Small Municipalities Program

Councils and Committees

Welcome to TAC's Small Municipalities Program

Available Resources

Roadway Departure Safety: A Manual for Local Rural Road Owners NEW
US Federal Highway Administration Report FHWA-SA-11-09

Web: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/fhwasa1109/fhwasa1109.pdf

Rural areas face a number of highway safety challenges due to the nature of their facilities. Roadway departure crashes are frequently severe and account for the majority of fatalities in rural areas. This document provides information on effectively identifying roadway departure safety issues in local areas, choosing the countermeasures that address them, and evaluating the benefits of those treatments. It is geared toward local road managers and other practitioners with responsibility for operating and maintaining their roads. This document offers information on the procedures and processes to improve the safety of local rural roadways and to reduce the potential for future roadway departure crashes.

Improving Travel Options in Small and Rural Communities

Techbrief: Simulator Evaluation of Low-Cost Safety Improvements on Rural Two-Lane Undivided Roads: Nighttime Delineation for Curves and Traffic Calming for Small Towns (US Federal Highway Administration - FHWA)
Web: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/09062/09062.pdf

In this study, a driving simulator experiment was conducted to evaluate two sets of alternative low-cost safety improvements for rural areas based on Technical Advisory Committee recommendations from the 2007 Annual Meeting. The first set of improvements was directed toward enhancing the visibility of curves on rural two-lane undivided roads at night. It focused on achieving advanced detection and speed reduction in such curves. The second set of improvements was directed toward slowing traffic on rural two-lane undivided roads in small towns during the day by focusing on traffic calming within the towns.

Best Practices for the Technical Delivery of Long-Term Planning Studies in Canada - Final Report (2008) [PDF 1.44 MB] NEW

Guidebook for Freight Policy, Planning, and Programming in Small- and Medium-Sized Metropolitan Areas

Web: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_570.pdf
This guidebook provides the necessary resources to undertake freight transportation planning activities in small- and medium-sized metropolitan areas. This guidebook should be especially useful to small- and medium-sized Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), as well as their state and federal partners, as they work to effectively integrate freight into local and regional transportation systems planning, priority programming, and project development planning activities.

Signal Timing on a Shoestring
http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/signal_timing/signaltimingshstrg.pdf

This report examines various cost-effective techniques that can be used to generate good signal timing plans that can be employed when there are insufficient financial resources to generate the plans using conventional techniques. The report identifies a general, eight-step process that leads to new signal plans: 1) Identify System Intersections; 2) Collect and Organize Existing Data; 3) Conduct a Site Survey; 4) Obtain Turning Movement Data; 5) Calculate Local Timing Parameters; 6) Identify Signal Groupings; 7) Calculate Coordination Parameters; and 8) Install and Evaluate New Plans.

Handbook of Traffic Engineering Practices for Small Cities:
Second Edition 2005
http://www.ksdot.org/idmws/DocContent.dll?Library=PublicDocs^dt00mx38&ID=003703819&Page=1

Handbook of Traffic Control Practices for Low-Volume Rural Roads: Third Edition
http://www.ksdot.org/idmws/DocContent.dll?Library=PublicDocs^dt00mx38&I D=003703817&Page=1

Current Practices and Innovations Database (TAC)

This database webpage has been developed to provide either the maintenance or construction engineer or manager with a collection of documents representing the knowledge, expertise and experience of leading Canadian professionals. The maintenance documents in this database provide information on roads, equipment and facilities. Specific categories include specifications, contracting procedures, operational aspects, management systems, performance measures and benchmarking. The construction documents deal with all aspects of construction for both roads and structures. Categories include contract types, quality assurance and construction zone safety.

Design Manual for Small Towns: Transportation and Land Use Strategies for Preserving Small Town Character (TJPDC) (http://www.tjpdc.org/community/designManual.asp)

Design manual for those with main streets that are also used as major through roads, coping with traffic safety and congestion problems such as bicycle and pedestrian safety, speeding traffic, through truck traffic, street noise and inadequate parking. Solutions are also applicable to neighborhood-scale problems in larger communities.

Developing a Sketch-Planning Technique Relating Economic Activity and Urban Mobility in Small and Medium-Sized Urban Areas. (Texas Transportation Institute)
http://swutc.tamu.edu/report/167703-1.pdf

This research uses readily available socio-economic, land use, and traffic congestion data from many of the Texas urban areas to create prediction models to estimate future traffic congestion levels.

Embracing Change in a Changing World -- Case Studies Applying New Paradigms for Rural and Small Urban Transit Service Delivery (http://gulliver.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=3267)

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 99: Embracing Change in a Changing World -- Case Studies Applying New Paradigms for Rural and Small Urban Transit Service Delivery includes case studies of how some transportation providers are addressing the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly changing rural environment.

Evaluating Effects of Travel Demand Management in a Medium-Sized Urban Area (National Transportation Institute) (ntl.bts.gov/data/sakano_benjamin.pdf)

Travel demand management (TDM) is a set of procedures that have been shown to alleviate unlimited use of automobiles. The objectives of this study were: 1. Identify potential TDM elements that would effectively reduce auto travel in the mid-sized urban area with a corridor connecting two urban centers; 2. Evaluate the acceptability of measures by the public, policy makers, and public officials; 3. Develop and illustrate a method to evaluate the effectiveness of TDM to reduce auto travel for specific areas and projects.

GIS-based Integrated Rural and Small Urban Transit Asset Management System. (Midwest Transportation Consortium)
http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/reports.transitasset.pdf

This study developed a methodology for improving the practice of making transit asset investment decisions at state departments of transportation and local transit agencies.

Local Tools for Smart Growth: Practical Strategies and Techniques to Improve Our Communities (National Association of Counties (US))
(http://www.naco.org/Content/ContentGroups/Programs_and_Projects/
Environmental1/Sources/1528LocalTools.pdf)

Smart growth is a series of strategies and initiatives designed to help communities plan for and accommodate growth in ways that help secure their economic prosperity and environmental safety, while preserving the unique aspects of their communities that make them special places to live, work, and raise a family. This report is intended to help communities make their own smart growth decisions.

National Guide to Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure (FCM & NRC) (www.infraguide.gc.ca)

Best Practices for Utility-Based Data
Alternative Funding Mechanisms
Developing Levels of Service
Planning and Defining Municipal Infrastructure Needs
Timely Preventative Maintenance for Municipal Roads

National Handbook of Traffic Control Practices for Low Volume Rural Roads and Small Cities - VOLUME I: Low-Volume Roads
http://www.mackblackwell.org/research/finals/arc9206/Volume1/MBTC%209206.htm

National Handbook of Traffic Control Practices for Low Volume Rural Roads and Small Cities - VOLUME II: Small Cities
http://www.mackblackwell.org/research/finals/arc9206/Volume2/MBTC9206-2.htm

Promoting Sustainable Transportation Through Site Design
(Publ. No. RP 035 can be obtained from the CITE web site: www.cite7.org)

Report can assist municipalities in assessing site plan applications and creating multi-modal access. It focuses on smaller municipalities with limited staff resources and provides a checklist for review and "best practices" for a range of situations. It also provides sources of further research for pedestrian safety, bicycling safety and sustainable site design.

Roadway Safety Tools for Local Agencies (TRB)
(http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=2393)

This synthesis focuses on identifying safety tools that can be used by agencies in formulating safety programs. It recognizes the wide variation in the parameters of operation and responsibilities of local agencies along with substantial resource limitations in terms of financial support and personnel. Also, it acknowledges that expertise in transportation safety analysis varies widely among local agencies.

Rural Transit ITS Best Practices (http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/JPODOCS/REPTS_TE/13784.html)

The overall objective of this project was to identify operational best practices and related technology for applying ITS to rural transit. Considerations were developed in the following areas: (1) use of ITS at rural transit agencies, (2) institutional and organizational issues, (3) ITS applications and technology, (4) funding and other financial considerations, (5) rural ITS project benefits, and (6) deployment process.

Small Communities Benefits: Innovative Traffic Management Practices in Small Communities (FHWA) (http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/jpodocs/repts_te/13612.html)

This report features five model small communities, which were selected in order to achieve a balance of varying population sizes, traffic management solution types, and geographical locations. Highlights include: an emergency vehicle pre-emption and visual warning system, a modern roundabout to improve a five-way signalized intersection, a seasonal shuttle bus service, a computerized traffic signal coordination system and a non-profit car sharing organization to reduce the parking demand.

Smaller Municipal Member Needs Survey

A TAC survey was sent out in the spring of 2004 to both members and non-members to obtain information from Canadian smaller municipalities on their needs and opinions. The survey was sent out to approximately 220 municipalities (all with a population under 250,000) and 55 surveys were returned. This survey was used to determine the type of programming that should be delivered for TAC smaller municipal members.

Sustainable Planning and Development for Small Communities (CMHC) (Chapter on Transportation, Energy & Materials Management)
( http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/imquaf/hehosu/sucopl/index.cfm)

One of the key aims of this handbook is to help develop an understanding of sustainability that is tailored to small communities. The Transportation, Energy and Materials Management segment explores approaches to managing and optimizing local infrastructure, which encompasses everything from transportation and energy to solid waste. It also highlights important financing strategies for infrastructure projects.

Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services (http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=4042)

TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 101: Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services examines strategies and practices used to coordinate rural transportation services, and identifies model processes used for local coordination efforts in rural communities. A stand-alone executive summary of the report provides information, instructions, and lessons learned from rural communities that have implemented coordinated transportation services.

TAC's Smaller Cities Forum (September 17, 2002)

TAC sponsored a discussion forum at its annual conference in Winnipeg in 2002. The planning committee hosted a 3-hour Smaller Cities Forum and delegates were encouraged to participate as part of the peer group roundtable which examined transportation needs, wants and ideas for smaller municipalities (urban and rural). The topics discussed were: Financing Transportation Projects, Professional Development and Research and Development.