Hello again!

Rather than summarize all previous listserv emails and off-line discussions on this topic, I will instead present the latest set of desired changes to the three “rail transit” categories:

__ Rail:  light rail, streetcar, or trolley (a change from the current “Streetcar or trolley car”)

__ Rail:  subway or elevated (a change from the current “Subway or elevated”)

__ Rail:  commuter or long-distance railroad (a change from the current “Railroad”)

I can’t state these are “official U.S. DOT recommendations” just yet, but we will need to either come to this decision in early June or identify something else (or just “give up” again, which is not what anyone of us want to do!)  Other changes (e.g., additional transit and non-transit mode groups, some type of “list all modes used” question, a switch from the “usual” specification, etc. etc.) do have merit, but there is a  strong consensus that adding complexity to a U.S. DOT recommendation could jeopardize the opportunity for ANY changes to be subjected to a formal “content change” test.  I should also note that even if this is approved for a formal “content change” test, we don’t yet know, of course, the findings from those tests.

If you work for a transit agency that operates multiple rail modes (or at least a “light rail” mode), or an MPO that covers a region with multiple rail modes, and you see value in your future planning if these changes were implemented, please send me an email (Ken.Cervenka@dot.gov), or give me a call early next week  (202/493-0512) and I will let you know how your interests can be recognized.

For those who may want to review the full ACS question, with the proposed changes to the three “rail transit” modes included, I am showing below.

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31. How did this person usually get to work LAST WEEK?  If this person usually used more than one method of transportation during the trip, mark (X) the box of the one used for most of the distance.

__ Car, truck, or van

__ Bus or trolley bus

__ Rail:  light rail, streetcar, or trolley

__ Rail:  subway or elevated

__ Rail:  commuter or long-distance railroad

__ Ferryboat

__ Taxicab

__ Motorcycle

__ Bicycle

__ Walked

__ Worked at home

__ Other method

Ken Cervenka

FTA Office of Planning and Environment

202/493-0512

p.s., I am sure everyone knows that Memorial Day is Monday, and let’s not ever under-estimate the value of the personal sacrifices that have been made.