Transportation - Glossary & Acronyms
Complete
State and Federal Glossary also available.
Transportation Glossary/Definitions
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) - More information can be found here.
- Average Daily Traffic (ADT) – The total amount of traffic observed, counted or estimated during a single, 24-hour period.
- Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) – The average daily traffic averaged over a full year.
- Capacity – The maximum sustainable vehicle flow rate that can be expected to traverse a roadway segment/intersection during a specific time period given roadway, geometric, traffic, environmental, and control conditions. Capacity is usually expressed in vehicles per day (vpd) or vehicles per hour (vph).
- Concurrency – Policies or programs within a community or other municipal unit that requires provision of appropriate urban services, including streets, sewer and other infrastructure at the time that a development is approved for inhabitance.
- Context Sensitive Design (CSD) – Process of incorporating an increased sensitivity to the adjacent environment while completing roadway engineering.
- Delay - The amount of time spent not moving due to a traffic signal being red, or being unable to pass through an unsignalized intersection.
- Level of Service (LOS) - A qualitative measure of intersection or road segment operating condition. A grading scale of A through F is used to characterize traffic operating conditions. The scale is based on the ability of an intersection or street segment to accommodate the amount of traffic using it, and can be used for both existing and projected conditions. The scale ranges from “A” which indicates little, if any, vehicle delay, to “F” which indicates significant vehicle delay and traffic congestion.
- Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) - Staff prepares a long range Transportation Plan every three years. This document contains a financially constrained plan that looks at all federal and state resources expected to be received over the next 20 years, and lists projects that could be completed using the anticipated funding.
- Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) – The Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) of urban areas with a central city of 50,000 or more population is responsible for “…plans and programs which lead to the development and operation of an integrated, intermodal transportation system that facilitates the efficient, economic movement of people and goods”.
- Multimodal – The concept of incorporating private passenger vehicles, transit, and non-motorized (bicycles and pedestrians) transportation features into the planning process.
- Peak Hour – The hour of greatest traffic flow at an intersection or on a road segment. Typically broken down into AM and PM peak hours.
- Surface Transportation Program Enhancements (STPE) - You can find more information here. Local expenditures can be found in the TIP.
- Surface Transportation Program Urban (STPU) - More information can be found on page 4, here. Local expenditures can be found in the TIP.
- Transportation Analysis Zone (TAZ) – Geographical zones identified throughout the study area based on land use characteristics and natural physical features for use in the traffic model developed for this project.
- Transportation Demand Management (TDM) - Programs designed to maximize the people-moving capability of the transportation system by increasing the number of persons in a vehicle, or by influencing the time of, or need to, travel.
- Travel speed - The speed at which a vehicle travels between two points including all intersection delays.
- Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) - The UPWP describes transportation planning activities within the Missoula area during the UPWP program year, which runs from October 1 through September 30. The UPWP is divided into several work elements, such as program support and administration, service, transportation demand management, and air quality. This transportation planning document guides transportation work and is a detailed annual management document for planning and administrative projects.
- Volume to Capacity (V/C) Ratio – The result of dividing the counted or estimated traffic volume in a corridor by the estimated corridor/intersection capacity for a similar increment of time.
Transportation Acronyms
- ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act
- ASUM - Associated Student of the University of Montana
- CAA - Clean Air Act
- CAAA - Clean Air Act Amendments (1990)
- CBD - Central Business District
- CFR - Code of Federal Regulations
- CIP - Capital Improvement Program
- CMAQ - Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program
- CNVS - Community Needs Van Service
- CO - Carbon Monoxide
- CTEP - Community Transportation Enhancement Program (a Montana Program)
- CTPP - Census Transportation Planning Package
- DOT - Department of Transportation
- EIS - Environmental Impact Statement
- FAA - Federal Aviation Administration
- FTA - Federal Transit Administration
- FHWA - Federal Highway Administration
- GIS - Geographic Information System
- HBNW - Home-based Non-work Trips
- HBW - Home-based Work Trips
- HCM - Highway Capacity Manual
- HIS - Highway Information System
- ISTEA - Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
- ITS - Intelligent Transportation Systems
- MACI - Montana Air and Congestion Initiative
- MDT - Montana Department of Transportation
- MEPA - Montana Environmental Policy Act
- MIM - Missoula IN Motion
- MOE - Measure of Effectiveness
- MPO - Metropolitan Planning Organization
- MR TMA - Missoula-Ravalli Transportation Management Association
- MSA - Metropolitan Statistical Area
- MTA - Montana Transit Association
- MUTD - Missoula Urban Transportation District
- NAAQNA - National Ambient Air Quality Nonattainment Area
- NAAQS - National Ambient Air Quality Standards
- NEPA - National Environmental Policy Act (1969)
- NHB - Non-home Based Trips
- NMTP - Non-Motorized Transportation Plan
- Nox - Nitrogen Oxides
- PM - Particulate Matter
- PM2.5 - Particulate Matter of Less Than 2.5 Microns
- PM10 - Particulate Matter of Less Than 10 Micron
- SAFETEA-LU - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users
- SOV - Single Occupant Vehicle
- STAC - Specialized Transportation Advisory Committee
- TAZ - Traffic Analysis Zone
- TDM - Transportation Demand Management
- TEA-21 - Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century
- TIP - Transportation Improvement Program
- TMA - Transportation Management Associations
- TPCC - Transportation Policy Coordinating Committee
- TTAC - Transportation Technical Advisory Committee
- VHT - Vehicle Hours of Travel
- VMT - Vehicle Miles of Travel
- VPD - Vehicles Per Day
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