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The Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation (ACCT) is a partnership of members from the legislature, state agencies, transportation providers and consumer advocates whose mission is to direct and promote activities that efficiently use all available state and community resources for special needs transportation across the state. The legislature created ACCT in 1998 to facilitate coordination and eliminate cross-jurisdictional and government program barriers to transportation. The ACCT Council concentrates on three critical areas: Identify and Address Barriers, Focus on Results, and Increase Advocacy.
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IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS BARRIERS
Regional Trip Planner Moves to Next Stage
Participants in the Regional Trip Planner project are working with ACCT Staff to develop information sharing agreements. Over the next six months ACCT staff will be working with transportation providers to develop agreements for sharing route and schedule information. The Regional Trip Planner is a joint Washington and Oregon project to share travel information between the two states and different modes of transportation including intercity bus, rail and local transit.
The WSDOT team projects completion of the first phase of the RTP in the spring of 2006. Individual transportation provider websites will be accessible through the system as soon as December 2005. Please contact Seija Blaylock for more information: (360) 705-7923.
INCREASE ADVOCACY
New ACCT Council Member
Theresa Hekel will replace Reg Clarke as the representative of the Washington Association of Pupil Transportation (WAPT) on the ACCT Council. Ms. Hekel has worked in public transportation for over twenty-three years. She has a variety of experience to bring to the table. She has both worked with the schools and C-TRAN, the public transportation system in Vancouver, Washington.
Ms. Hekel is now the Manager for Specialized Transportation at Educational Service District #112. She is also the President for the Southwest Washington chapter of Pupil Transportation and a board member of WAPT.
FOCUS ON RESULTS
ACCT and CTAA Helping Communities
Washington received a grant for $150,000 from Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) to provide technical assistance. ACCT used state funds to match the federal grant. CTAA is partnering with ACCT and CTANW to help communities to coordinate transportation.
The technical assistance provides immediate help to communities working to improve their public transportation systems. For example, 21 communities lost Greyhound intercity service last summer. CTANW and ACCT worked with Walla Walla and Yakima to conduct needs assessments to identify strategies for sustainable transportation connections in both those regions.
CTANW also worked with Asotin County to prepare for their transit district vote last November. CTANW staff assisted Asotin County with a business plan, forming a citizens advisory group, and developing outreach materials on the benefits of a transit system. As a result, Asotin passed their ballot measure and became the newest transit system in the state.
For more information on technical assistance call Don Chartock (360) 705-7928.
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