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Transportation Glossary
The following is a listing of transportation-related terminology and phraseology developed by CCMPO.
Click here to view a list of Acronyms only...
| ALL < 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 > NUMERIC |
| Term | Acronym | Definition |
| 10 MPH Pace Speed | | 10 mph range in which the majority of vehicles are traveling. |
| 3C's Process | 3Cs | A federally-mandated (via the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962) initiative, requiring a "Continuing, Cooperative, & Comprehensive" transportation planning process to be carried out by states, regions, and local communities. |
| 3PL Provider | 3PL | A third-party or outsourced freight management service provider, customizing shipping, warehousing, and administrative logistics activities. |
| 4PL Provider | 4PL | Similar to a 'Third-Party Logisitcs' (3PL) service provider, a 4PL specializes in expertise in the design of 'Supply Chain Management' systems, but has no freight moving assets (e.g. warehouses or infrastructure) of its own, |
| 511 | 511 | National traveller information phone number designated by the FCC. |
| 811 | 811 | Underground damage prevention system (e.g. electric, natural gas, telephone, cable, etc.) information phone number designated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In Vermont, this service is known as "Dig Safe". |
| 85th Percentile Speed | | The maximum speed at which 85% of all vehicles are travelling. |
| Access Management | AM | Techniques of Transportation infrastructure management intended to; reduce congestion and accident rates, lessen need for highway widening, conserve energy, and reduce pollution. Examples include; limiting entrance and exit of traffic on highways, use of medians and turn lanes, placement and timing of signals, as well as implementation of supportive local ordinances. |
| Accessibility | | The facilities and services that make it possible to get to any destination, measured by the availability of physical connections (roads, sidewalks, etc.), travel options, ease of movement, and proximity of destinations. |
| Act 250 | | A Vermont State land use law that requires a permit from the District Environmental Commission or the Vermont Environmental Board prior to commencing a major development or subdivision on a property. |
| Advanced Traffic Management System | ATMS | ITS applications designed to enhance traffic movement usually along transportation corridors. |
| Agency of Natural Resources | ANR | A cabinet-level Vermont state agency that oversees environmental issues for the state and is responsible for SIP adoption (T3 VSA, Chapter 51). |
| Airport Improvement Program | AIP | FAA program that assists the development of public-use airports by providing funding for airport planning and development projects. |
| Airport Information Management System | AIMS | An annually updated database of airport project descriptions, costs, and scoring factors of capital projects negotiated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). |
| Albany-Bennington-Rutland-Burlington-Essex | ABRB-E | Congressional earmarked project, authorized in SAFETEA-LU intended to enhance Vermont's rail infrastructure on the Western Vermont Corridor. |
| Alternatives Analysis | AA | A study which explores the effect of a project on the overall transportation system. Information included in an AA are costs, benefits, and impacts of potential changes to the transportation system. |
| American Association of Railroads | AAR | Association members include primary freight railroad companies in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, as well as Amtrak. |
| American Association of Retired Persons (Formerly) | AARP | Established in 1958, AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, but is simply "AARP" today to reflect that membership is possible for non-retirees also) is a US-based non-governmental organization, non-profit, advocacy, and lobbying group for people age 50 and over. |
| American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials | AASHTO | Publishes standards for transportation infrastructure for use throughout the U.S. |
| American Institute of Certified Planners | AICP | A non-compulsory planning certification recognized in the United States. |
| American Planning Association | APA | A nonprofit education and membership guild for professional planners. |
| American Public Works Association | APWA | Chartered in 1937, the APWA is the international educational and professional association of public agencies, private sector companies, and individuals dedicated to improving public works goods and services. |
| Americans with Disabilities Act | ADA | Federal legislation passed in 1990 that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. |
| Ancient Roads | | According to Act 178: an 'Act Relating to Unidentified Corridors' (otherwise known as the 'Ancient Roads Bill') of the Vermont General Assembly, an Ancient Road is an Unidentified Corridor, which would be eligible to become a Class IV Road under applicable criteria. Unidentified Corridors are town highways that: 1. Have been laid out as highways by proper authority through the process provided by law at the time they were created or by dedication and acceptance; and 2. Do not, as of July 1, 2009, appear on the town highway map prepared pursuant to section 305 of this title (Sec. 1. 19 V.S.A. § 302); and 3. Are not otherwise clearly observable by physical evidence of their use as a highway or trail; and 4. Are not legal trails. |
| Annual Average Daily Traffic | AADT | A key statistical indicator for roadway counts (i.e. traffic volume), known as the 'Annual Average Daily Traffic', or AADT, has been developed to represent the average amount of vehicular traffic in both directions of travel, passing on a given point of road, over a 24-hour period, on a typical day (i.e. seasonally adjusted) of a specified year. |
| Apron | | See; "Truck Apron" |
| Arc/Info | | Geographic Information System (GIS) software for database development and management. |
| ArcView | | Windows-based Geographic Information System (GIS) for the layperson to use geographical data. |
| Arterial Street or Highway | | A major street or highway. It is a general term which includes expressways, major and minor arterial streets and interstate, state or county highways having regional continuity. It is a road intended to move a relatively large volume of traffic at medium to high speeds. |
| Articulated Bus | | Segmented bus that has rear portion flexibility, but is permanently connected to a forward portion and has no interior barrier to hamper passenger movement between the two portions. The advantage to this type of vehicle is that seated capacity is increased up to 60-80 people, and a superiour turning radius (diminished off-tracking) to that of a standard bus. |
| Asphalt Concrete | AC | A macadam or petroleum based, flexible substance used in roadway surface construction (also known as "tarmac" - i.e. tar macadam). |
| Attainment Area | | Air quality designation where measures of selected pollutants do not exceed established (NAAQS) standards. |
| Automatic Traffic Recorders | ATR | A pneumatic triggered device, utilizing rubber tubes installed upon a roadway to count, classify, and record speed data. ATRs are the tool used to capture Total Vehicle volume (used to calculate AADT), truck & bus data, 85th percentile & 10 MPH pace speed data, et al. |
| Automatic Vehicle Identification | AVI | A type of ITS, AVI generally signifies the recognition and recording of motor vehicles, usually automobiles, as they pass through facilities for automatic collection of tolls, thus eliminating stops. |
| Automatic Vehicle Location | AVL | A system which tracks real-time location of fleet vehicles to assist in dispatching. |
| Backhaul | | Describing the return trip of a transportation vehicle (rail, truck, or container). Backhaul often refers to a lower revenue-generating leg of a shipment haul, because the vehicle is either empty or partially loaded. |
| Ballast | | Crushed angular stone used to distribute the heavy loads of moving locomotives and their freight, facilitate drainage, and reduce vegetation growth along a railroad bed. |
| Better Backroads Program | | A program of the USDA, the Better Backroads Program has been in existence since 1997, focusing on correction of road-related erosion problems for towns. Promotion of the program is handled via technical and financial assistance. |
| Bill of Lading | | Same as 'Waybill'. |
| Blue Ribbon Commission on Innovative Finance | BRC | Initiated with a workshop at the University of Vermont campus in June 2007, the charge of the Commission on Innovative Finance is to provide a set of recommendations regarding viable innovative finance strategies to advance the regions' transportation needs, including all modes (especially public transportation)as well as the necessary connections with our land use, economic, environmental and quality of life needs. The Commission has since drafted recommendations to be phased into policy over time. |
| Bollard | | A wooden or metallic post installed at the entrance of a bikepath or pedestrian way intended to restrict motor vehicle access. |
| Bottleneck | | A metaphorical expression indicating a narrowing or reduction of roadway capacity due to; construction, maintenance, congestion, accidents, infrastructure (e.g. bridges, tunnels, reduced lanes, etc.). |
| Breakbulk | | Non-containerized freight, or the process of breaking down cargo from a shipping container |
| Bridge Program | | Federal funding program for rehabilitation and reconstruction of bridges. |
| Bureau of Transportation Statistics | BTS | The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) was established by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. BTS administers federal transportation data collection, analysis, and reporting resources. |
| Burlington International Airport | BIA | Burlington International Airport is the preeminent Airport in the State of Vermont, located in South Burlington and owned by the City of Burlington. |
| Bus Rapid Transit | BRT | Fixed-route bus system operating on its own exclusive "Right of Way". |
| Byways | | America's Byways is a registered umbrella term used to promote a collection of distinct and diverse roads, designated by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as a National Scenic Byway. Further, there are also state-designated Byways in Vermont, which may or may not have national designation. |
| Calcium Carbonate | CaCO3 | Gravel, dirt, or recycled asphalt roads have an increased durability when treated with Calcium Carbonate. Usually applied in a liquid or flaked solid form, it penetrates and coats the road aggregate mixture (i.e. various sized particles such as gravel or sand), binding it together to retain road density, compaction, and moisture level. This increases the roadway resistance to wear, reduces dust generation and erosion of the road surface. |
| Calcium Chloride | CaCl2 | Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) is an extremely effective de-icing agent, which melts snow or ice at temperatures as low as -22°F. Although it lowers the freezing point of water further than traditional road salt (NaCl), it is more expensive and requires special handling. Calcium Chloride has also been associated with the needle browning of pine trees. |
| Calibration | | The process of developing the model parameters using observed transportation data (e.g. traffic counts). Model calibration optimizes the agreement between observed data and the model’s predicted data. |
| Campus Area Transit System | CATS | The University of Vermont’s fare-free shuttle system serving the University community—faculty, staff, students, and visitors. This system links all on-campus destinations and provides evening service to adjoining neighborhoods. Ridership during the school year averages 4,000 to 5,000 per day. |
| Campus Area Transportation Management Association | CATMA | Organization formed by several institutions in Burlington’s 'Hill Institutions' to jointly address localized transportation, commuter, and parking issues. |
| Capacity | | A transportation facility's (road, railway, etc.) ability to accommodate a moving stream of people or vehicles in a given time period. |
| Capital Improvement Program | CIP | A multi-year plan, which identifies equipment, infrastructure, property improvements, or other tangible purchases, as well as their schedule and financing strategies. |
| Capture Rate | | The percentage of vehicles which pass a Park & Ride facility, which could be influenced to use it. |
| Carbon Monoxide | CO | A colorless, tasteless gas produced primarily by inefficient combustion of organic fuels in transportation and industrial activities. Overly high levels of CO reduces oxygen in the bloodstream, preventing normal respiration. CO emissions are regulated by the Agency of Natural Resources. |
| Carshare | | An alternative to standard car ownership, "Carsharing" offers a means to potentially reduce costs and pollution by renting automobiles on a short-term basis (often by the hour) for the occasional user, utilizing a decentralized parking system called "pods" (often established along transit routes). Carsharing organizations (CSO's) further administer membership bases, vehicle reservation systems, maintenance, and other administrative functions. |
| Catchment Area | | An area of increased influence for use of a site, facility, market, or corridor. |
| Categorical Exclusion | CE | Federal and State regulations (see; NEPA) require environmental reviews to be performed before expenditure of public funds can be approved for "major projects." If a project does not meet the definition of "major project" then it may be eligible for what is called a Categorical Exclusion (CE). A CE is the absolute lowest level of environmental review possible for projects. For Vermont transportation projects, VTrans (The State DOT) is responsible for such designation. |
| Census Transportation Planning Package | CTPP | CTPP is a demographic dataset intended for transportation planners, which is taken from decennial census. From 1970 to 2000, the CTPP and its predecessor (the UTPP) used data from the decennial census long form (i.e. a component questionaire of the census form sent to 1 in 6 households in Vermont). The CTPP is therefore a sample dataset of the total population. CTPP 2000 has three parts; Part 1. Residence end data summarizing worker and household characteristics, Part 2. Place of work data summarizing worker characteristics, Part 3. Journey-To-Work commuter flow data (which commuties workers live and work within). |
| Centerline | | The middle of a right-of-way, not considering direction or number of lanes. |
| Central Business District | CBD | Often the geographic center or 'downtown' secton of a city, town, or village, typifying a concentration of commercial, government, residential, and mixed-use buildings or development |
| Chicane | | A traffic-calming measure employing fixed objects (usually curbs, earth, fencing, etc.), which deliberately project into the travel lane or a road or shared-use path creating a curvature pattern in the line of travel. |
| Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization | CCMPO | The State’s only MPO. Established under federal law and responsible for transportation planning and programming within its jurisdiction. |
| Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission | CCRPC | Land use planning agency for Chittenden County, Vermont |
| Chittenden County Transportation Authority | CCTA | Operator of Chittenden County’s regional bus system and rideshare services. Chartered in 1973 by the Vermont General Assembly, CCTA serves the communities of Burlington, Essex, South Burlington, Shelburne, Williston, Winooski and a portion of Colchester. There are also express route service to Montpelier, Middlebury, and St. Albans. |
| Chittenden Traffic Alert | CTA | A countywide and regularly updated listing of construction projects and special activities affecting transportation facilities throughout the region. Each Friday between April and November the CCMPO publishes “Construction This Week” in the Burlington Free Press to alert the traveling public to roadway work. |
| Class of Railroad | | Originally defined by the Interstate Commerce Commission (which was disbanded in the mid-1990's), Class of Railroad generally refers to a railroad company's size in terms of its average annual operating revenue. Specific figures (in 2001 dollars), outlining 'Classes' 1-3 are: Class 1 = railroads with an operating income above $256m (many miles of track, serving many states with a fleet of locomotives sometimes in the thousands), Class 2 = railroads with an operating income of $40m - $256m (regional railroad serving a few states with perhaps 30-200 locomotives), Class 3 = railroads with an operating income of $20m or less (typically operates only in one state, has only a handful of locomotives, usually operating less than 200 miles of track). |
| Class of Road | | Vermont State classification of roads based on level of traffic and percent of the state-aid apportionment for town highways. For example, apportionment a town's Class 2 roads is determined by the town's percentage of all Class 2 town highway mileage in the entire state (see: VSA Title 17, Chapter 3, § 306 Appropriation). The scheme may be expressed as: Class 1 = 6% of state annual highway appropriation, Class 2 = 54% of state annual highway appropriation, Class 3 = 50% of state annual highway appropriation, Class 4 = 0% of state annual highway appropriation. Local selectpersons determine which highways are class 4 town highways. State = State highways are those highways maintained exclusively by the Agency of Transportation. |
| Class of Track | | A Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) track designation, establishing maximum authorized speed for passenger and freight trains, whilst placing requirements on the track maintenance criteria, vehicle standards, and train control signal systems. The maximum speed, outlined in Track Classes 1-9 (freight speed/passenger speed) are: Class 1 = 10/15mph, Class 2 = 25/30mph, Class 3 = 40/60mph, Class 4 = 60/80mph, Class 5 = 80/90mph, Class 6 = 110/110mph, Class 7 = 125/125mph, Class 8 = 160/160mph, Class 9 = 200/200mph. |
| Class of Vehicle | | An FHWA vehicle classification scheme distinguishing 14 categories, depending on whether the vehicle carries passengers or commodities. |
| Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 | CAAA | Federal legislation that sets allowable levels, known as NAAQS, for various pollutants. Where these standards are not attained, officials must take specified actions within a mandatory time frame or face sanctions such as loss of federal highway funds. |
| Cold Start | | The starting of an engine which is significantly below normal operating temperature, of significance in understanding vehicle emissions since the rate and composition of emissions vary with engine temperature. Often the most polluting time of car operation. |
| Collector Street or Highway | | A street or highway that provides for traffic movement between major streets (major corridors or arterials) and local streets. A collector is a road intended to collect traffic from local streets and land-access roads. The term -Collector Highway- does not include a city street or local service road or a country road designed for local service and constructed under the supervision of local government. |
| Commercial Drivers' License | CDL | A CDL is required for those operating any type of vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight of 26,001 lbs. or greater (such as; tractor trailers, buses, and tow trucks). |
| Commercial Vehicle Operations | CVO | An Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) application for advanced technologies in commercial vehicle operations, including; Satelite Navigation & Real-time monitoring, Load-Tracking Systems, International Border Crossing Clearance, Commercial Vehicle Electronic Clearance or Screening, Automated Roadside Safety Inspection, Automated fuel & mileage reporting, Hazardous Material Planning and Incident Response, et al. |
| Commodity Flow Survey | CFS | Primary source of national and state-level data on domestic freight shipments by American establishments in mining, manufacturing, wholesale, auxiliaries, and selected retail industries. |
| Commuter Rail | | Generally applies to multi-car, high-speed rail transport utilizing exclusive, frequently at-grade, rights-of-way with service between urban areas or between outlying suburbs and the urban core. Usually involves greater distances and fewer stops than those normally found with light and heavy rail transit within urban areas. |
| Commuter Shed | | Usually refering to a catchment area for a Park & Ride facility, or the origin and destination patterns of commuters along travel corridors or routes. |
| Complete Streets | | Coined in 2003 by bicycle and pedestrian advocates, "Complete Streets Design Techniques" are employed to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities must be able to safely move along and across a "Complete Street". |
| Compressed Natural Gas | CNG | Fuel for natural gas powered vehicles (primarily buses). Natural gas is comprised mostly of methane that is compressed (about 2,400 lbs. per square inch) and stored in high-pressure design containers. |
| Conformity | | The requirement that the state or metropolitan transportation plan, programs, and projects are consistent with the purpose of the State Implementation Plan (SIP). The CAAA does not permit federal approvals of funding of any project that does not meet this test. |
| Congestion | | A condition which hinders movement on a transportation facility at optimal legal speeds. Frequently characterized by unstable traffic flows. |
| Congestion Management System | CMS | A systematic process for managing congestion and enhancing mobility through alternative transportation strategies and timely information to the traveling public. |
| Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality | CMAQ | A program authorized by the 1991 ISTEA provided billions of dollars in funding for surface transportation and other projects that contribute to air quality improvements and reduce traffic congestion. The CMAQ program has been improved and reauthorized in all subsequent federal transportation re-authorization bills. |
| Congestion Pricing | | Charging users of a transportation network during peak periods of traffic, in order to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. |
| Container-on-Flatcar | COFC | A shipping container capable of transport upon a rail flat car or truck flat bed trailer. Same as TOFC. |
| Containerization | | The practice of using International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Containers as a unit in transport of freight. Containers are strong enough for repeated use, can carry goods on truck, rail, seabourne, and airborne modes, and are outfitted with devices for efficient modal shift. Standard containers come in five general sizes; 20 ft., 40 ft., 45 ft., 48 ft., and 53 ft. Capacity is often expressed in twenty-foot equivalent units (see TEU). |
| Context-Sensitive Solutions | CSS | The process of CSS seeks to preserve aesthetics, historical context, and environmental resources in areas of proposed development, while maintaining efficiency and safety of the transportation system. It is a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, involving a variety of stakeholders to develop facilities and infrastructure in harmony with their current physical setting. |
| Continuous Traffic Counters | CTC | Operated by VTrans, CTCs are permanently deployed traffic counters, which are capable of collecting traffic data for an entire year or longer. |
| Continuous Welded Rail | CWR | Superior to traditional "jointed track", where rails are bolted together, CWR provides superior strength for higher speed locomotives and requires less maintenance. |
| Contraflow Lane | | Otherwise known as a "reversible lane", it is utilised for buses where the direction of travel is opposite to the flow of traffic in the other lanes. Contraflow lanes are also employed for maintenance purposes, or in cases of emergency evacuation where both sides of an interstate highway are used for outbound traffic. |
| Coordination | | Comparisons of transportation-planning materials on one agency with those of other agencies and subsequent adjustment of these materials to reduce omissions, duplications, and conflict. |
| Corduroy Road | | In the context of Ancient Roads, a "Corduroy" road is a road built using tree logs as a sub-base where logs or poles layed crosswise. Such roads were common to moisture prone locations. |
| Corner Sight Distance | CSD | The minimum distance a driver can see across an intersection corner in tandem with the length of time it takes the driver to safely traverse the intersection (past potential crossing vehicles) on to the roadway, and accelerating up to traffic flow speed. |
| Corporate Average Fuel Economy | CAFE | Automobile manufacturer vehicle fleet fuel economy standards. More specifically, CAFE is the sales weighted average fuel economy, expressed in miles per gallon (mpg), of a manufacturer’s fleet of passenger cars or light trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 8,500 lbs. or less, manufactured for sale in the United States, for any given model year. Fuel economy is defined as the average mileage traveled by an automobile per gallon of gasoline (or equivalent amount of other fuel) consumed as measured in accordance with the testing and evaluation protocol set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The “Energy Policy Conservation Act,” enacted into law by Congress in 1975, added Title V, “Improving Automotive Efficiency,” to the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act and established CAFE standards for passenger cars and light trucks. The Act was passed in response to the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo. The near-term goal was to double new car fuel economy by model year 1985. |
| Corridor | | A geographic area that is defined by major highway and rail facilities, and major flows of travel. Transportation corridors are identified for the purpose of analyzing the patterns and flows of traffic between origins and destinations. |
| Crossdock | | Operations in a warehouse not relating to storage, where freight is shifted from different trucks to consolidate loads for immediate shipping. |
| Culvert | | Often constructed out of steel, concrete, plastic, or PVC, a culvert is conduit infrastructure used to channel water underneath and away from a road or railway embankment. |
| Deadhead | | A empty transit vehicle commute to or from a garage, terminal, or a destination between routes. |
| Decision-Support System | DSS | Computer assessment tool that examines the relationships between land use and transportation. |
| Deflection | | A horizontal change in the travel path of traffic due to a physical feature of a roadway. An example would be a "Splitter Island" of a roundabout. Here traffic is slowed by a geometric curvature (or deflection) from a straight trajectory before entering a channelized approach into the roundabout. |
| Department of Public Works | DPW | Municipal entity responsible for repair and maintenance of streets, sewers, greenspace, and urban landscape. DPWs also designs and manage the construction of public facilities. |
| Department of Transportation | DOT | State agency responsible for coordination, operation, and safety of transportation facilities and services, including; highways, bridges, railroads, airports, etc. |
| Design Hour Volume | DHV | Commonly (but, not strictly) the 30th highest hourly traffic volume for a given year. DHV has been considered to be an optimal traffic volume estimation for designing future transportation infrastructure (e.g. intersection and roadway capacity analysis, bridge design, and geometric specifications, et al.) since the 1950 release of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM). |
| Design-Build | D-B | Design-Build (D-B) is an efficient method to complete transportation projects, where designer engineers and construction contractors are brought together under a single contract. This contrasts to the traditional "Design-Bid-Build" (D-B-B) approach where two different contracting efforts must be undertaken in sequentially; 1. Obtaining engineering services on a negotiated-price basis, and 2. Obtaining construction services on the lowest-responsible-bid price basis. |
| Destination | | The place or zone in which a trip terminates. |
| Destination Choice | | An estimate of a trip endpoint determined by a combination of the purpose and origin of the trip. Destination choice is believed to depend on characteristics of the individual (income, auto ownership), characteristics and location of activities at which the trip’s purpose can be accomplished, and characteristics of transportation modes connecting the origin to each possible location. |
| Detectable Warning | | Standardized surface feature built into pedestrian or transit-related infrastructure, which is designed to warn visually impared pedestrians of changes in curbline, slope, crossings, etc. It is generally a tactile standardized feature, intended to function much like a stop sign. It alerts perceivers to the presence of a hazard in the line of travel, whereupon they would stop, and determine the nature and extent of the hazard, before proceeding further. |
| Development Review Board | DRB | Development Review Boards are quasi-judicial, citizen volunteer bodies created under Vermont Statute 24 VSA Chapter 117, intended to interpret and uphold zoning ordinances of their municipality. |
| Diesel Multiple Unit | DMU | Self-propelled railcar, powered by one or more diesel engines. |
| Discretionary Funds | | Funds whose distribution is not automatic and not by formula but dependent on the decision of some agency or party. |
| District Transportation Administrator | DTA | Administrative supervisor of regional transportation services or infrastructure. |
| Double-Stack Railcars | | Rail-freight configuration allowing double-stacking of shipping containers-on-flat-cars (COFC) during transport. Operation of such a configuration can be hindered by clearance restrictions on rail lines. |
| Drayage | | A carrier service (or charge) for the cartage of shipping containers from a dock to an intermediate or final destination. |
| Dynamic Striping | | A traffic calming technique using experimental systems of pavement markings, which is not yet mandated by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). |
| Earmark | | A congressional budgetary mechanism built into the appropriation bill, often used to undertake specific projects. Earmarks are generally designated as a dollar amount. |
| Eastern Border Transportation Coalition | EBTC | Organization providing a cross-border issue forum for each U.S. state, Canadian province, and border service agency. |
| Egress | | A way of exiting or travelling away from a location. Egress generally describes vehicle or pedestrian movements from the perspective of driveways and walkways which provide "egress from a property". See also "Access" or "Ingress". |
| Electronic Toll & Traffic Management | ETTM | ETTM systems equip vehicles with electronic tags (or transponders) that communicate with roadside sensors to provide automatic vehicle identification that allows for toll collection at the toll booth, and general vehicle monitoring and data gathering beyond the toll plaza. These systems the potential to reduce congestion, improve safety, energy efficiency, air quality, and to enhance economic productivity at a cost significantly less than additional road construction. |
| Environmental Assessment | EA | The purpose of an EA is to determine if there is sufficient evidence for a proposed project to require a more comprehensive Environmental Impact Study (EIS). Often an EA is a sufficient environmental document in itself when impacts of a project minor or can be mitigated. |
| Environmental Impact Statement | EIS | Document that studies all likely impacts resulting from major federally-assisted programs. Impacts include those on the natural environment, economy, society, and the built (existing) environment of historical and aesthetic significance. |
| Environmental Justice | EJ | The fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, programs and policies. |
| Environmental Protection Agency | EPA | The federal regulatory agency responsible for administering and enforcing environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act. |
| Equivalent Single Axle Load | ESAL | Equivalent 18-kip Single Axle Load. A basic premise of truck weight enforcement is that there is a resulting reduction in the rate of pavement deterioration. ESAL measures Truck traffic loading expressed as the number of equivalent 18,000 lb (80 kN) single axle loads. |
| Essential Air Services | EAS | Federal subsidy program for scheduled air services to rural communities |
| Excursion Train | | A rail enterprise catering to tourism or leisure markets in the form of seasonal, recreational, historical, or tourist service destinations. |
| Expressway | | A controlled access, divided arterial highway for through traffic where intersecting roads are bypassed via Grade Separation. |
| Federal Aviation Administration | FAA | U.S. Department of Transportation agency responsible for aviation related programs. |
| Federal Highway Administration | FHWA | U.S. Department of Transportation agency responsible for highways. |
| Federal Railroad Administration | FRA | U.S. Department of Transportation agency responsible for railroad programs. |
| Federal Transit Administration | FTA | U.S. Department of Transportation agency that administers federal funding to support a variety of locally planned, constructed, and operated public transportation systems throughout the U.S., including buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, streetcars, monorail, passenger ferry boats, inclined railways, and people movers. |
| Federal-Aid Highway | | Defined in 23 United States Code 101(a) as highways on the Federal-aid highway systems and all other public roads not classified as local roads or rural minor collectors. In the context of "Functional Classification", highways on the Federal-Aid System consist of; 1. A road in an Urban area that is at least an "Urban Collector" or higher (Functional Classes 1, 2, 6, & 7). 2. A road in a Rural area that is at least a “Rural Major Collector” or higher (Functional Classes 11, 12, 14, 16, & 17). Highways not on the Federal-Aid System consist of; "Urban Local Access", "Rural Minor Collector", & "Rural Local Access" (Functional Classes 19, 8, & 9 respectively). |
| Federal-Aid Interstate | FAI | Originally authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, a system for the allocation of funds by formula was developed for Interstates, which was based the most heavily travelled routes of the Federal-Aid Primary system. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1973, which required the use of "Functional Highway Classification" to update and modify the Federal-aid highway systems by July 1, 1976 replaced this classification scheme. |
| Federal-Aid Primary | FAP | Originally authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944, a system for the allocation of funds by formula was developed based on area, population, and route miles. The Federal-Aid Primary system was considered the primary travelled roads. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1973, which required the use of "Functional Highway Classification" to update and modify the Federal-aid highway systems by July 1, 1976 replaced this classification scheme. |
| Federal-Aid Secondary | FAS | Originally authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944, a system for the allocation of funds by formula was developed based on area, population, and route miles. The Federal-Aid Secondary system was considered the "Farm-to-Market" roads. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1973, which required the use of "Functional Highway Classification" to update and modify the Federal-aid highway systems by July 1, 1976 replaced this classification scheme. |
| Federal-Aid System | FAS | Defined in 23 United States Code 101(a) as highways on the Federal-aid highway systems and all other public roads not classified as local roads or rural minor collectors. In the context of "Functional Classification", highways on the Federal-Aid System consist of; 1. A road in an Urban area that is at least an "Urban Collector" or higher (Functional Classes 1, 2, 6, & 7). 2. A road in a Rural area that is at least a “Rural Major Collector” or higher (Functional Classes 11, 12, 14, 16, & 17). Highways not on the Federal-Aid System consist of; "Urban Local Access", "Rural Minor Collector", & "Rural Local Access" (Functional Classes 19, 8, & 9 respectively). |
| Federal-Aid Urban | FAU | Those roads within Urbanized Areas (UA) that are designated upon the Federal-Aid System (FAS), and are functionally classed as; 11 (Urban Interstate), 12 (Urban Other Freeway or Expressway), 14 (Urban Other Principal Arterial), 16 (Urban Minor Arterial), or 17 (Urban Collector). |
| Feeder Service | | Local transport providing passengers with connections to a longer service. |
| Finding of No Significant Impact | FONSI | If a "Finding of No Significant Impact" is concluded from an Environmental Assessment, a full EIS would not be required for the project. |
| Fiscal Year | FY | The Fiscal Year for the State of Vermont and the CCMPO is July 1 – June 30, while the TIP and STIP follow the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) of October 1 – September 30. |
| Fixed-Based Operator | FBO | Provider of aviation support services at airports, such as; fueling, line, paint, avionics, aircraft maintenance, hangar, catering, and other ground and/or logistical services. |
| Flexible Funds | | Federal transportation funding that may be used for highway and/or transit. |
| Floodplain | | The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulates any development in mapped floodplains based on the 100-year flood (i.e. those areas which have a 1% chance of a flood in any given year). Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued Flood maps delineate 100-year floodplains, as well as 500-year floodplains (i.e. those areas which have a 0.2% chance of a flood in any given year). |
| Fog Line | FOGL | Reflective white lines painted along the shoulder of a road demarking the legally extent a motor vehicle is allowed to operate. |
| Formula Grants | | Funds distributed according to some legislated or regulated scheme. |
| Forty-Foot Equivalent Unit | FEU | A Forty-Foot Equivalent Unit is used to express shipping or capacity volume of freight. Using the ISO standard of double the 20-foot shipping container (i.e. TEU - Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) as a means of measurement, FEUs further summarise a general sense of freight traffic moving through major shipping ports commonly reported by government or industry. A FEU is an approximate measure of two containerized cargo units (20 ft. long * 8 ft. wide container), which does not account for container height. An FEU is generally the amount of freight carried by a standard 18-wheel tractor-trailer hauling a 48' trailer. |
| Freeway | | A divided arterial highway designed for unimpeded flow of large traffic volumes, have controlled access, and grade separation from intersecting roads. |
| Freight Analysis Framework | FAF | Federal freight transportation data integration project, obtaining data from various sources to estimate and forecast freight activity among states, regions, and major international gateways. |
| Fringe Parking | | Refers to any designated parking facility located outside a Central Business District (CBD) or other commercial activity center. |
| Frontage Road | | A road abutting a limited-access highway that provides a means of access between the highway and local roads. |
| FTA Section 5307 | | Grant program for capital and operating assistance in urban areas with populations greater than 50,000. |
| FTA Section 5309 | | Grant for capital programs such as buses and bus facilities. |
| FTA Section 5310 | | Grant program to states for assisting private non-profit groups in meeting the transportation needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities. |
| FTA Section 5317 | | New Freedom Program. Grant program to encourage services and facility improvements to address the transportation needs of persons with disabilities that go beyond those required by the ADA. |
| Full Truck Load Carrier | FTL | Full truckload carriers usually haul freight in single moves from shipper to receiver. "For-hire TL carriers" haul freight and special commodities in full truckload quantities, often in long-hauls (less than 500 miles up to a “transcontinental” haul) on irregular schedules determined by demand of shippers and receivers. "Private TL carriers" haul special commodities in truckload quantities, usually between manufacturing plants and warehouses as an in-house service. |
| Functional Classification | FC | A Federal Highway Administration road designation scheme for rural, small urban, and urbanized areas. Functional classification defines the role that any particular road or street should play in servicing the flow of trips through a highway network. Standards for highway classification were developed during 1969-1971 using criteria and procedures specified in the 1968 National Highway Functional Classification Study Manual. The scheme may be expressed as: 1 = Rural Interstate, 2 = Rural Principle Arterial, 6 = Rural Minor Arterial, 7 = Rural Major Collector, 8 = Rural Minor Collector, 9 = Rural Local Access, 11 = Urban Interstate, 12 = Urban Other Freeway or Expressway, 14 = Urban Other Principal Arterial, 16 = Urban Minor Arterial, 17 = Urban Collector, 19 = Urban Local Access. |
| Gateway | | Refering to a transportation or shipping corridor of national or international importance. |
| Geographic Information System | GIS | A software system which assists in the development, storage, analysis, and display of locational or spatial information. |
| Geographic Information Systems for Transportation | GIS-T | Refers to the principles and applications of applying geographic information technologies to transportation problems (Miller and Shaw, 2001). |
| Girder | | A main horizontal support beam for a bridge structure that usually handles loads from smaller floor beams and stringers. |
| Global Positioning System | GPS | A navigation system utilising satellites to provide a GPS-receiver on Earth with accurate coordinates. |
| Grade Crossing | | Where a roadway intersects a rail line. |
| Grade Separation | | The raising or lowering of a roadway to bridge over another roadway, thereby eliminating traffic conflict. |
| Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles (Bonds) | GARVEE | GARVEE Bonds are funding mechanisms that enable governmental entities to finance infrastructure or transit projects based on anticipated future revenues, which are then used to repay outstanding debt. A state may use future federal-aid funding obligations to reimburse the retirement of principal loans, interest charges, issuance, insurance, and other associated costs related to the sale of eligible debt-financing instruments. |
| Green Book | | Published by AASHTO, the "Green Book" is formally known as "A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets". It covers the latest geometric design practices in standard use for highways, intersections, and interchanges. |
| Greenhouse Gases | GHG | Identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), anthropogenic greenhouse gases are recognized by the international scientific community as having the potential to bring about climate change. Such gases include; Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (NOX), Carbon Tetrafluoride, Hexafluoromethanem, Sulfur Hexafluoride, and others. |
| Gross Vehicle Weight | GVW | Gross Vehicle Weight |
| Growth Center | | Land Use term defined by Vermont staute as an area of land that incorporates a mix of uses that typically or potentially include uses such as; retail, office, commercial, civic, recreational, industrial, and residential within a densely developed, compact area that promotes social interaction. Growth centers are located in or adjacent to a designated downtowns, village centers, or new town centers with clearly defined boundaries that have been approved by one or more municipalities in their municipal plans to accommodate a majority of growth anticipated over a 20-year period. |
| Hazardous Material | HAZMAT | Classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), transport of HAZMAT is regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. |
| Headway | | Often used in context of transit service, "Headway" refers to the time interval between buses or passenger trains moving towards a specific destination or transit-stop along a particular route. |
| Heavy Rail | | Rapid rail transit service using rail cars powered by electricity drawn from a third rail and usually operated on exclusive rights-of-way. It usually uses longer trains and has longer spacing between stations than light rail. (For example, the New York City subway system). |
| High Accident Location | HAL | A location on the federal-aid highway system that has experienced a minimum of five accidents over a five-year period and has an Actual Rate to Critical Rate Ratio (ARCR) of 1 or greater. The list of HALs is maintained by the Vermont Agency of Transportation - Highway Research Section. |
| High Occupancy Vehicle | HOV | Vehicle carrying two or more people (i.e. a carpool). Roads may have lanes solely for HOV use, such as carpools, vanpools, and buses. |
| High Risk Rural Roads Program | HRRR | A federal safety and funding provision addressing the high fatality and incapacitating injury rate, which occurs on rural roads (nationally, about 60% occur on Rural Major & Minor Collectors, as well as Rural Local Access roads). |
| High Speed Rail | HSR | Intercity passenger rail service that is reasonably expected to reach speeds of at least 110 miles per hour (49 U.S.C. §26105 (b)(4)). |
| Highway Capacity Manual | HCM | Published by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the HCM outlines fundamental information and computational techniques on the quality of service and capacity of highway facilities. |
| Highway Performance Monitoring System | HPMS | A GIS-based national highway information system that includes data on the extent, condition, performance, use, and operating characteristics of US highways. |
| Highway Safety Improvement Program | HSIP | Federal program assisting states to achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads through the implementation of infrastructure-related highway safety improvements. |
| Highway Trust Fund | HTF | A financing mechanism established under federal law to account for tax receipts (primarily from motor fuel taxes) collected by the federal government and dedicated to surface transportation projects. |
| Home-Based Trip | | A trip that starts and/or ends at home. |
| Home-Based Work Trip | | A trip with one end at work and the other at home. |
| Hot Spot | | A location with higher-than-ambient levels of pollution. Hot spots may be attributed to such things as weather patterns, topography, and traffic intensity. |
| Hydrocarbons | HC | Hydrocarbons are a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) that is released into the atmosphere because of incomplete combustion of petroleum fuels or by their evaporation. The strong odor of diesel fuel is associated with HC. The EPA states that 47% of Hydrocarbon emissions in our atmosphere can be attributed to vehicles. Hydrocarbons combined with Nitrogen Oxides, and sunlight form Ozone (O3). |
| Impact Fee | | A local government imposed fee upon developers, which in theory is used to finance infrastructure costs and improvements that handle increased service caused by new development. |
| Induced Travel | | Formally known as the "Traffic Inducement Effect", it is a highly debated concept in transportation planning, which postulates that improvements intended to increase highway capacity are only a temporary solution. Simply stated, Induced Travel is any increase in daily travel (measured as Passenger Miles of Travel [PMT] or Vehicle Miles of Travel [VMT]) resulting from a change in the transportation system. |
| Ingress | | A way of entering or travelling to a location. Ingress generally describes vehicle or pedestrian movements from the perspective of driveways and walkways which provide "ingress to a property", or more commonly "Ingress & Egress to a property" or "Access & Egress to a property". |
| Inscribed Circle Diameter | ICD | Diameter of a Rotary, Roundabout, or Circulator intersection. Generally speaking, a smaller ICD of a modern roundabout keeps the traffic speed lower, and hence safer than the larger ICD's commonly found with rotaries or traffic circles. |
| Intelligent Transportation Systems | ITS | Technology used to improve the efficiency of transportation systems. |
| Intermodal | | Planning that reflects a focus on connectivity between modes and emphasizes choices, coordination, and cooperation. |
| Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 | ISTEA | The purpose of this act was to develop a 'National Intermodal Transportation System that is economically efficient, environmentally sound, provides the foundation for the Nation to compete in the global economy and will move people and goods in an energy efficient manner.' This act established the provision that MPO's undertake development of a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a long-range plan, and an annual work program. It also required for states; a statewide planning process, a statewide transportation plan, and a statewide transportation improvement program (STIP). |
| Intermodal Transfer Facility | | Involves moving containers between rail and truck, or other modal combinations, and can increase efficient transportation services and energy efficiency because a train loaded with containers can carry the same load as dozens of trucks. Such service can contribute to reduced truck traffic on congested highways, reduced damage to highways from heavy trucks, and improved air quality. |
| International Organization for Standardization | ISO | Based in Geneva, Switzerland, ISO is a non-governmental organization (NGO) coordinating the publication and development of a host of International Standards for government, private-sectors. Such standards apply to equipment specifications, data transfer standards, monitoring standards, et al. The acronym "ISO" is derived from the Greek 'isos' (meaning "equal"). Hence "ISO" is applicable to any country or language as a mark of an international standard. |
| International Roughness Index | IRI | A pavement condition profiling indicator (used by HPMS, et al.) reflecting ride smoothness. IRI data is captured by a device mounted on a vehicle measuring suspension motion per distance travelled, and may be expressed in inches/mile (in/mi) or meters/kilometer (m/km). An IRI of 0m/km means that a roadway is perfectly smooth. And where there is no maximum for this indicator, it is generally accepted that an IRI of 8m/km is almost impassible unless vehicle speeds are greatly reduced. |
| Intersection Sight Distance | ISD | The AASHTO "Green Book" reference to the "Line of Sight" distance between a vehicle travelling on a roadway and a vehicle attempting to enter the roadway from an intersection or driveway. |
| Interstate Highway System | IHS | A subsystem of the NHS, the Interstate Highway System is also named the "Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". The concept of the IHS was first formally studied under mandate by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1938, and was first authorized construction funds under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1952. It was not until the enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, championed by President Eisenhower, that the Highway Trust Fund was established to finance construction of the entire network for the purpose of facilitating private and commercial transportation, and providing transportation routes for military supplies and troop deployments in case of an emergency or foreign invasion. |
| Interstate Maintenance Program | | Federal program providing funding for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating and reconstructing (4R) most routes on the Interstate Highway System. |
| Jake Brake | | Engine-induced braking system on trucks, often associated with noise issues in local neighborhoods. |
| Job Access/Reverse Commute | JARC | Transit improvement plan designed to meet the work-related transportation needs of low-income residents. |
| Joint Use | | Parking lots that allow for commuter parking, which is normally utilised for a different purpose, such as; Shopping centers, Government, or Recreation. |
| Just-In-Time-Delivery | JIT | A method of inventory control where products are delivered to stores or assembly lines only when needed to minimize the high cost of maintaining local inventory and warehousing. The effects on freight demand are to; increase the number of individual shipments, decrease their length of haul and costs, and increase the reliability of on-time delivery. |
| Key Station Plan | | A document designating critical transit facilities needed to expand accessibility for individuals with disabilities and to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. |
| Kiosk | | In the context of Transportation, kiosks are interactive systems set up in airports, transit terminals, or commercial activity centers to assist travelers with transportation or other logistical information. |
| Kip | | A unit equalling 1000 pounds of force upon a surface (i.e. "kilopound"). In transportation, it is used to describe the load bearing wear upon a roadway. Often expressed as a component of an indicator of truck wear upon a road surface, it is expressed as "Equivalent Single Axle Load" (ESAL), which is comprised of 18 kip, or 18,000 lbs. per axle on a truck. |
| Kiss and Ride | | Area where commuters are driven and dropped off to take a public transportation service. |
| Land Use | | The purpose for which land or the structures on the land are being utilized (e.g., commercial, residential, or retail). Also used as a description of activities found throughout an urban area. |
| Land Use Allocation Module | LUAM | The Land Use Allocation Module (LUAM) has been used by CCMPO & CCRPC to forecast future land use patterns. The primary data inputs are; housing & employment by type of Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) in the model, physical constrains data, and zoning data. |
| Land-Based Classification Standards | LBCS | American Planning Association (APA) standardised model used to categorise land use based on its charcteristics. Such characteristics are defined as; Activity, Function, Structure, Site Development Character, and Ownership Type. |
| Lane Miles | | Road centerline miles multiplied by the number of lanes. Hence, a four-lane road that is 5 miles long is 20 Lane Miles. |
| Less-Than-Container-Load | LCL | Refering to "Containers" or ISO multimodal shipping Containers; Less-Than-Container-Load. |
| Less-Than-Truckload Carrier | LTL | LTL carriers haul general freight in less than a full truckload quantity, often in a short-haul or regional move. "For-hire" LTL's often combine freight from multiple shippers and operate local pickup and delivery service in urban areas on regular routes (known as line-haul relays, or terminal to terminal service). "Private" LTL's typically handle short-haul moves between warehouses and retailers as an in-house service. |
| Level of Service | LOS | A system of indicating delay at signalized intersections, which is graded on a letter scale from A to F, generally outlined by the HCM as: A <= 10 sec, B = 10-20 sec, C = 20-35 sec, D = 35-55 sec, E = 55-80 sec, F > 80sec. |
| Light Duty Vehicle | LDV | Passenger cars, pick-up trucks, vans, or light-duty trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 lbs. or less, plus an adjusted loaded vehicle weight of 5,751 lbs. or less |
| Light Rail Transit | LRT | Generally applies to single- or double-car rail transport that uses mostly mixed, but not usually grade-separated, rights-of-way. LRT is an intermediate-capacity, intermediate-speed mode with service capabilities between heavy rail transit and local bus. Other forms and terms of LRT include; electric trolleys, streetcars, or tramways. |
| Limited Access Highway | | A highway intended for free-flow traffic, which has a limited number of interchanges. |
| Line Haul Service | | Transport along a single corridor without branches. |
| Line of Sight Distance | | The unobstructed view from an intersection down an intersecting roadway. Sufficient line of sight allows for enough driver reaction time and vehicle movement to avoid collisions during turning movements (Also see Intersection Sight Distance). |
| Linear Reference System | LRS | A major component of the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) program that assigns a separate link and node GIS database for all National Highway System (NHS) Routes, Rural & Urban Principal Arterial roads, and Rural Minor Arterial roads. |
| Link | | An element of a transportation network that represents a segment which terminates in a node at the other end. A link may have a number of attributes, including distances, number of lanes, capacity, and direction, and is often assigned a travel time function to the volume of traffic using the link. |
| Liquefied Natural Gas | LNG | A natural gas fuel comprised mainly of methane, cooled to below its boiling point of -260 degrees Fahrenheit, where it becomes a liquid. LNG is stored at very low temperatures within a special low-pressurized vacuum container. LNG does not burn in liquid form. |
| Local Emergency Planning Committee | LEPC | A committee under the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC), LEPC function is to provide resources and guidance to Chittenden County communities through education, coordination and assistance in hazmat planning, as well as to assure public health and safety. |
| Local Enhancements | | Otherwise known as "Local Tranportation Facilities", it is the State program administering development of Enhancement Projects, Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities, Safe Routes to School Projects, Park-n-Rides, Scenic Byways and "Local" Projects. The majority of the projects have a high degree of local focus and for the most part, development and construction is managed by local municipalities. |
| Local Service | | Transit service involving many stops and low operating speeds with the purpose of picking up or delivering passengers as closely as possible to origins and destinations. |
| Local Street | | Street designed to provide access to and from homes and businesses. |
| Local Transportation Assistance Program | LTAP | Federally funded program to enable local governments to improve their roads and bridges by providing training and information. |
| Local Transportation Facilities | LTF | Also known as "Local Enhancements", LTF is a Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) program established to assist local governments with project implementation for; Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities, Safe Routes to School Projects, Park-n-Rides, Scenic Byways and other "Local" Projects. |
| Long Range Transportation Plan | LRTP | A long-range document required by federal law that identifies facilities and programs that should function as an integrated metropolitan transportation system and includes a financial plan that demonstrates how the long-range plan can be implemented. Federal requirement for MPOs and Agencies of Transportation to undertake every five years and looks out 20-25 years. |
| Longer Combination Vehicles | LCV | Vehicles with two or more trailer units that have gross weights of more than 80,000 pounds. LCVs typically include four vehicle types: 1. "ROCKY MOUNTAIN DOUBLE" - (105,000 lbs./Len. 95'/3 Trailers: 1 = 48', 2 = 28'), 2. "TURNPIKE DOUBLE" - (Wt. 135,000 lbs./Len. 120'/2 Trailers of 48'), 3. "TRIPLE TRAILER" - (Wt. 110,000 lbs./Len. 110'/3 Trailers of 28'), 4. "STAA DOUBLE (WESTERN DOUBLE)" - (Wt. ?/Len. 65'/2 Trailers of 28'). |
| Loop Detectors | | Sensory equipment installed beneath the road surface that helps to monitor, collect data, and manage incidents of vehicle traffic. |
| Low Emission Vehicle | LEV | A vehicle certified to meet low emission standards set by the California Air Resources Board. These regulations are stricter than the US national "Tier" regulations. |
| Low Volume Road | | According to the MUTCD (Section 5A.01), a low volume road is: "a facility lying outside of built-up areas of cities, towns, and communities, and it shall have a traffic volume of less than 400 AADT." According to the AASHTO "Green Book" (i.e. Guidelines for Geometric Design of Very Low-Volume Local Roads), a low volume road has an "ADT less than or equal to 400". |
| Magnetic Levitation | MAGLEV | High-Speed fixed-guideway transportation systems, which utilize magnetic levitation or suspension (which counteracts gravity) instead of conventional rail infrastructure. |
| Maintenance Area | | Any U.S. region previously designated "Nonattainment" pursuant to the Clean Air Act Ammendments of 1990 (CAAA) and subsequently redesignated to "Attainment". Such regions are subject to develop a maintenance plan under section 175A of the Clean Air Act as ammended. |
| Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices | MUTCD | Published by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), this manual defines the standards used by road managers nationwide to install and maintain traffic control devices (signage, pavement markings, traffic signals, etc.) on all streets and highways. |
| Maritime Administration | MARAD | The Maritime Administration is the agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation dealing with waterborne transportation. MARAD is responsible for waterborne transportation, the U.S. merchant marine, and other areas, such as; ships, shipping, shipbuilding, port operations, vessel operations, national security, environment, and safety. |
| Measures of Effectiveness | MOE | Indicators or test results reflecting degree of attainment for specific objectives. |
| Memorandum of Understanding | MOU | A document providing specific duties and responsibilities to be assumed by two or more parties in pursuit of a project or goal. |
| Metropolitan Planning Organization | MPO | Federally established organization responsible for a cooperative, continuous, and comprehensive framework to make transportation investment decisions within their designated area. |
| Metropolitan Statistical Area | MSA | Defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, an MSA is a county or a group of contiguous counties that contain at least one city of 50,000 inhabitants or more, or 2) An urbanized area of at least 50,000 inhabitants and a total MSA population of at least 100,000 (75,000 in New England). The contiguous counties are included in an MSA if, according to certain criteria, they are essentially metropolitan in character and are socially and economically integrated with the central city. In New England, MSAs consist of towns and cities rather than counties. |
| Metropolitan Transportation Plan | MTP | A federally-mandated long-range plan for transportation development and investment based on the goals in the CCMPO Vision Statement. |
| Metropolitan Transportation System | MTS | The multimodal network of highways, arterial and collector roadways, transit services, rail lines, Burlington International Airport, and other intermodal facilities critical to the movement of people and goods in Chittenden County. |
| Milepost | | A milepost (i.e. milemarker) is a reflective green paddle sign placed alongside highways indicating total mileage from an original control point. For Interstates, the zero milepost originates at the southernmost, or the westernmost end of the route. However, for other routes, the location of the zero milepost varies. |
| Mobile Source Pollutants | | Vehicle-generated pollutants as regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for air quality. These include; Carbon Monoxide (CO), Hydrocarbons (HC) or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Small Particulate Matter (PM-10), and Large Particulate Matter (PM 2.5). |
| Mobility | | The door-to-door experience of traveling or shipping goods throughout our communities and across the region, measured in terms of travel time, comfort, convenience, safety, and cost. |
| Mode | | One of several major types of transportation such as rail, bus, automobile, and non-motorized (bicycle/pedestrian) transportation. |
| Mode Choice | | A process by which an individual selects a transportation mode for use on a trip chain, given the trip’s purpose, origin, and destination; characteristics of the individual; and characteristics of travel by the realistically available modes. |
| Mode Split | | The percentage, or share, of trips captured by the various transportation modes. |
| Model | | In Transportation or Land-Use Planning, a computer model is employed to generate forecasts on future conditions of population levels, traffic, economic development, housing development, etc. Such a tool ought to be considered a Decision-Support system, augementing sound judgement of a decision-making entity. |
| Multimodal | | Using several integrated modes of transportation (rail or bus transit, carpool, bicycle, pedestrian, single-occupancy vehicle, etc.) in a given area. |
| National Ambient Air Quality Standards | NAAQS | Clean Air Act standards for widespread pollutants from numerous and diverse sources considered harmful to public health and the environment. |
| National Association of Development Organizations | NADO | Formed in 1967, NADO is an advocacy organization for federal programs and policies, which promote regional strategies and address local economic development needs. |
| National Association of Regional Councils | NARC | Formed in 1967, NARC is an advocacy organization serving as a national forum for regionalism. Member organizations are comprised of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), Regional Planning Agencies (RPA/RPC), Council of Governments (COG), etc., which work on transportation, community, economic development, and environmental quality issues. |
| National Cooperative Highway Research Program | NCHRP | A research program of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) that develops near-term, practical solutions to problems facing transportation planning agencies. |
| National Environmental Policy Act | NEPA | Federal law requiring federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions. |
| National Highway Institute | NHI | NHI is the training and education arm of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), established by Congress in 1970. |
| National Highway System | NHS | As of 2008, the NHS is comprised of about 160,000 miles (256,000 kilometers) of roadway important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility. The National Highway System (NHS) includes the Interstate Highway System as well as other roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility. The NHS was developed by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in cooperation with the states, local officials, and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). |
| National Highway System Program | NHSP | The program provides funding for improvements to rural and urban roads that are part of the NHS, including the Interstate System and designated connections to major intermodal terminals. Under certain circumstances, NHS funds may also be used to fund transit improvements in NHS corridors. |
| National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | NHTSA | NHTSA was established in 1970 by the Highway Safety Act of 1970. Its mission is to; "Save lives, prevent injuries and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes, through education, research, safety standards and enforcement activity." |
| Natural Gas Vehicle | NGV | NGV's use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)- composed of Methane, or a less common Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a cleaner alternative to petroleum-based fossil fuels. |
| Network | | In planning, a network is a computerized representation (often times in the for of a GIS or other digital model) of roadways and intersections that describes a transportation system. For highway engineering, a network is a configuration of highways that constitutes the total system. In transit operations (bus, passenger rail, et al.), a network is a system of transit lines or routes, usually designed for coordinated operation. |
| New England Central Railroad | NECR | A privately operated railroad company. |
| New Starts | | The "Federal Transit Act" authorized temporary discretionary funds intended help start new fixed-route transit systems or services. |
| Nitrogren Oxides | NOX | Precursor emission that forms from high-temperature combustion processes. React with VOCs in the presence of heat and sunlight to form ozone. |
| Node | | A point where two links join a network, usually representing a decision point for route choice but sometimes indicating only a change in some important link attribute. |
| Nonattainment Area | | A geographic area that in the US EPA has designated as not meeting the NAAQS. The Chittenden County area has not been designated as a nonattainment area for ozone or CO at this time. |
| Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program | NTPP | SAFEATEA-LU Section 1807 established the NTPP. This program is providing 25 million dollars each to four communities--Columbia, MO; Marin County, CA; Minneapolis Area, MN; Sheboygan County, WI--to demonstrate how improved walking and bicycling networks can increase rates of walking and bicycling. |
| Notice of Intent | NOI | A notice informing the public that an Environmental Impact Statement will be undertaken for a project. |
| Off Peak | | Trips that occur during period of relatively low traffic. |
| Offtracking | | The tendency for rear tires to follow a shorter path than the front tires when turning. This is a primary concern with Trucks, Buses, or trailered vehicles because rear tires may clip street signs, or drive onto shoulders, walkways, or bike lanes, or cross the centerline on a curve, creating a safety hazard for adjacent and oncoming traffic. |
| Origin | | The location or zone at which a trip begins; the place where a trip is “produced.” |
| Origin/Destination Study | O-D | A study of where person or vehicle trips begin and end. Such a study may also include trip purposes and frequencies. |
| Ozone | O3 | A colorless gas with a sweet odor that is not a direct emission from transportation sources, but is formed when VOCs and NOx from car exhausts and some industrial emissions combine in the presence of sunlight. Ground-level ozone is associated with smog conditions and initiates damage to lungs, trees, crops and materials. Requlated by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA). |
| Paratransit | | Flexibly-scheduled transportation services catering to special needs populations such as the elderly and disabled. |
| Park and Ride facility | P&R | A parking lot designated by the state or a municipality for the purpose of commuter travel, allowing for a mode shift from automobile to transit or carpool. |
| Parking Accumulation | | Total number of vehicles parked within a parking facility at a given time, usually during peak use. |
| Partial Zero Emission Vehicle | PZEV | A vehicle that has zero evaporative emissions from its fuel system, has a 15 year (or at least 150,000 mile) warranty, and meets SULEV tailpipe emission standards. |
| Particulate Matter | PM | An indicator used in the description of Air Quality assessment. PM is a term describing a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets monitored in the air. PM originates from fuel combustion from automobiles, power plants, industrial facilities, and residential fireplaces and wood stoves. Fine particles (PM 2.5 = 2.5 microns or smaller) are closely associated with health effects, such as; increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits for heart and lung disease, increased respiratory symptoms and disease, decreased lung function, and premature death. Larger particles (PM10 = 2.5 - 10 microns) generally occur as smoke, dust, pollen, etc., which settle relatively quickly when compared to fine particles. |
| Parts per Million | PPM | A measure of air pollutant concentrations. |
| Passenger Facility Charge | PFC | A surcharge added to the price of an airfare and used for capital improvements at airports. |
| Passenger Miles Traveled | PMT | 1. AIR MODE: One passenger transported 1 mile; passenger-miles for one inter-airport flight are calculated by multiplying aircraft miles flow by the number of passengers carried on the flight. The total passenger-miles for all flights is the sum of passenger-miles for all inter-airport flights... 2. AUTO MODE: One passenger traveling 1 mile; e.g., one car transporting two passengers 4 miles results in 8 passenger-miles... 3. TRANSIT MODE: The total number of miles traveled by transit passengers; e.g., one bus transporting five passengers 3 miles results in 15 passenger-miles. |
| Pavement Condition Index | PCI | A rating from 0-100 (with a corresponding qualitative rating from 'Failed' to 'Good'), reflecting the condition or level of wear of pavement along a road segment. |
| Peak Oil | | A term refering to the "Peak" of global petroleum production (i.e. location, extraction, and refinement of oil). Though it does not refer to petroleum depletion per se, it does consider the reduction of its finite reserves. "Peak-Oil" alludes to the ever more difficult means for extraction and supply of inexpensive oil to which the staus-quo global economy relies. It further considers the time when it requires the energy of one barrel to extract a barrel of oil. |
| Peak Period/Peak Hour | | The time period (or specific hour) during which the roadway carries the greatest number of vehicles. Traffic impacts are typically evaluated during the morning and afternoon peak hours when the greatest numbers of motorists are traveling to and from work. It may be specified as the morning peak period (traditionally 7-9 AM) or evening (4-6 PM) peak. |
| Peak Spreading | | A Travel Demand Forcasting modeling concept where there is a calculation of a time-of-day shift in the peak period (i.e. when the maximum amount of traffic occurs). Where many travel demand models use only PM peak hour data (anywhere from 4-6 PM), a peak-spreading travel demand model uses an entire day of data (e.g. a "Day-based model" as opposed to a "PM peak model") to calculate this figure. |
| Pedestrian Environmental Factor | PEF | In traffic modeling, the PEF identifies the pedestrian and bicycle-friendly parts of the transportation network. |
| Person Trip | | The movement of a person from an origin to a destination. A carpool carrying three people from origin-to-destination make one vehicle trip, its occupants together have made three person trips. |
| Personal Rapid Transit | PRT | An energy-efficient, on-demand, guided route, mass-transit system, utilizing small, independent vehicles (e.g. Podcars). |
| Piggyback Service | | A rail and truck combination service where a shipper loads a truck trailer, a truck delivers it to a rail terminal where it is loaded on a flatcar. The railroad then hauls the Trailer-on-Flatcar (TOFC) to a destination terminal, where it is offloaded and trucked to the consignee. |
| Planning Funds | PL | Funds intended for planning purposes only. Such funds are intended to be exclusive of design or engineering of transporation projects, as well as operations or right-of-way acquisitions. Planning funds may however, be used for project scoping. |
| Portland Cement Concrete | PCC | Portland Cement Concrete is a durable, but complex substance commonly refered to as "concrete". |
| Preliminary Engineering | PE | Project development phase in which project design is determined. |
| Project Definition Team | PDT | Comprised of various VTrans department heads who review transportation projects. |
| Public-Private Partnerships | PPP | Contractual arrangements between government agencies and private-sector entities to finance transportation projects. |
| Quality Assurance Project Plan | QAPP | A QAPP documents the planning, implementation, assessment procedures, and quality control activities for any particular project. It integrates all the technical and quality aspects of the project in order to provide a blueprint for obtaining the type and quality of environmental data needed for a specific decision or use. All work performed or funded by EPA that involves the acquisition of environmental data must have an approved QAPP. |
| Queue | | A line of waiting persons or vehicles. For example; a bottleneck of traffic at a signal, a line taxis at an airport, or people in line to board a bus or aircraft. |
| Quiet Zones | | Areas along a rail line where a ban of train horn use is in effect |
| Rail Diesel Car | RDC | A self-propelled, diesel-powered rail passenger car originally built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia between 1949 and 1956 (also termed the "Budd Car"). This vehicle was the original "DMU". A remanufactured, Federal Railroad Administration-approved version is available to date. |
| Rail Sidings | | Sidings increase the capacity of a single track. A single-track line has auxiliary tracks known as sidings. Sidings are located along the line, which allows trains moving in opposite directions to pass each other and allows faster trains to overtake slower trains. The capacity of the rail line and the reliability of operation are affected by the time required to move between sidings. |
| Rail-with-Trail | RWT | Also termed a "Rail-Trail", a RWT is a shared-use path located on, or abutting an abandoned or converted railroad line. |
| Recission | | A congressional budgetary term refering to reduction or cancellation of previously granted funding. |
| Record of Decision | ROD | A record of agreement that a proposed project meets all applicable requirements of an EIS. An ROD is issued by the designated lead agency in the study. |
| Regional Planning Commission | RPC | Enabled by state law, RPCs assist communities within their region to develop local and invoke regional comprehensive land use, transportation and economic development plans which have regulatory recognition in Vermont Act 250 land use proceedings and state agency planning efforts. |
| Request for Proposal | RFP | A formal invitation to organizations to bid on a scope of work for an outlined project. |
| Request for Qualifications | RFQ | A formal invitation to organizations to submit their qualifications and merits to undertake a scope of work for an outlined project. |
| Ridership | | Total number of "rides" taken by people using a public transportation system during a specified time period. |
| Ridesharing | | Any form of shared commuting, which is not Public Transportation (e.g. carpooling, vanpooling, shuttle, etc.). |
| Right-of-Way | ROW | A pathway or road with a specific description (e.g. 'Access and egress 22 feet wide from the centerline of Main Road in Huntington'). ROW may also entail rights to cross property to go to and from another parcel, to pass across another's land, or right to cross without a specific description (e.g. a floating easement). Railroads own title to a right of way upon which to build permanent tracks. |
| Road Diet | | A term used to convey phenomena of increased safety and reduced traffic congestion via a reduction in the number of travel lanes on a roadway, usually (but not always) from four lanes to three. |
| Road Surface Management System | RSMS | A program which assists local governments in identifying maintenance and repair strategies for roads. |
| Roadrailer | | Type of equipment involving the use of rubber-tired track trailers fitted on to rail wheelsets, combined with other units to form a train. |
| Roadway Safety Audit Review | RSAR | A formal safety performance examination of a road or intersection by an multi-disciplinary team. An RSAR reports on potential safety concerns and investigates strategies to improve safety at the specified location. Issues that should be addressed in the report ought to include; 1. Aspects of a safety concern in or around the roadway, and 2. Opportunities to mitigate or eliminate identified safety concerns. |
| Rolling Stock | | Total number of vehicles comprising a transit system (e.g. rail cars, busses, vans, etc.). |
| Rotary | | A large, circular, one-way, multi-lane, and often higher-speed (above 30 MPH) intersection that commonly serves as an access and exit point to interstates, freeways, limited-access highways, or major arterials. Rotaries are NOT roundabouts. Most commonly found in the northeastern U.S., rotaries large size (> 600' width) and low deflection around their center island allow for high speeds (in some cases as high as 45 MPH). Because of this, and Right-of-Way often being given to entering vehicles, rotaries have much higher crash and injury rates than do the more modern Roundabouts. |
| Roundabout | | Non-signalized circular intersection with specific design and traffic control features to ensure low travel speeds and efficient traffic movement. |
| Route Choice | | The process of simulating the sequence of roadways an individual will choose for a trip, given the trip’s origin, destination, and mode. |
| Route-Miles | | Total number of miles within a fixed-route transit system. |
| Rumble Strips | | Rumble strips are raised or grooved patterns constructed on, or in travel lane and shoulder pavements. The texture of rumble strips is different from the road surface. Vehicle tires passing over them produce a sudden rumbling sound and cause the vehicle to vibrate. Road agencies use rumble strips to warn motorists of an upcoming change that may require them to act. For example, the need to slow down for a toll plaza ahead, change lanes for a work zone around the curve, stop for a traffic signal, or steer back onto the roadway. Rumble strips in travel lanes often precede intersections, especially dangerous ones. They are used primarily on expressways, interstate highways, and parkways, although some States install them on 2-lane rural roads that have high numbers of single-vehicle crashes. |
| Rutting | | Surface depression along the wheelpath of a road caused by excessive wear. When rutting occurs, rainwater can collect in the wheelpath, which can lead to increased probability of hydroplaning. |
| Safe Routes To School | SRTS | Mandated by federal law (SAFETEA-LU), "Safe Routes To School" is intended to benefit children in primary and middle schools (K-8) by encouraging them to walk and bike to school regularly, routinely, and safely. SR2S integrates elements of transportation, economics, health, physical activity, environmental awareness and safety. |
| Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users | SAFETEA-LU | On 10 August 2005, the new Federal surface transportation act (SAFETEA-LU) was signed into law, authorizing a $286.4 billion transportation program for a 5-year period; FFY 2004-2009. This act covers all surface transportation programs, such as highways, highway safety, transit, freight, and transportation research. |
| Scenic Highway | | On the recommendation of the scenery preservation council, the transportation board may designate or discontinue any state highway, or portion of a state highway, as a state scenic road. Such action by the legislative body may be petitioned by the registered voters of a municipality pursuant to the provisions of 24 V.S.A. § 1973. |
| Scoping | | A phase in the project development process that moves a recognized problem from an idea through the development of alternatives and environmental screening. |
| Shared Use Path | | A path separated from vehicle traffic by barrier or open space usually on its own right-of-way. |
| Sharrow | | Otherwise known as a "Shared-Lane Arrow", sharrows are employed on roadways too narrow for striped bicycle lanes and help to provide guidance to bicyclists and warn motorists about the presence of bicyclists. The sharrow is a printed image of a bike symbol underneath two chevrons upon the roadway. |
| Short Ton | | A measure of weight equalling 2,000 lbs. The Short Ton is distinguished from the Long Ton (or British Ton), which equals 2,240 lbs., as well as the Metric Ton, which equals 2,204.62 lbs. |
| Signal Optimization Analysis | | This analysis maximizes roadway mobility and capacity (without undertaking expensive and inconvenient roadway widening projects) and can help to reduce pollution. More specifically, "Signal Optimization" is the efficient use of a municipality's or corridor's traffic signals by improving their timing parameters (Fixed-Cycle, Offset, and Split parameters) within the controller box located at an intersection to lessen acceleration and idle time of vehicles. |
| Signal Warrant Analysis | | As defined by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), a Traffic Signal Warrant Analysis is an engineering study of traffic conditions, pedestrian characteristics, and physical characteristics of the location shall be performed to determine whether installation of a traffic control signal is justified at a particular location. |
| Single Occupancy Vehicle | SOV | Vehicle carrying only a driver. |
| Single Point Urban Interchange | SPUI | A variation on a "Diamond Interchange", a SPUI can efficiently move large traffic volumes using a smaller footprint (i.e. less land area) than a standard diamond interchange. SPUI's essentially use a single set of signals to control all through and turning traffic. They are typified by a distinctive ‘hour-glass’ shape, giving the device an efficiency advantage that allows for two simultaneous left-hand turning movements at the signalized intersection. |
| Smart Corridor | | An area that uses advanced technology to maintain the flow of multimodal traffic at maximum efficiency. |
| Smart Growth | | Programs and policies designed to maximize preservation of undeveloped land, natural, and cultural resources, whilst economically evolving the established developed communities. |
| Special Services Transportation Agency | SSTA | Chittenden County non-profit organization providing paratransit services. |
| Special Trip Generators | | In modeling context, special generators represent employers (or employer locations) with unique characteristics that are especially large and therefore need to be handled outside of the normal trip generation approach. Examples for the Chittenden County, VT model include; IBM (Essex and Williston), the University of Vermont, and Fletcher Allen Health Care. |
| Splitter Islands | | A dual-purpose component of a roundabout that serves to deflect traffic speed of entering and exiting vehicles, as well as provide a temporary refuge to pedestrians where crossing is permitted along roadway approaches. |
| Sprawl | | See; "Urban/Sub-Urban Sprawl" |
| Standard Land Use Coding Manual | SLUCM | Developed by the Housing and Urban Development Agency in 1965, SLUCM was a predecessor to the more current LBCS (APA's Land-Based Classification Standards). The 1965 SLUCM provided a numeric coding schema using two, three, four, or more digits identifying land-use categories. An additional two to eight digits identified Ownership, Type of Structure an activity was housed, and Secondary Use Codes identifying additional land uses. SLUCM land uses categories were derived from Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes. |
| State Implementation Plan | SIP | Clean Air Act plan which identifies how the state will attain and/or maintain NAAQS standards. |
| State Planning and Research Funds | SPR | Funds intended for planning and research purposes. SPR funding requires that States allocate 2 percent of their apportionments received from federal programs (e.g. Interstate Maintenance, NHS, Surface Transportation, Highway Bridge, CMAQ, et al.) for State planning and research activities. From this 2 percent, States must then allocate 25 percent for research, development, and technology (RD&T). |
| Statewide Transportation Improvement Program | STIP | The State’s four-year list of fiscally constrained transportation projects planned for implementation statewide. |
| Stopping Sight Distance | SSD | The minimum distance a driver can see ahead in tandem with how long it takes for her/him to stop. According to the AASHTO "Green Book", this distance is comprised of two components; 1. Perception-Reaction Time, which covers the distance a vehicle travels from the moment the driver sees an object necessitating a stop, to the instant the brakes are applied, and -- 2. Braking Distance, which is the distance a vehicle travels during the braking maneuver. |
| Strategic Highway Network | STRAHNET | A network of highways which are important for U.S. strategic defense policy and which provide defense access, continuity and emergency capabilities for defense purposes. |
| Strategic Highway Safety Plan | SHSP | Required by federal law (SAFETEA-LU, 2005), An SHSP identifies a State's key safety needs, whilst guiding investment decisions to achieve significant reductions in highway fatalities and injuries on all public roads. The SHSP facilitates all State highway safety programs to work in concert to align all its resources to collectively address safety challenges on all its public roads. |
| Sub-base (of Road) | | The load bearing and distribution layer of a road underneath the pavement and capping layer. The sub-base is often made of an aggregate such as gravel or crushed-concrete, which is spread and compacted in-place during construction. A Sub-base might also be made of a bound concrete slab in the case of a weak subgrade, or when heavy loads are expected travel the roadway. |
| Subgrade (of Road) | | Classically known as the "Formation Level", the subgrade of a road is the underlying layer beneath the sub-base. The subgrade is at the lowest level of excavation for a road structure and is leveled off to serve as the foundation. A good subgrade should be at least compacted soil that has a low-permeability. |
| Substantial Regional Impact | SRI | In the context of the State of Vermont planning practice, a proposed development has a Substantial Regional Impact (SRI) if a policy of this Regional Plan that is relevant to the determination of an issue in an Act 250 or Section 248 proceeding makes recommendations that are more specific about one or more characteristics, features, standards, or conditions relating to the proposed development than the recommendations of the municipal plan. |
| Sufficiency Rating | | A measure of road or bridge adequacy. A section of road that is completely adequate in every respect is rated at 100. Any deficiency in the road that affects the structural condition, efficient movement of traffic, or safety reduces the rating as far down as zero. |
| Sulfur Dioxide | SO2 | Petroleum fuels contain traces of sulphur compounds and produce Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) during combustion. The majority of the SO2 pollution comes from power generation, which is a significant cause of "Acid Rain". Except for the shipping mode, transportion is not a major contributing source of SO2. |
| Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle | SULEV | A vehicle producing 90 percent less pollutants than an average gasoline-powered vehicle for the year of manufacture. |
| Supply Chain Consortium | SCC | A private-sector consortium which collects data, develops indicators, advises on "Best Practices" optimizing performance and profitability of a supply chain. |
| Supply Chain Management | SCM | Planning and management of business activities involved in movement of freight. SCM seeks to equalize supply and demand across all tiers of the chain (e.g. Supplier -- Primary Manufacturer -- Secondary Manufacturer -- Regional Warehouse -- Distributor -- Retailer -- Consumer). |
| Surface Transportation Program | STP | Federal program providing flexible funding for projects on any Federal-aid highway, including the NHS, bridge projects on any public road, transit capital projects, and bus facilities. |
| Tax Increment Finance district | TIF | Locally designated area receiving targeted investments from increased property tax revenue. |
| Technical Assistance | TA | The CCMPO technical assistance program provides technical support relating to transportation issues for member municipalities and agencies. Services typically provided through this program include: Traffic Counts, Speed Limit Recommendations, Traffic Signal Optimization, Traffic Control Warrant Analysis, Roadway Surface Management Studies, Small Area Transportation Studies, and Safety Studies. |
| Telecommunications Display Device | TDD | Apparatus that converts telephoned information to visual form on a computer screen. Useful to hearing or speech-impaired individuals. |
| Ton-Mile | | The movement of 1 ton of cargo the distance of 1 mile. Ton-miles are calculated by multiplying the weight in tons of each shipment transported by the miles hauled. |
| Traffic Analysis Zone | TAZ | Chittenden County is divided into 335 small areas. Each area has relatively similar characteristics within its boundaries. Often derived from Census Blocks, or Block Groups, TAZs represent land use data on housing and employment in the Travel Demand modeling process. |
| Traffic Assignment | | In the four step practice of Travel Demand Modeling, Traffic Assignment is the process of predicting the specific path travelers take from their Origin to their Destination. |
| Traffic Calming | | The use of education, enforcement, and engineering to change the behavior of drivers and increase safety. |
| Traffic Circle | | Traffic circles (or rotaries) are intersections designed for high speed entry and multi-lane maneuvering. Historically, many have given driver Right-of-Way to entering vehicles, causing gridlock and traffic congestion. Because traffic circles suffered high crash rates and operational problems, they fell out of favor in the US during the 1950s and 1960s. Traffic circles are NOT Roundabouts. |
| Traffic Impact Study | TIS | Also known as Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA), these are studies which collect and analyze information to determine need, impact, and impact mitigation for major roadway improvements. Some activities of a TIS include; Traffic counts, Crash evaluation, Capacity & Level Of Service calculation, Signal Warrant analysis, Development of condition diagrams, Forecasting future traffic volumes with new development and/or alternatives. |
| Trailblazers | | Directional signs placed at strategic locations along high-volume roads, indicating direction to convenient routes or points of access to facilities. |
| Trailer-on-Flatcar | TOFC | A shipping container capable of transport upon a rail flat car or truck flat bed trailer. Same as COFC. |
| TransCAD | | A computer software “platform” used for the CCMPO transportation model. |
| Transit | | Generally refers to urban passenger transportation service, (private or public) along established routes with fixed or variable schedules at published fares. |
| Transit Options | | Infrastructural refinements which assist commuters with intermodal intermodal transitions. Examples of Transit Options are; Trail connection to bus, rail or ferry station, Bike racks on buses, Bike parking/rental/sharing at transit stations, Improved pedestrian access to transit, Long-term bike storage at Park & Rides or transit centers, et al. |
| Transit-Oriented Design | TOD | High density and mixed use land development around transit system stops. |
| Transit-Oriented Development | TOD | Mixed-use (residential, commercial, and industrial) development and zoning designed around commuter rail or bus facilities and infrastructure. |
| Transit-Ready Development | TRD | Similar to TOD, TRD prepares a neighbourhood, corridor, or area for future transit expansion with neighbourhood densities, road networks, pedestrian infrastructure, and public facilities designed as transit destinations. |
| Transload | | Transload facilities provide shippers/receivers with access to rail transportation and storage capacities that otherwise would be unavailable. This enables a local business to purchase a rail car load of product at a lower price per unit, and provides opportunities for several shippers/receivers to consolidate their freight to take advantage of the economies offered by rail. This translates into lower costs and reduced dependence on trucks. Facility features may include; cranes, forklifts, undertrack unloading equipment, conveyors, truck and rail car scales, and rail moving equipment to expedite placement of rail cars for loading and unloading. |
| Transportation Action Grant | TAG | A CCMPO sponsored competitive planning grant program designed to encourage innovative, action-oriented transportation planning initiatives in Chittenden County. |
| Transportation Advisory Committee | TAC | A committee that recommends plans and programs to the CCMPO Board (formerly know as the Technical Advisory Committee). |
| Transportation Capital Program | | The annual program devised by the State of Vermont to determine and prioritize transportation capital investments statewide. These needs and cost estimates are updated annually in the program. This process is coordinated with the CCMPO through the TIP development process. |
| Transportation Control Measures | TCM | Actions, which are usually found in a State Implementation Plan (SIP), that improves traffic flow, reduce vehicle use, or decrease congestion with the objective of lessening air pollutant emissions. |
| Transportation Demand Management | TDM | Low-cost programs that focus on decreasing travel and the use of SOVs, and increasing the use of other modes. |
| Transportation Enhancement Program | TE | Federal funding program for projects designed to enhance transportation related quality of life. Such projects and programs generally relate to such activities as; Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety programs, Scenic and historic highway programs, Landscaping and scenic beautification, Historic preservation, and Environmental mitigation. |
| Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century | TEA-21 | Enacted in July 1998, TEA-21 calls for integrating all modes of transportation - cars, trains, trucks, buses, ferries, walking and biking - into a single, efficient and 'seamless' transportation system. It mandates greater local control over transportation funding decisions through MPOs, such as the CCMPO. |
| Transportation for Livable Communities | TLC | A CCMPO grant program that supports development that strengthens the link between transportation investments and community livability. |
| Transportation Improvement Program | TIP | A list of federally funded projects planned for a four-year period and consistent with the goals of the MTP. |
| Transportation Management Area | TMA | An area designated by the US Secretary of Transportation, having an urbanized area population of over 200,000, or upon special request from the Governor and the MPO, or under special circumstances designated for the area. |
| Transportation Management Association | TMA | A voluntary association of public organizations, private agencies, and businesses joined to develop cooperative transportation programs in a given area. |
| Transportation Planning Initiative | TPI | An effort by VTrans to ensure that the public plays a significant role in determining which transportation problems to be addressed and the scale of those improvements. |
| Transportation Research Board | TRB | TRB is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council, advising the President and Congress specifically on the development of transportation. TRB is a forum engaging engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public, private, and academic sectors to promote progress and innovation through interdisciplinary research. |
| Transportation Systems Management | TSM | Low-cost projects that focus on how the transportation system responds to people’s needs. Most examples are in intersection and signal improvements, such as; signal timing optimization, controller/cabinet and signal head upgrades, vehicle detectors repair/replacement, turning lanes, grade separations, pavement striping, lane assignment changes, signage and lighting. |
| Transportation, Community and System Preservation Program | TCSP | Federal program that provides funding for planning grants, implementation grants, and research to investigate and address the relationships between transportation, community and system preservation. |
| Travel Demand Forecasting (Modelling) | TDF | A four-step (some consider it a five-step) process used to predict future traffic on a transportation network. The five steps, in order, are; 1. Trip Generation, 2. Trip Distribution, 3. Mode Split/Mode Choice, 4. Traffic Assignment, and 5. Model Validation and Reasonableness Checks. |
| Trip Attraction | | The process of attracting trips to a zone. It is generally a function of the land uses in a zone. |
| Trip Distribution | | The process of determining trip exchanges; the number of trips between each pair of zones. |
| Trip Generation | | The first step in the four-step Travel Demand Modeling process, which estimates the number and types of trips types taken by travelers (e.g. Home-To-Work, Nonwork-To-Home, etc.). |
| Trip Reduction Ordinance | TRO | Local regulations requiring employers, developers, or housing managers to provide incentives for workers or residents to use alternative modes of transport. |
| Truck Apron | | Component of a roundabout central island, which accommodates the "Offtracking" of large trucks or buses, but is not intended to be driven by automobiles. Truck aprons generally are a raised and widened concrete or brick pad constructed along the perimeter of the central island. |
| Truck Load | TL | "Truckload", or "Full Truckload" carriers (FTL or TL) usually haul freight in single moves from shipper to receiver (See FTL for a more detailed description). |
| Truck Network | | Road network designated for freight truck travel. The national network has no overall vehicle length limits, nor permit requirements (e.g. I-9, I-89, I-189, and parts of US 7 & US 4). The Vermont network requires permits for any vehicles longer than 72'. The remainder of state highways (not on the truck network) require a permit for trucks and have a 68' vehicle length limit. |
| Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit | TEU | A Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit is used to express shipping or capacity volume of freight. Using the ISO standard of a 20-foot shipping container as a means of measurement, TEUs further summarise a general sense of freight traffic moving through major shipping ports commonly reported by government or industry. A TEU is an approximate measure of containerized cargo capacity (20 ft. long * 8 ft. wide container), which does not account for container height. |
| Ultra Low Emission Vehicle | ULEV | A vehicle producing 50 percent less pollutants than an average gasoline-powered vehicle for the year of manufacture. |
| Unified Planning Work Program | UPWP | The CCMPO’s annual work plan for local and regional transportation planning projects. |
| United States Department of Transportation | USDOT | A federal department of the United States government overseeing transportation, established by Congress in 1966. |
| United We Ride | UWR | Federal initiative created by Executive Order #13330 intended to break down the barriers among Federal programs as they relate to transportation to ensure that transportation services are seamless, comprehensive and accessible. Specifically, UWR is tasked with seeking ways to simplify access to transportation services for persons with disabilities, persons with lower incomes, and older adults. |
| Urban Growth Boundary | UGB | A regional boundary, which is created to efficiently utilise land and regulate urban/sub-urban development into agricultural, forest lands, and other natural areas. By zoning high density development within the UGB, there is greater leverage to encourage the continual redevelopment of land and buildings within urban cores (thereby keeping "downtowns" active), as opposed to unabated land consumption encroaching into natural areas. UGBs can further reduce infrastructure and transportation expenses by maintaining a local compact development strategy. |
| Urban Traffic Management System | UTMS | ITS applications focused on traffic efficiency improvements in an urban area. |
| Urban/Sub-Urban Sprawl | | A scattered, untimely, and poorly planned urban or sub-urban development occurring in urban/sub-urban fringe, as well as rural areas. It is an inefficient policy and planning practice, which consumes land necessary for agricultural or natural resource protection. "Sprawl" typically manifests in the form of; "Leapfrog" development, "Strip-mall" or "Ribbon" development, and large-lot single family units. A term describing the antithesis is known as "Smart-Growth". |
| Urbanized Area | UA | First delineated in the 1950 Census, urbanized areas are densely settled territory, which the U.S. Census Bureau defined from 1950 to 1990 as having a population of 1,000,000 or more. Since the 2000 Census, Urbanized Areas are defined as: Core census block groups or blocks that have a population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile, and a total population of 50,000 or greater. Areas of the same population density, but having a total population ranging from 2,500 to 50,000 are defined in the 2000 Census as an "Urban Cluster" (UC). |
| Validation | | The process of evaluating the accuracy of a transportation model. |
| Vanpool | | A service where passengers share the use and expense of a van to commute to work. |
| Variable Message Sign | VMS | Electronic highway signs where the displayed message can be changed to inform motorists of diferent road, traffic, or weather conditions, etc. |
| Vehicle Hours of Delay | VHD | An indicator reflecting the time it takes to travel a roadway during peak periods v.s. the time it would to travel at a free-flow 35 miles per hour. |
| Vehicle Hours of Travel | VHT | Transportation performance measure that considers the amount of time trip-making takes. |
| Vehicle Miles Traveled | VMT | An indicator of occuring traffic, calculated using Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) multiplied by the length of a particular road in question. One car traveling one mile represents 1 unit of VMT. |
| Vehicle Trip | | An Origin-to-Destination journey by a single vehicle. A bus carrying 40 people from an origin to a destination makes one vehicle trip, while its occupants make a total of 40 person trips. |
| Vermont Agency of Transportation | VTrans | Agency that establishes state policies and plans, and implements programs and projects, for all modes of transportation. |
| Vermont Association of Planning & Development Agencies | VAPDA | Organization comprised of Regional Planning Commission directors and the Chittenden County MPO director, chartered to coordinate a combination of environmental and economic planning strategies |
| Vermont Association of Snow Travellers | VAST | VAST is Vermont's non-profit, private volunteer snowmobiling organization, responsible for maintenance of Vermont trails. VAST has thousands of members and is one of the oldest such organizations in the U.S. |
| Vermont Center for Geographic Information | VCGI | Initiated in 1994, under Act 204 (10 VSA Chapter 8), the Vermont Center for Geographic Information, Inc. (VCGI) is a non-profit public corporation tasked with the development and management of GIS data, and coordination of GIS activities for the State of Vermont. |
| Vermont League of Cities and Towns | VLCT | Founded in 1967, VLCT is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization serving Vermont municipal officials. |
| Vermont Local Roads Program | | The Vermont Local Roads Program at Saint Michael’s College is part of the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), a nationwide effort financed jointly by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and individual State Departments of Transportation. Its purpose is to provide road and bridge know-how to municipal people involved with highways. There are LTAP Centers in 50 states and Puerto Rico and six Native American locations. |
| Vermont Online Bridge & Culvert Inventory Tool | VOBCIT | An online user-friendly application to record and update bridge and culvert data for structures owned by communities in Vermont. The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) was directed by the Vermont Legislature to complete and deploy an integrated software product to handle data entry, access and status reporting of town bridge and culvert inventories currently collected by Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs), the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization, municipalities, and their contractors. Data within VOBCIT complies with the state "Bridge & Culvert Data Exchange Standard". |
| Vermont Planners Association | VPA | A Vermont membership-based, non-profit organization of professional planners, citizen planners, landscape architects, engineers, housing and economic development specialists, and developers. |
| Vermont Rail Advisory Council | VRAC | Instituted in 1993, VRAC was created to advise the Governor and The Agency of Transportation on rail issues. Meeting about 5-6 times per year, members are recruited from private rail industry, operators on state-owned railroads, freight shippers, environmental and economic development organizations, regional chambers of commerce, regional planning commissions, the House & Senate Transportation Committees, and travel and recreation organizations. |
| Vermont Rail Advocacy Network | VRAN | A grassroots network of advocates promoting greater rail mode utilization for passenger and freight in Vermont. |
| Vermont Railway | VTR | A privately operated railroad company. |
| Vermont State Standards | VSS | Formally known as the "Vermont State Standard for the Design of Transportation Construction, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation on Freeways, Roads and Streets", VSS was developed during the mid-1990's, standardizing the physical design parameters and guidelines of Vermont bridges and roadways. VSS was initially created for two purposes: 1. To provide clear technical direction to the designers of transportation projects in Vermont. AND: 2. To achieve roadway and bridge designs which provide access, mobility and safety for users, and which are also sensitive to the social and environmental context of Vermont. |
| Vermont Statutes Annotated | VSA | The official codification of the laws enacted by the Vermont General Assembly (i.e. Legislature). |
| Vermont Transportation Authority | VTA | Operator of passenger rail services. |
| Volatile Organic Compounds | VOC | A group of chemicals that reacts in the atmosphere with NOx in the presence of heat and sunlight to form ozone. Examples include gasoline fumes and oil-based paints. |
| Volume to Capacity Ratio | V/C | An indicator of congestion levels measured by the number of vehicles per hour (volume) divided by the maximum number of cars the road is designed to handle (capacity). |
| Warrant Analysis | | A process outlined by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) which helps determine whether an intersection meets the criteria for the installation of a traffic signal or stop signs. |
| Way To Go Week | W2GW | Vermont annual TDM program that encourages the population to commute non-SOV for one week in the month of May. |
| Waybill | | A receipt evidencing contract and instructions for the transport of cargo. Otherwise known as a "Bill of Lading". |
| Weigh-in-Motion Detectors | WIM | A device employed to capture specific truck-axle or gross vehicle weight as trucks travel over a sensor. Such information is useful in highway or bridge design, as well as truck size and weight enforcement. |
| Wye | | A railroad connector shaped like the alphanumeric character "Y". A wye serves to assist in redirecting rail traffic or reverse direction of travel of a locomotive. |
| Yellow Book | | Originally published by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads (predecessor to FHWA) in 1955, The "Yellow Book", is officially titled; "General Location of National System of Interstate Highways, Including All Additional Routes at Urban Areas Designated in September, 1955". This publication outlined the original plan for the Interstate Highway System with included maps. |
| Yield-to-Left | Y2L | Principle where circulating vehicles within a roundabout, traffic circle, or rotary have the Right-of-Way over entering vehicles. Such practice eliminates traffic gridlock within the intersection. However this policy may vary by state, region, or other jurisdiction. |
| Zero Emission Vehicle | ZEV | Vehicles which do not produce tailpipe and evaporative emissions, where emission-control systems cannot fail, and do not cause emissions from gasoline purchase or its refinement. Of the vehicles which fall in this classification are; Bicycles, Electric vehicles, Compressed-air vehicles, Fuel-cell vehicles, Solar & Hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other human or animal-powered vehicles. |
| Zoning | | Local government laws controlling the use and development of land within a jurisdiction. |
| Zoning Administrator | ZA | Local administrator in charge of enforcing municipal zoning regulations. The ZA also is responsible for providing information to the public, reviewing plans and documentation for compliance, and assisting applicants with their requests for variances. |
| Zoning Board of Adjustment | ZBA | A municipal-level, quasi-judicial body responsible for issuing Zoning Variances, Conditional Use Permits, and hearing appeals. The ZBA interprets the intent of law and sets local land use policy. |
| OTHER TRANSPORT TERMINOLOGY REFERENCES: |
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Contact CCMPO:
110 West Canal Street, Suite 202 Winooski, Vermont 05404-2109 Tel: 802.660.4071 Fax: 802.660.4079 Webmaster |