Untitled Document

Board schedules Tuesday workshop on budget, STIP;
retreat, business meeting to follow Wednesday, Thursday

The Idaho Transportation Board will meet in a day-long workshop Tuesday to consider revenue and economic outlooks as well as budget and other financial reports and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program in preparation for the regular June business meeting on Thursday. The workshop and business meeting are scheduled for the District 3 large conference room.

Wednesday the board will hold a retreat at the Idaho State Police complex in Meridian to discuss topics related to the department’s strategic plan, internal functions of the board, performance evaluations and audits and other “housekeeping” items. An executive session might be called to discuss legal and/or personnel issues.

ITD staff will summarize the revenue outlook, including economic factors and an update on inflation impacts during Tuesday’s workshop. A preview of the FY2010 budget will be presented and discussed, as will the draft FY09-13 STIP, including updates on transit and aeronautics. The STIP will be available for public review and comment this summer and will be presented to the board for approval in September.

Statewide Rideshare Program
Looking to save money on fuel costs? Ridesharing, which refers to carpooling and vanpooling where vehicles carry additional passengers, is one excellent way of reducing costs. Carpooling uses participants’ own vehicles, while vanpooling usually involves vans often supplied by employers, non-profit organizations or government agencies. Ridesharing generally is better suited for trips with predictable schedules, such as commuting or attending special events.

Ridematching is the process of creating rideshare opportunities. It is a common component of a trip-reduction program. Enhanced Internet-based ridematching programs are available to people within a licensed area and provides various other rider/employer incentives. Because of the economies of scale that a ridematch program brings, it is preferred to have one well-publicized ridematch program serve an entire geographic region.

Rideshareonline.com is an established ridematch program that has broad acceptance in the Pacific Northwest. It uses computerized partner matching systems that take into account each commuter’s beginning point, destination, schedule and special needs. Commuteride in Ada County and Mountain Rides in Blaine County participate in rideshareonline.com.

Commuteride purchased the Internet system in May 2007. It pays an annual licensing fee of $10,000. Commuteride allowed Mountain Rides to use the licensing agreement for an annual fee of $500.

ITD staff members will ask the transportation board for approval to sponsor the licensing agreement for the rideshareonline.com system and to expand the coverage area to include the entire state. ITD would pay the on-going annual license fee of $20,000 for the enhanced statewide coverage. The annual license fee, based on population, would be funded from the Statewide Rideshare Program and the Federal Transit Administration 5316 Job Access Reverse Commute program.

Recognition of Kelly Buckland,
Idaho Independent Living Council
Kelly Buckland, executive director of the Idaho State Independent Living Council, has made a generous offer to assign staffing support to Idaho’s Mobility and Access Pathway (IMAP) initiative. The council recently received an AmeriCorps grant for staffing support to create local mobility networks, focused on the needs of the independent living community. Buckland’s desire to connect the independent living community is an excellent fit with the vision of IMAP.

ITD staff members will inform the board of Buckland’s generous offer and will recognize him for his partnership, commitment and support of the IMAP vision.

Fire Response Plan
The board will receive a report on the recently developed Fire Response Plan, initiated by Louie Albright and the ITD Emergency Program.

The plan is a mechanism for local fire districts to be reimbursed for responding to vehicle fires outside their respective jurisdiction. In the past, fires on uncovered segments of the state highway system that were outside established jurisdictions and were not extinguished. The vehicle owner and ITD incurred losses that could have been lessened by a prompt response from a fire district. Additionally, a response from a fire district can prevent a vehicle fire from expanding into a major fire beyond the right-of-way.

An agreement template has been established for local fire districts to recover costs when responding to incidents on the state highway system at locations outside their jurisdiction. The agreement includes specified hourly rates for equipment and personnel and that reimbursement is to be processed within 30 days. ITD, using a revolving account, reimburses responding fire districts and then recovers costs from insurance companies that cover the vehicle.

Initial agreements have been established along the Interstate system in Idaho. Plans are to expand the coverage to include Idaho 55 and U.S. 95 in time for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games and then eventually the entire state highway system.