glossary and acronyms

ANN ARBOR AREA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (AAATA)

Responsible for providing transportation services for the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area, including the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, the townships of Ann Arbor, Lima, Pittsfield, Scio, Superior, and Ypsilanti, as well as the villages of Chelsea and Dexter.

AIR QUALITY CONFORMITY ANALYSIS

Process of measuring air quality against the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA); involves physical and chemical measures of various pollutants’ concentrations in the ambient air for a specific geographic area during a defined time period and determines whether the area meets the NAAQS

BLUE WATER AREA TRANSIT (BWAT)

Provides transportation services for the urbanized portions of St. Clair County, the City of Port Huron, and the townships of Burtchville, Fort Gratiot, and Port Huron.

CAPACITY

Maximum number of vehicles a road can be reasonably expected to move at expected speeds, under normal conditions.

COMMUTE TRIPS

Trips made traveling back and forth from home to work.

CONGESTION

Traffic congestion occurs when vehicular travel drops to an unacceptable speed. Congestion can either be recurring (happening during peak travel periods on a daily basis) or non-recurring (happening at unpredictable times and places).

CONSULTATION AGENCY

The consultation agency outreach process is to provide expanded opportunities to participate in the planning process for specific public and private agencies and officials responsible for planning activities related to or with interest in the transportation system. Find that document at: www.semcog.org/Publications.

DETROIT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DDOT)

A City of Detroit department providing transit and paratransit services to residents.

CROSS-JURISDICTIONAL

Crossing municipal boundaries (e.g., a road or bus route that goes from one city to another).

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

SEMCOG’s main policy-making body, the Executive Committee provides the management of the organization.

FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION (FHWA)

A branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation that administers the federal-aid highway program and provides financial assistance to states to construct and improve highways, urban and rural roads, and bridges.

FEDERAL-AID COMMITTEE (FAC)

Each county has a Federal-Aid Committee, charged with managing federal transportation spending at the county level. Committee members include transit officials; county highway engineers; city engineers; and city, county, township, and village officials. SCCOTS and WATS, the transportation studies in St. Clair County and Washtenaw County, also serve as the county FAC. The City of Detroit also has its own Federal-Aid Committee.

FISCAL CONSTRAINT

The concept that the total cost of a given area’s transportation projects cannot exceed the funding that area can reasonably expect to receive. Federal law requires both the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to be financially constrained.

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION (FTA)

A branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation that administers, regulates, and helps fund the country’s public transportation systems.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY (GA)

Consists of all delegates and alternates from SEMCOG member communities and institutions; the GA reviews and gives final approval on regional plans.

INTERMODAL

Planning and infrastructure focusing on connectivity between modes (such as trucks, planes, boats, cars, bicycles, buses, and planes) as a means to link trips for people and freight.

NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS (NAAQS)

Federal standards that set allowable concentrations and exposure limits for various pollutants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) developed the standards in response to a requirement of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA).

NONMOTORIZED

A transportation mode not using motorized vehicles. For example, walking, bicycling, horseback riding, and roller-blading are all types of nonmotorized transportation.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Feedback from the public as part of the region’s public involvement process.

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

Techniques targeting the entire community (including ethnic populations and low-income households), ensuring the public can help shape the substance of plans and projects. SEMCOG’s Public Participation Plan provides guidelines.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

Passenger transportation service operating on established schedules along designated routes or lines with specific stops and designed to move relatively large numbers of people at one time.

REGION

An entire metropolitan area, including designated urban and rural subregions. The Southeast Michigan region is made up of Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties.

REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN (RTP)

The 20+ year, long-range, multimodal plan updated every four years, documenting policies, initiatives, and projects designed to meet the surface transportation needs of the region.

LAKE ERIE TRANSIT (LET)

Eight fixed-route and advanced reservation (dial-a-ride) transportation services for Monroe County residents.

LIVINGSTON ESSENTIAL TRANSPORTATION SERVICE (LETS)

Provides curb-to-curb public transit service for any person to any destination in Livingston County with regional medical service to surrounding counties. LETS is a dial-a-ride service with limited demand-response service when schedule allows.

METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (MPO)

An organization designated by the governor and local elected officials as the agency responsible, along with the state, for transportation planning in urbanized areas. MPOs are required to represent localities in all urbanized areas (UZAs) with populations over 50,000, as determined by the U.S. Census. The organization serves as a forum for cooperative decision making by local elected officials.

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, GREAT LAKES, AND ENERGY (EGLE)

A state department responsible for protecting and enhancing Michigan’s environment and public health. (Formerly, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.)

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (MDOT)

A state department whose primary functions are construction, improvement, and maintenance of the state highway system (9,700 miles of Interstate, US and M- numbered highways) and administration of all other state transportation programs. Responsibilities include developing and implementing comprehensive transportation plans for the entire state.

REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY (RTA)

The agency with oversight and service coordination responsibility for mass transit operations in metropolitan Detroit. Macomb, Oakland,Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties are included in the agency’s jurisdiction.

SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (SEMCOG)

A regional planning partnership accountable to member local governments in Southeast Michigan. SEMCOG’s membership is comprised of counties, cities, villages, townships, intermediate school districts, and community colleges in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties. These entities voluntarily join SEMCOG. SEMCOG also serves as the region’s designated MPO.

ST. CLAIR COUNTY TRANSPORTATION STUDY (SCCOTS)

One of two transportation studies in the Southeast Michigan region. SCCOTS has certain transportation planning responsibilities for St. Clair County including serving as the county’s FAC. (See transportation study.

STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (SIP)

A plan produced by the state environmental agency (EGLE) containing specific strategies for controlling emissions and reducing ambient levels of pollutants, to satisfy the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA). The SIP must demonstrate reasonable progress toward clean air attainment is achieved.

SUBURBAN MOBILITY AUTHORITY FOR REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION (SMART)

A public agency providing transit services for communities in Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, and Wayne Counties. These communities support SMART’s services with voter-approved financial assistance.

TRANSPORTATION COORDINATING COUNCIL (TCC)

SEMCOG council reporting to its Executive Committee and General Assembly; identifies and responds to regional issues involving existing and future transportation systems, including roads, transit, and rail. Develops and recommends action on the Regional Transportation Plan and its implementation through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (TIP)

A four-year list of regional transportation improvement projects designed to implement the goals and objectives of the RTP.

TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT AREA (TMA)

Any urban area with population over 200,000; Southeast Michigan and Washtenaw County are designated TMAs.

TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

The physical underpinnings of society at-large, including, but not limited to, roads, bridges, transit, sidewalks, and bikeways.

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

An intermodal system containing all forms of transportation in a unified, interconnected manner, including roads, bridges, transit, airports, border crossings, ports, sidewalks, and bicycle pathways.

URBAN AREA TRANSPORTATION STUDY

An organization, established under state law, to allow counties with smaller populations to carry out comprehensive transportation planning. For purposes of Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) project programming, transportation studies have the same functions as FederalAid Committees. The SEMCOG region has two transportation studies — the St. Clair County Transportation Study (SCCOTS) and Washtenaw Area Transportation Study (WATS).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (USDOT)

A federal agency that serves the country by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible, and convenient transportation system, while enhancing quality of life.

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (USEPA)

A federal agency responsible for setting limits on how much of a pollutant can be in the air. Working with each state, the USEPA helps develop a State Implementation Plan (SIP) outlining the strategy the state will follow to improve air quality.

WASHTENAW AREA TRANSPORTATION STUDY (WATS)

One of two transportation studies in the Southeast Michigan region. WATS has certain transportation planning responsibilities for Washtenaw County including serving as the county’s FAC. (See Urban Area Transportation Study)