Lead the Way APTA Standards Development Program

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Lead the WayAPTA Standards Development Program
Californias Public Community Transportation
Conference Monterey November 6, 2008
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Topics of Discussion

• APTA Standards Program Overview
• Organization Programs
• Outreach Implementation
• Making the Case for Standards
• Transit Industry Benefits
• Individual Transit Agency Benefits
• Industrys Role
• Agencys Role

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APTA Standards Program

• To develop, implement and maintain standards,
  recommended practices and design guidelines to
  achieve safety, reliability and efficiency in
  transit system design and operation.

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What are Standards? How are they developed?

• Standards use collective wisdom to provide a path
  to a desired outcome with a means to measure
  success
• Standards are developed using a consensus based
  process patterned after the process required by
  the American National Standards Institute to
  certify Standards Development Organizations.
• APTAs Standards include
• Standards
• Recommended Practices
• Guidelines
• White Papers

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Recognition

• APTA Standards Program is recognized by
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• Department of Transportation (DOT)
• Joint Program Office (JPO)
• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
• Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
• Transport Canada
• Canadian Urban Transport Association (CUTA)
• Other SDOs, e.g., IEEE, SAE, ITE, AASHTO

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FUNDING

• PAST FUNDING
• APTA Members 4.75 m 1.5 m equivalent labor
  (1996-2006)
• Federal Partners 2.5 m Ind. Program funding
• CURRENT FUNDING
• Approximately 3 million labor per year
• APTA members
• Dues 650k
• Volunteer Labor 2.6 million equivalent
• (20 hrs15 mbrs6 mtgs36 WG40/hr)
• Federal
• FTA allocation 1.6 m (specific standards
  efforts)
• Other federal grants 2 m (specific standards
  efforts)

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APTAS STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ORGANIZATION
APTA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT OVERSIGHT COUNCIL (SDOC)
OTHER SDOS (AREMA, IEEE, ASHTO, SAE)
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES (FRA, JPO, DOT)
APTA TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT STAFF
TRANSPORT CANADA CUTA
PROGRAM POLICY PLANNING COMMITTEES Security,
Bus, Rail, Accessibility, Procurement, Commuter
Rail, TCIP
TECHNICAL WORKING GROUPS
Funding
Technical Input
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Standards Program Oversight Direction

• Standards Development Oversight Council (SDOC)
• 28 Members, divided equally between business and
  transit
• Responsibilities
• Set Priorities and Allocate Funds for New Transit
  Standards Program
• Outreach and Awareness Activities
• Monitor Activities of Other Standards Development
  Organizations
• Partner with Federal Agencies

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Developing Standards

• Standards Policy Planning Committees
• Report to the SDOC
• Individual Program oversight
• Identify standards priorities
• Work plan development
• Standing APTA committees provide technical
  oversight
• Work groups develop standards

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Statistics APTAsStandards Program

• Voluntary Consensus Standards Process
• Over 1500 Volunteer Participants
• Over 45 Active Standards Development Committees
• 250 Standards, Recommended Practices and
  Guidelines Completed, Approved and Posted on
  APTAs Web Site www.apta.com

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The Process

• APTA Standards are developed using a consensus
  based process patterned after the process
  required by ANSI
• a balanced representation of interested parties
• a required public comment period
• a formal process to respond to comments
• an appeal procedure
• a balloting group broadly representative of the
  industry
• a consensus, defined as a super-majority of the
  balloting group and
• a formal way to respond to requests for
  interpretations of or changes to the standard

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Current Standards Efforts

• Commuter Rail
• Vehicle Construction
• Vehicle Maintenance
• Inspection Maintenance Training
• Passenger Emergency Systems
• Mechanical Systems

• Rail Transit
• Operating Practices
• Fixed Structures
• Grade Crossings
• Vehicle Inspections
• Crash Worthiness
• Standard Rail Technical Specifications

• Bus
• Brake Systems/Suspension
• Passenger Environment
• Power Train
• Safety
• Electronics
• Training
• Operations
• Specifications
• Bus Maint Facility Design
• Performance Standards
• Warranty Administration
• In-Plant Vehicle Inspection

• IT
• TCIP (Transit Communication Interface Profiles
• System Interface Message Sets
• TRICE (Tool for TCIP use)
• Technology Specifications
• CCTV
• Control System Security

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Current Standards Efforts

• Security
• Fixed Infrastructure
• Security Risk
• Emergency Management

• Accessibility
• Demand Responsive Call Center Standards
• Fixed Route Stop Announcement Standards
• Rail Gap

• Procurement
• Terms Conditions
• Procurement Planning Process
• Risk Management
• Technology Procurement

• Farecard
• Farecard reader interface
• Farecard data configuration
• Data financial security
• IP rights
• Revenue tracking and dividing
• Credit card industry relationships

• Sustainability
• Climate Change
• Urban Design Guidelines

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New Standards Development - Sampling

• PRESS Safety Appliance
• PRESS Wheel Flange Angle
• BUS Bus Maintenance Facility Design RP
• BUS Bus Rapid Transit Standards
• RAIL Hours of Service RP
• RAIL Crash Energy Management Specification
• ACCESSIBILITY Platform Gap RP
• ACCESSIBILITY Call Center Wait Times RP
• SECURITY CCTV Placement RP
• SECURITY Bus Stop Placement RP
• SECURITY Drills Exercises RP
• SECURITY Security Emergency Plan Template
• IT CCTV Specification Guidelines
• UTFS Farecard System Guidelines Specification
• PROCUREMENT Terms Conditions
• PROCUREMENT Guideline RFP IFB

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Industry Benefits

• MinimizeGovernment Regulation
• Effective Means of Self-Policing
• Generally Much Less Costly than a Regulation
• Reduce the Public/NTSB Pressure for Regulatory
  Action
• Industry Influences Final Outcome
• Considers the Impact on Operations
• Promote Market Competition (performance
  standards)
• - Reduce proprietary design and intellectual
  property problems
• - Define interfaces and data formats
• Assist New Transit Starts and New Market Players
  (they know the rules)
• Improve Safety

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Your Agency Benefits

• Improve Safety Security
• Shared Risk Across Industry, not just Agency
• Use of Collective Wisdom save on labor
• Provides a Basis for Specifications for
  Procurements
• Reduces Proposal and Design/Development Costs
• Promote Systems Integration
• Reduces Capital and Operating Costs
• Enhances Service Reliability

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Safety Improvement
Prevention Training, Design Inspection, Operating
Practices
Response Mitigation
Investigation, Analysis Plan Maintenance
Fewer Accidents
Reduce Property Damage
Diminished Injuries
Fewer Fatalities
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High Return on Investment

• Crashworthiness Standards
• Locomotives derailed at 68 mph
• Both built to APTA Structural Standards
• One struck a concrete building
• One rolled over
• Crew walked away
• Fatalities likely in previous designs
• Return On Investment
• Two lives saved (2.6 m each)
• Two 4 m locomotives repaired rather than scrapped

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High Return on Investment

• Bus Fires Standards
• Prevention
• Recommended Design for Fire Suppression Systems
• Transit Bus Electrical Requirements for Fire
  Safety
• Response Mitigation
• Transit Bus Fire Safety Vehicle Shut Down
• Recommended Practice for Bus Operator Training
  (Includes handling emergencies like vehicle
  fires)
• Investigation
• Fire investigation Form
• Return On Investment
• FY03 there were 226 bus fire incidents with 32
  Injuries. 62 fires caused major damage.
  Property damage alone was over 1 million.
  Current cost of the program less than 30,000.
  Current buses being build with new fire reduction
  strategies.

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High Return on Investment
Controlling Tort Risks- Reducing Transit
Liability

• Los Angeles Area Grade Crossing Collisions
• with Fatalities/Injuries
• System Safety Program Plan
• Emergency Responder Training
• Vehicle Crashworthiness
• Vehicle and Signal System Inspection
• and Maintenance

Return On Investment Liability Reduced by tens
of millions
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Means to Respond to NTSB Recommendations
Hours of Service Standard NTSB, in response
to the Woodley Park WMATA Accident, stated that
FTA must Require transit agencies, through the
system safety program and hazard management
process, if necessary, to ensure that the time
off between daily tours of duty including regular
and overtime assignments, allows train operators
to obtain at least 8 hours of uninterrupted
sleep.

• APTA Hours of Service Standard
• Min Time Off Shifts 10 Hours
• Max Shift
• 14 hrs straight shift
• 16 hrs split shirt with max of 14 hrs wk
• Fatigue Mitigation Program
• Policy re mandatory full days off

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Standards Save Operating Cost A Real Example

• Simplified training
• Less complex manuals
• Smaller inventory of spare parts
• Decrease in vehicle down time
• Less infant mortality problems
• Smoother acceptance testing
• More preventive and less reactive maintenance

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Standards as a Public Relations Tool

• High Visibility Incident Occurs
• Media Looks for a Story
• A Sensational Story Finding Fault and Placing
  Blame is Best
• Standards Can Curb the Impending Feeding Frenzy
• If the message is
• Then Sensationalism is Minimized

The Agency followed widely accepted industry
practice.
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Relief from Congressional Pressure Interagency
Cooperation

• Security Standards Program
• Provides a program where FTA and DHS (TSA)
  technical staff are working in partnership with
  Industry.
• Return On Investment
• Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent
  on security patches for transportation.
  Current program allows for capturing lessons
  learned and industry best practices from systems
  that have implemented successful strategies.
  Also allows DHS (TSA) to vet security ideas with
  the industry rather than forcing a fit on
  strategies that might not be successful in an
  operating environment.
• Example Nashville MTA Preparing to purchase
  trash containers for new transit facility. 5k
  each. Industry standard program gave other
  options Money saved.

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YOU CAN GET INVOLVED!!

• Appoint Standards Lead Contact for your Agency
• Get Involved
• Provide input for standards development
• Send technical experts to standards meetings
• Review and comment on standards being developed
• Commit to Adoption and Implementation of
  Standards
• Commitment Agreement

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• Resources

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Website www.apta.com

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APTA Standards Program Staff

• Standards Program and SDOC
• Lurae Stuart, lstuart_at_apta.com [phone]
• Rail and Commuter Rail
• Tom Peacock tpeacock_at_apta.com, [phone]
• Bus
• Lurae Stuart, lstuart_at_apta.com [phone]
• Sustainability
• Rich Weaver, rweaver_at_apta.com (202) 496-
• IT
• Lou Sanders, lsanders_at_apta.com [phone]
• Farecard
• Martin Schroeder, mschroeder_at_apta.com (202)
  496-4885
• Security
• Greg Hull, ghull_at_apta.com [phone]
• Accessibility
• Pam Boswell, pboswell_at_apta.com [phone]
• Procurement
• KellyAnne Gallagher, kgallagher_at_apta.com, (202)
  496-4895