library catalogue and more specifically, access to the Ministry's extensive research collection.
- Province of Ontario - Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal http://www.pir.gov.on.ca
Established in October, 2003 this new ministry will manage infrastructure planning to achieve maximum leverage for taxpayer dollars in the key areas of transportation, education, health, housing and the environment. Replacing Ontario's aging and failing infrastructure is one of the most important steps in the government's agenda for positive change.
Alberta Ministry of Transportation - www.trans.gov.ab.ca
British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways - www.th.gov.bc.ca/bchighways
- Gateway Program - www.gatewayprogram.bc.ca/
The Gateway Program is a program of the BC Ministry of Transportation and is being planned in cooperation with TransLink (the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority) and local municipalities. The Gateway Program is designed to contribute to an integrated transportation network that will foster a healthier economy and help make Greater Vancouver a better place to live and work.
Manitoba Transportation and Government Services - www.gov.mb.ca/tgs
New Brunswick Department of Transportation - http://www.gnb.ca/0113/index-e.asp
Newfoundland and Labrador Works, Services and Transportation - www.gov.nf.ca/wst
Northwest Territories Department of Transportation - www.gov.nt.ca/Transportation
Nova Scotia Transportation and Public Works - www.gov.ns.ca/tran
Nunavut Department of Public Works and Services - www.gov.nu.ca/pws
Prince Edward Island: Transportation and Public Works - www.gov.pe.ca/tpw
Québec Transport Ministry - www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/en/index.asp
Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation - http://www.gov.sk.ca/topics/transportation/
Yukon Department of Highways and Public Works - www.hpw.gov.yk.ca
- Regional Municipality of York - www.region.york.on.ca
"York Region Rapid Transit System: Public-Private Partnership", Greater Toronto Transportation Conference, April 19,2002. The objectives of Public Private Partnership include: fast track successful delivery; bring stakeholders together; utilize rapid transit technologies; obtain all necessary approvals; generate innovative funding solutions which leverage private sector investments; and select best technical and financial solutions.
CANADIAN ORGANIZATIONS/ASSOCIATIONS
- Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships - www.pppcouncil.ca
The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) is a national non-partisan, non-profit organization founded on the belief that the capacity of government to meet its current and future infrastructure and service obligations can be enhanced through public-private partnerships.
Publication: "Building Business Relationships: The Pros and Cons of P3" by Terry Collins in The Business of Public Sector Procurement, December 1999 Summit. CCPPP (Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, p3).
- IBI Group & Hemson Consulting - www.ibigroup.com & www.hemson.com
Publication: Funding Transportation in the Greater Toronto Area & Hamilton-Wentworth, prepared by IBI Group and Hemson Consulting Ltd. in association with CN Watson & Associates, April 1999.
This report presents information on current (1999) levels of municipal capital expenditures on urban transportation throughout the GTA and Hamilton-Wentworth (as it was then) and compare these with three alternative levels of investment which would be required to address deferred system renewal and expansion investments. The three alternative levels of investment reflect, respectively, minimal improvement, moderate improvement, and significant improvement in capital funding levels, reflecting various levels of planned investments deferred during the past decade because of funding shortages. Comparing current investment levels with those required to achieve the third (highest) level of capital renewal and expansion, the study identified a shortfall of $800 M/year. The study also considered alternative sources for achieving increased capital funding levels for transportation in the GTA/Hamilton region.
- OGRA Road Authority - www.roadauthority.com
The Road Authority (TRA) is an Internet-based information resource that provides a mechanism for infrastructure owners, consultants, contractors and product suppliers to collaborate and share information. TRA operates as a public/private partnership providing users with information on products, services and technical solutions available for use in the public works sector. TRA was officially launched by the Ontario Good Roads Association (OGRA), and remains a key membership service to Ontario municipalities.Publication: "An Analysis of Shadow Tolling", Harold Gilbert, Chairman, Better Roads Coalition, March 1998.
This paper outlines a potential new way of allowing the private sector to contribute to road construction. It also allows for improvements to the road system at a faster rate than would be possible if the public sector alone was funding the road infrastructure. Shadow tolling allows the private investors to have an opportunity to invest in the future economy of the province by investing in the road system.
- TD Bank Financial Group - http://www.td.com/economics/index.html
Publication: "A choice between investing in Canada's cities or disinvesting in Canada's future", by Derek Burleton, Senior Economist, Canadian Industries & Provinces. TD Bank Financial Group, TD Economics Special Report, April 22, 2002.
Charles Baillie, TD Bank Financial Group Chairman and CEO, puts forward an ambitious goal for Canadians - to surpass the U.S. standard of living within 15 years. He notes that the fortunes of our cities will be critical in meeting this challenge. This is an economic study looking at the opportunities and challenges that many Canadian cities face in common.
Publication: "The Greater Toronto Area (GTA): Canada's Primary Economic Locomotive in Need of Repair", by Don Drummond, Senior Vice President & Chief Economist; Derek Burleton; Gillian Manning, International Economist; and Karen Richardson, Economist. TD Economics Special Reports, May 22, 2002.
This report focuses specifically on the GTA and what is required to achieve sustained increases in prosperity for its residents, with all that this implies in the way of positive spin-offs for the rest of the province and the rest of the country.
- Toronto Board of Trade - www.bot.com
Newsletter: Taking Action www.bot.com/ContentIslands/PublicPages/MenuPages/ AboutUs/Newsletters/TakingAction.asp
A quarterly newsletter dedicated to the Board's policy initiatives and activities, keeping you informed on issues that matter to Toronto's business community.Publication: "Infrastructure Finance Discussion Paper", Toronto Board of Trade, May 31, 2000.
This paper has been prepared to facilitate discussion with all levels of government on innovative approaches to involving the private sector in public infrastructure financing in the GTA. It serves as a focus for discussion of the key issues with key government personnel.
- Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation - www.towaterfront.ca
A 10-member Board of Directors appointed by the federal and provincial governments and the City of Toronto governs the TWRC. Corporate authorities and accountabilities are set out in Bill 151. Mission: To transform the Toronto waterfront for the use and enjoyment of the people of Toronto, Ontario, and Canada, to foster economic growth and to re-define how the city, province and country are perceived by the world.
UNITED STATES
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
- DOT (Department of Transportation) - www.dot.gov
- FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) - www.fhwa.dot.gov
The FHWA is a part of the Department of Transportation and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with field offices across the United States. It provides expertise, resources, and information to continually improve the quality of highway system and its intermodal connectionsPublication: "Summary of The Federal Highway Administration's Symposium on Overcoming Barriers to Public-Private Partnerships" in "Searching for Solutions, a Policy Discussion Series" Number 11, Sept. 1994 of U.S. DOT, FHWA.
This report summarizes the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sponsored seminar held on December 6, 1993, covering various topics related to overcoming barriers to public-private partnerships for developing and financing highway transportation projects.
Publication: "Transportation Asset Management" published by the U.S. DOT and FHWA.
Transportation Asset Management is about managing and ensuring the future of the nation's $1 trillion dollar investment in highway infrastructure. It means looking at transportation systems as investments critical to the mobility and prosperity of our society. There are numerous publications from both agencies related to the challenges and opportunities of Transportation Asset Management.
Publication: FHWA Our Nation's Highways - 2000, Selected Facts and Figures, Publication No. FHWA-PL-01-1012 Office of Highway Policy Information. www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/onh00/index.htm
The information in this publication provides a condensed overview of facts and figures about our Nation's highways. Except where noted, the Federal Highway Administration is the source of the data provided by the States. Unless otherwise stated, we have used the 2000 data.
- The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center - www.volpe.dot.gov
The Volpe Center is an innovative, federal, fee-for-service organization within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Work is performed primarily for DOT, as well as other federal agencies and state, local, and international entities.
- BTS (Bureau of Transportation Statistics) - www.bts.gov
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) was born as a statistical agency in 1992. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 established BTS for data collection, analysis, and reporting and to ensure the most cost-effective use of transportation-monitoring resources. BTS brings a greater degree of coordination, comparability, and quality standards to transportation data, and to fill important gaps.
- FirstGov - www.firstgov.gov/
The U.S. government's Offical Web Portal - provides access to information, services and online transactions.
- TFHRC (Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center) - www.tfhrc.gov
The Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) is a federally owned and operated research facility in Mclean, Virginia. TFHRC provides FHWA and the world highway technologies. The research focuses on providing solutions to complex technical problems through the development of more economical, environmentally sensitive designs; more efficient, quality controlled constructions practices; and more durable materials.Publication: Focus - www.tfhrc.gov/focus/focus.htm
Focus, which is published monthly by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Its primary mission is twofold (1) to serve the providers of highway infrastructure with innovations and support to improve the quality, safety, and service of our roads and bridges; and (2) to help promote and market programs and projects of the various offices of FHWA's Office of Infrastructure.Publication: Public Road Magazine - www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/pubrds.htm
Public Roads is the bimonthly magazine of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The magazine "covers" advances and innovations in highway/traffic research and technology, critical national transportation issues, important activities and achievements of FHWA and others in the highway community, specific FHWA program areas, and subjects of interest to highway industry professionals.
(Nothing available at present - please email us with information and updates.)
U.S. ORGANIZATIONS/ASSOCIATIONS
- AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) - www.aashto.org
AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.
- APWA (American Public Works Association) - www.apwa.net or www.pubworks.org
The American Public Works Association is an international educational and professional association of public agencies, private sector companies, and individuals dedicated to providing high quality public works goods and services.Publication: "Public Works Management & Policy" Volume 6, Number 4, April 2002. APWA.
Journal of the APWA, concerning research and practice in transportation, infrastructure, and the environment, sponsored by the APWA. Members include federal, state, and local public works managers and administrators, superintendents and department heads of transportation, water, waste, and equipment services, consultants, public agencies and academics from public works, administration, and engineering fields.
Publication: "APWA Board adopts TEA-21 Reauthorization Policy", by Andrea J. Fisher, Manager of Government Relations, APWA Washington Office. March 2002, APWA Reporter.
Publication: "APWA REPORTER", February 2002, "IH 35 NAFTA Trade Corridor: The future vision of IH 35 from Mexico to Canada" by Charles A. Dodge and Kent L. Ahrenholtz.
The purpose of this study was to assess the need for improved local, intrastate, interstate, and international service on IH 35 and to clearly define a general feasible improvement plan to address those needs.
Publication: "Funding: new regulations top 2002 infrastructure policy agenda" by Jim Fahey, Director of Government Relations, APWA Washington Office, March 2002 APWA Report.
- American Road and Transportation Builders - www.artba.org
The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) is the U.S. transportation construction industry's representative in Washington, D.C. Its mission: advocating strong federal investment in the nation's transportation infrastructure to meet public demand for a safe and efficient business transportation network.
- Institute of Transportation Engineers - www.ite.org
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), is an international individual member educational and scientific association. ITE members are traffic engineers, transportation planners and other professionals who are responsible for meeting society's needs for safe and efficient surface transportation through planning, designing, implementing, operating and maintaining surface transportation systems worldwide.
- ITS America - www.itsa.org
The Intelligent Transportation Society of America is a not-for-profit organization, established in 1991 to coordinate the development and deployment of ITS in the United States. ITS America also has alliances with ITS organizations in other countries, most notably in Europe and Asia.
- TRB (Transportation Research Board of the United States) - www.TRB.org or national-academies.org/trb
Publication: "Assessing the Economic Impact of A Transportation Project: How to Choose the Appropriate Technique for Your Project.", by Glen Weisbrod, Economic Development Research Group and Burton Weisbrod, Northwestern University. Transportation Research No. 477, Oct. 1997 published by Transportation Research Board (TRB) Circular.
This issue is not for economists, but for helping planners, engineers and decision-makers identify the appropriate ways to define questions regarding economic impacts of transportation and appropriate methods to assess them. The analytic methods discussed apply for all modes of transportation. It describes nine steps for defining, analyzing, and presenting findings.
Publication: "Comparing Approaches for Valuing Economic Development Benefits of Transportation Projects", by Glen Weisbrod and Michael Grovak, Transportation Research Board, 77th Annual Meeting, Jan. 11-15, 1998, Paper No. 981240, Washington, D.C.
Transportation agencies are facing increasingly complex pressures for prioritizing and selecting projects. This paper examines and contrasts alternative types of economic impact analysis and focuses on measures relating to economic development, which is frequently cited as a primary goal for state and local highway investment projects.
Publication: "Making transit work: insight from Western Europe, Canada, and the U.S. , Transportation Research Board Special Report 257; National Academy of Sciences, 2001.
This report is the product of a 2-year (1995 to 1996) study funded by the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). It was prepared for policy makers searching for ways to boost public transit use in U.S. urban areas and wishing to know what can be learned from the experiences of Canada and Western Europe. The focus is on comparing the largest industrialized countries of Northern and Western Europe, as well as Canada, because their economic, social, and political conditions are most like those of the U.S. The comparisons provide ideas on how to increase ridership in the U.S.
Newsletter: "TR NEWs" (ISSN 0738-6826) March-April 1998, Number 195. TR News is issued bimonthly by the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council.
This magazine presents articles on innovative and timely research and development activities in all modes of transportation. Brief news items of interest to the transportation community are also featured, along with profiles of transportation professionals, meeting announcements, reviews of new publications, and news of Transportation Research Board activities.
Publication: "Using Benefit-Cost Analysis to Evaluate the Distribution of Highway Project Benefits" by Patrick DeCorla-Souza, AICP, Transportation Research Board (TRB), 76 Annual Meeting, Paper No. 970059, Jan 12-16, 1997, Washington DC.
Since benefit-cost analysis has not been routinely applied in highway investment evaluations in the past, planning practice has focused on highway performance measures such as level of service, and planners do not have clear case studies to emulate. This paper uses a case study analysis to demonstrate how planners in urban areas can use benefit-cost assessment to evaluate overall project merits, and to compare the incidence of benefits among different groups of travellers and sub areas.
Article: "Is There Really a Funding Crisis?" by Hank Dittmar, Director of Transportation and Quality of Life Program, Surface Transportation Policy Project, Washington, D.C. in TR NEWS 198 Sept.-Oct. 1998.
Article: "The Price of Congestion: Managing our congested highways with value pricing" by Patrick Decorla-Souza, AICP, a team leader for Highway Pricing and System Analysis in the office of Transportation Policy Studies at the FHWA. Decorla-Souza manages FHWA's Value Pricing Pilot Program, published at TM +E, Aug/Sept 2002.
Article: "Strategic Alternatives for Financing the Highway System" by Joseph M. Giglio (Executive Professor, Northeastern University) and Jon Williams (Transportation Environmental and Management Specialist, TRB) in TR NEWS 198 Sept.-Oct. 1998
Article about the way of financing the nation's highway system. Since the U.S. highway system has been supported by federal and state gas taxes and other related fees for a long time, now is the time to develop and implement a strategic plan for reforming the way we finance the nation's highway system.
Article: "Public-Private partnerships: Brave New World", - by Joseph M. Giglio and William D. Ankner in TR NEWS 198 Sept-Oct. 1998.
The article agrees that responsibility for transportation investment lies with a mix of public, public-private, quasi-public, and private entities. To deal with these myriad levels of responsibility, various schemes have been devised for the relevant entities to finance their investments: from reliance on market forces to the imposition of user fees and tolls.
INTERNATIONAL
- Department for Transport - www.dft.gov.uk
GOVERNMENT - REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
- National Road Authority - www.nra.ie
The National Roads Authority was formally established as an independent statutory body. The Authority's primary function, under the Roads Act 1993, is 'to secure the provision of a safe and efficient network of national roads'. For this purpose, it has overall responsibility for planning and supervision of construction and maintenance works on these roads.
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS/ASSOCIATIONS
- International Road Federation (IRF) - www.irfnet.org
The IRF encourages and promotes development and maintenance of better and safer roads and road networks. It helps put in place technological solutions and management practices that provide maximum economic and social returns from national road investment.
- ITS International magazine - www.itsinternational.com
- OECD - www.oecd.org
The OECD plays a prominent role in fostering good governance in the public services and in corporate activity. Best known for its publications and its statistics, its work covers economic and social issues from macroeconomics to trade, education and development and science and innovation.
Publication: "Integrating Transport in the City: Reconciling the Economic, Social and Environmental Dimensions", synthesis of work of the international seminar organized jointly by OECD, The Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing (France) and the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations" (CDC, France); OECD 2000.
This publication presents analyses and conclusions that can be drawn from the seminar held in April 1998 on the development of urban transport infrastructure. On the basis of general reports and presentation of cases and projects, some answers are provided to questions asked by public decision-makers.
- PIARC (World Road Association) - www.piarc.org
PIARC (the World Road Association) is a non-political and non-profit making association which provides information on roads and road transport policy and practices within an integrated sustainable transport context.
- Transport Research Laboratory - www.trl.co.uk
TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence providing world-class research, advice and solutions for all issues relating to land transport. We generate sustainable solutions and create new opportunities across a wide range of transport-related issues for our clients throughout the world. Link to Transportation section offers information on integrated transport, transport systems, traffic management, people and transport and projects
Article: "Tax or Toll?", TRL News, March 2001
- World Bank - www.worldbank.org
The World Bank is one of the world's largest sources of development assistance. Its primary focus is on helping the poorest people and the poorest countries. This site provides an overview of how the Bank uses its financial resources, its staff, and its extensive knowledge to help developing countries onto paths of stable, sustainable, and equitable growth.Publication: "Where Do We Stand on Transport Infrastructure Deregulation and Public-Private Partnership?, by: A. estache and T. Seresbrisky, World Bank Policy Researech working Paper 3356, July 2004.
http://econ.worldbank.org/files/36996_wps3356.pdf [339 KB]Abstract: The evolution of transport public-private partnerships (PPPs) in industrial and developing countries since the early 1990s seems to be following a similar path: private initiatives work for a while, but after a shock to the sector takes place, the public sector returns as regulator, owner, or financier. After a while the public sector runs into problems and eventually finds a hybrid solution to ensure the survivial of the sector.
Estache and Serebrisky review the effectiveness of transport infrastructure deregulation from three angles: efficiency, fiscal and users' viewpoint. They emphasize the difficulties and strong political commitments required to make the reforms sustainable and argue that governments willing to make corrections to the reform path are faced with the need to address recurrent and emerging issues in transport systems: tariff structure, quality (timetable, safety, and environment), access rules for captive shippers, the trend toward rebundling and decrease in intrasectoral competition, multimodalism, and the stimulus through yardstick competition.
Publication: Innovative Financing Techniques for Toll Roads
http://www.worldbank.org/transport/toll_sem/vol2/c-ppt/12stanfi.pptArticle: "Rural Transport: Design and Appraisal of Rural Transport Infrastructure", article on the World Bank web site: www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/transport/rural_tr/des&appr.htm for A World of Free of Poverty.
The contents include Overview; Basic Access; Least-Cost Design; Participatory Selection Process; Screening and Ranking Methods; Economic Appraisal Methodologies; Economic Aspects of Low Volume Roads; and Key Reading.
Publication: "Management and Financing of Roads: An Agenda for Reform", by Ian G. Heggie, World Bank, Technical Paper No. 275, Africa Technical Series. March 1995 , ISBN 0-8213-3143-4
Conclusions: during the past 20 years nearly a third of the capital invested in Africa's roads has been eroded because of lack of maintenance. Solving the problems of poor maintenance requires fundamental changes in the way governments manage and finance their road networks. The key concept which has emerged from the RMI program is commercialization: bring roads into the market place and manage them like any other business enterprise.
Article: "Roads Economic Decision Model (RED) for Economic Evaluation of Low Volume Roads", article on the World Bank website: www.worldbank.org/afr/findings /english/find179.htm for A World Free of Poverty, No. 179 March 2001.
This article presents the Roads Economic Decision Model (RED) that performs an economic evaluation of roads investment and maintenance options customized to the characteristics of low-volume roads.
Publication: "Management and Financing of Roads: An Agenda for Reform", by Ian G. Heggie, World Bank, Technical Paper No. 275, Africa Technical Series. March 1995 , ISBN 0-8213-3143-4
Conclusions: during the past 20 years nearly a third of the capital invested in Africa's roads has been eroded because of lack of maintenance. Solving the problems of poor maintenance requires fundamental changes in the way governments manage and finance their road networks. The key concept which has emerged from the RMI program is commercialization: bring roads into the market place and manage them like any other business enterprise.
Publication: "Road User Taxation in Selected OECD Countries", by Cavelle Creightney, August 1993, SSATP Working Paper No. 3, Environmentally Sustainable Development Division, Technical Department, Africa Region, The World Bank.
The objective of this paper is to examine certain issues related to road user taxation in a selection of "more successful countries." On the basis of six case studies, it provides a comparative review of policy towards road user taxation as well as each country's approach towards determining the actual rate or level of tax.
- World Highways Magazine - www.worldhighways.com
Article: "Congestion Charging Looms in UK", published in World Highways, June 2002, P7.
Article: "Polish Roads: A New Era" in World Highways, June 2001.
Author T. Butcher speaks of PPP (Public-Private Partnerships) serving Poland well.Article: "What Went Wrong?", by Ian G. Heggie, World Highways,
Sept. 2000
Mr. Heggie has a unique perspective on the Africa Road Maintenance Initiative and road funds' ultimate performance. In this article, he looks at the weakness of the first generation of road funds.Article: "Shadow of a Tollbooth" by David Crawford, in World Highways, January/February.
Originating as a technological rescue operation, North America's first shadow toll highway is now being studied as an alternative approach to road financing.Article: "Contraflow" by Alan Peterson, in World Highways, January/February 2001
Tolling technology, which features in this issue of World Highways, led the author to comment on the role of private financing of highways.Article: "The Right Price" by Dieter Lauszus, Dr Alexandra Rambold and Gregory Arena, of Simon-Kucher and Partners, Germany, strategy and marketing consultants. In "World Highways", June 2001.