[CTPP] Pass The Word

This past May, the TRB Subcommittee on Census Data for Transportation Planning submitted a TCRP (transit cooperative research program) proposal. The proposal called for the development of training materials to assist transit system planners to obtain and use census and other federal statistical data sources. This past July, a group of transit experts met to review over 125 TCRP proposals and our project, "Census Data for Transit Systems Planning", survived the cut and is alive and kicking (along with 33 other project proposals). The next step is for the 33 projects to go before the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee when it meets on October 26-27, 2000. From there, based on past practice, less than 10 of the problem statements are likely to be selected and will then be issued as Requests for Proposals so work can begin. Between now and October 22, the TOPS committee is looking for comments on the 33 projects. Needless to say the TRB Subcommittee thinks ours is a good project deserving of positive comments. Recognizing that the CTPP (and other Census data--PUMS, ACS) are relatively new to the transit community, albeit important, it is vital for our MPO and state friends to let their transit contacts know about this project and the TOPS comment period. Information about this open comment period can be found at http://www4.nationalacademies.org/trb/tcrp/problems.nsf Our specific project is number 32 under category H, Policy and Planning http://www4.nationalacademies.org/trb/tcrp/problems.nsf/field+H