Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress

Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress
2012 Progress
Report on the
NJTPA Strategic
Business Plan
Progress Report
I a m p l e as e d t o pr o v i d e y o u this report highlighting the important
progress the NJTPA has made in implementing its Strategic Business Plan. The plan
was developed to help the Board, Central Staff and subregions make the NJTPA more
effective and better serve the people of our region.
Creating the plan was an important first step, but it takes action to make it a
reality. Guided by the Strategic Business Plan, the NJTPA Board has, more than ever,
become a vocal, visible and nonpartisan advocate for transportation in the
region. This past year the NJTPA has moved to the center stage to be the
voice of leadership and education on the need for better federal funding.
We’ve sponsored well-attended events on MAP-21 and long-term funding
challenges, as well as emerging transportation technologies and many other
critical topics. In short, we’re guiding the debate on these issues.
Since the plan’s approval, the NJTPA has expanded its responsibilities,
overseeing the work of New Jersey’s Transportation Management
Associations. We’ve also secured grants for work on transit-oriented
development and infrastructure vulnerability, a particularly important
issue following Superstorm Sandy. We’ve also joined with Rutgers University and
many others in the Together North Jersey consortium that is developing a plan for
sustainable economic growth.
Increasingly, the word is getting out. The media is reporting on the actions
of the NJTPA, showing the public how we’re putting federal dollars to work on
important local projects. Our website, Facebook and Twitter are making us the
region’s “go-to” resource for transportation-related information.
We can all be proud of these and other achievements highlighted on the pages
of this publication.
Of course, there is still much, much more to do. The Strategic Business Plan is a
valuable tool to help the NJTPA chart a course towards realizing its full potential
as the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization. I urge you to stay involved.
Through your input and participation, we can build upon the impressive progress
we’ve achieved.
Matthew Holt
Chairman, NJTPA
Summary of the Strategic Business Plan
Summary of the Strategic Business Plan
Above, the NJTPA Board
of Trustees Executive
Committee: (From l-r)
Somerset County
Freeholder Peter S.
Palmer, Board Secretary;
Ocean County Freeholder
James F. Lacey, Second
Vice-Chairman;
Hunterdon County
Freeholder Matthew
Holt, Chairman; Hudson
County Executive Tom
DeGise, First ViceChairman; and Essex
County Executive Joseph
DiVincenzo, Third
Vice-Chairman.
T his S trat e g i c B u sin e ss P l an was adopted by the NJTPA in
November 2010 to identify strategies and actions to strengthen and develop the
agency into a more effective leader of transportation planning and decisionmaking in the northern New Jersey region.
It was prepared over the course of more than a year, with input from Board
members, NJTPA and subregional staff, legislators, federal and state government
officials and others. The input was gathered through interviews, a series of
workshops and a Board retreat.
As highlighted throughout this publication, the Strategic Business Plan
outlines five major directions that will position the NJTPA to effectively address a
wider range of challenges and opportunities:
Strategic DIRECTIONS
„ Communicating the NJTPA „ Facilitating Growth „ Developing Performance Measures
„ Board Development
„ Improving Internal Operations
Each of these directions is accompanied by 22 specific strategic objectives,
several of which are outlined and depicted on the Strategic Plan, Strategic
Progress Strategy Map (see page 6). In adopting the plan, the Board
selected two strategic directions, Communicating the NJTPA and Board
Development, as its initial emphasis for implementation.
The Regional Strategic Business Plan serves as a multiyear
framework for the annual updates of the Unified Planning Work
Program which guides the planning work of the NJTPA and its
subregions. It also provides the flexibility and adaptability necessary for
the NJTPA to enhance its regional leadership over several years.
Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress Strategic Direction: Communicating the NJTPA
Objective To enhance the NJTPA’s leadership position in the region through increased
awareness of the organization’s mission and an expanded vision for improved mobility.
This strategic direction has been supported through a comprehensive Communications
Action Plan that provides a greater number of stakeholders information about regional
planning, builds partnerships with other organizations, educates the public through
periodic forums and symposiums, and publicizes NJTPA’s role in planning through
expanded use of print and electronic media, among other actions.
Milestones
„ The agency’s achievements
received increased publicity from
regional and local media outlets. In
one successful
outreach effort,
„ NJTPA hosted a series of
public symposiums on topics
including the MAP-21 federal
transportation law, integrated
corridor management, adapting to
climate change, and improving
real-time transportation operations.
2 Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress
the 2012 Local Safety/High
Success Story
Risk Rural Roads Program was
Taking the Lead on MAP-21
interactive web page, promotional
T h e N J T P A , through its Chairman
promoted with the aid of a new
flyers and press releases for
each project.
Matthew Holt, has sounded the alarm
to the public and stakeholders on the
shortcomings of the nation’s new 2-year
transportation law MAP-21 (Moving
Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century). Passed in July, it
fails to increase federal funding in the face of growing
needs. The message on the need for strong, long-term
federal support was the subject of presentations to local
organizations, videos posted online, an op-ed article by
the Chairman in the Star-Ledger and continuing outreach.
The NJTPA assembled a panel of nationally
recognized experts to discuss the implications of MAP-21
„ NJTPA expanded the use of social
media and digital communications
at an Aug. 22 forum, “Beyond MAP-21: Uncertain Future,
Unmet Needs.”
technologies, sharing a variety
of content with users daily, from
Tweets to live-streamed video
broadcasts of Board meetings.
„ The agency has garnered over
5,000 unique visitors each month to
the NJTPA website; followers of the
NJTPA Facebook and Twitter feeds
have steadily increased.
Panelists offered a wide range of perspectives on its
provisions and shortcomings to over 100 attendees. Broad
agreement expressed that MAP-21 was not a solution
to the mounting challenges facing our nation’s aging
infrastructure.
Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress 3
Strategic Direction: Board Development
Objective Realize greater opportunities for Board members to engage in matters
relating to their particular interests and organizational affiliations while providing
policy leadership and leading the NJTPA into new areas of endeavor. Actions include
greater outreach and networking, strengthening selection and advancement of priority
projects, working with partner agencies and pursuing organizational effectiveness.
Top, Bergen County
Executive Kathleen
Donovan unveils a plaque
at a ceremony for the
rehabilitated Dillard
Memorial Bridge.
Right, NJTPA Chairman
Matthew Holt and
Executive Director Mary
K. Murphy meet with
Rep. Frank Pallone (top)
and N.J. Alliance for
Action President Philip K.
Beachem (bottom) at the
group’s Monmouth
County Chapter meeting.
Milestones
„ NJTPA Chairman Holt brought
the NJTPA’s message to
transportation and infrastructurethemed events held by various
groups, including at several New
Jersey Alliance for Action chapters,
the Newark Regional Business
4 Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress
Partnership and Transportation for America,
as well as regional
Transportation Management Associations and
business groups.
groundbreakings on key projects
to publicize the effective use of
transportation funding.
„ The Board received a
federal award for
funding innovative
„ Board members participated in key
panels at the TransAction Annual
Conference. Among them,
Somerset County Freeholder Peter
S. Palmer moderated a session
exploring industrial land
development opportunities, and
Hunterdon County Freeholder
Matthew Holt led a panel that
focused on transportation
planning, security, and emergency
management..
„ Board members helped bring vital
local projects to fruition. They
participated in ribbon-cuttings and
Transportation Clean
Air Measures including
support for the
adoption of low-
emission freight locomotives
and construction equipment in
the region.
Somerset County
Freeholder and NJTPA
Board Secretary Peter S.
Palmer and Chairman
Holt attended
ribbon-cuttings for the
DASH commuter shuttle
(left) and a new
commuter bridge in
Somerset County (top).
Bottom, Hudson County
Executive and NJTPA First
Vice Chairman Tom
DeGise attends a
ribbon-cutting for a
walkway in Hoboken.
Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress 5
Regional
Transportation
Plan Goals
Ecosystems and the
human environment
Economic activity and
competitiveness
System coordination,
efficiency and
intermodal connectivity
Affordable, accessible
and dynamic
transportation
systems
Safe and reliable
transportation system
Coordination of land
use with
transportation
systems
NJTPA
Business
Plan
Strategy
StrategicStrategic
Plan, Strategic
Progress
Strategy
MapMap
Internal
External
Strategic
Directions
Board Development
Facilitating Growth
Communicating
the NJTPA
Developing
Performance
Measures
Improving Internal
Operations
Mission
Results
Link plans with
economic growth,
environment, and
quality of life
Strengthen our regional
leadership position for
transportation and
comprehensive planning
Expand and advance
vision for
improved mobility
Raise public awareness
of the organization’s
mission and purpose
Engage Board members
through linkages with
their professional
interests and affiliations
Expand the NJTPA’s
mission to address
critical, emerging
regional issues
Customers
and
Partners
Advance value
proposition based on
tangible results of
planning and studies
Strengthen our
relationships with
partners to advance
our mission
Involve legislators and
public policymakers
Establish a stakeholder
committee to enhance
public participation
Improve visibility and
effectiveness at the
subregional level
Build relationships with
new partners
Operations
Link plans with
Implement project /
economic growth,
operational
environment, and
performance measures
quality of life
Strengthen
ourand
regional
Establish
leadership
position
implement
an for
transportation
and
innovative
strategic
comprehensive
planning
communications
plan
Establish and implement
Expand and advance vision
a comprehensive
for
legislative and subregional
improved mobility
outreach process
Streamline internal
Raise public awareness of
processes / structure to
the organization’s mission
achieve operational
and purpose
efficiencies
Engage Board members
Secure new sources of
through linkages with their
funding with flexibility in
professional interests and
the use of funds
affiliations
Capabilities
and
Resources
Advance
Define
value
a relevant
proposition
performance
based on tangible
management
results
of planning
structure and
for staff
studies
Strengthen
Develop the
our
relationships
organization’s
with
capacity
partners
for effective
to advance
external
communication
our mission
Continue to reorient the
organization’s culture to
achieve regional
innovation and leadership
Leverage information
Establish
a stakeholder
technology
to support
regional
transportation
committee
to enhance
planning
select projects
publicand
participation
that support this approach
Institute
Improvestaff
visibility
retention
and
effectiveness
and development
at the
/
training
subregional
initiatives
level
6 Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress
Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress 7
Success Story
Board Retreat
M e m b e rs o f th e B o ar d and staff
Among the day’s key takeaways, a broad
from the NJTPA and subregions staff gathered
consensus was expressed on the need to find
in Morristown on March 20, 2012, for a daylong
additional funding sources for transportation
professional development retreat. The event,
investments. Funding for transportation and
which had a theme of “Leaders Building Bridges
promoting economic growth were identified as
to the Future,” featured a highly constructive
the top two priorities on a list compiled by
dialogue among NJTPA Board members on the
the Board.
issues facing the region’s transportation network.
Discussions and brainstorming activities
yielded numerous ideas for the agency’s future
priorities, how the NJTPA could better address
emerging local issues, how the Board can increase
its effectiveness, and what could
be done to expand public
awareness of the importance of
maintaining and improving the
region’s transportation
infrastructure.
8 Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress
Strategic Direction: Facilitating Growth
Objective Expand the NJTPA’s mission to address emerging issues in the region such
as air quality, climate change, livable communities, economic development, housing
and land use, among others. Actions include identifying and securing new sources of
flexible funding, establishing new partnerships on key issues and continuing to develop
the NJTPA’s culture toward even greater innovation and leadership.
Milestones
„ In November 2011, the NJTPA and
Association on transit-oriented
Transit and or a broad consortium
Hackensack and Union County
Rutgers University, along with NJ
of nonprofits, local governments
and public agencies were awarded
a $5 million grant by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban
Development to draft a Regional
Plan for Sustainable
Development for the
NJTPA region.
„ The consortium, known
as Together North
Jersey, has begun work
on the plan, which will explore
how North Jersey’s transit system,
educated workforce, strategic
location and other assets could
be used to position it for future
economic growth.
„ The NJTPA is working with
NJIT and the Regional Plan
development opportunities in
with funding through the FHWA’s
Transportation, Community, and
Systems Preservation program.
„ The NJTPA initiated cutting-edge
studies identifying climate change
vulnerabilities and
mitigation strategies
with FHWA funding
in cooperation with
state agencies and
neighboring MPOs.
„ The NJTPA assumed a new
role administering the program
supporting the state’s eight
Transportation Management
Associations (TMAs). This role
allows the NJTPA to assist in
improving commuting and
transit options.
Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress 9
Strategic Direction: Improving Internal Operations
Objective Improve the NJTPA’s operational efficiency, freeing up internal resources to
better address emerging regional issues. Actions include staff development, streamlining
procedures, the expanded use of information technology in regional transportation planning
and new approaches to staff collaboration.
Milestones
„ Staff worked with NJDOT and NJ
Transit on revising the “project
pipeline” to improve how projects
are developed and funded.
„ NJTPA subregions continued
to upgrade their technical
capabilities through NJTPA’s
“Technical Library” program. This
includes computer workstations,
printers, Trimble GPS units, and
GIS software for use in their
transportation planning work.
„ The NJTPA improved its support
for local projects by launching a
Capital Project Delivery Program
which expands opportunities
for subregions to take the lead
in developing priority road and
bridge improvements.
„ Staff continued to develop and
refine software for financial and
quarterly reporting to facilitate
administrative reporting by both
staff and the subregions.
„ The NJTPA hosted two workshops
—an Operations Data Workshop
and DO-IT Workshop (Developing
Opportunities for Innovation in
Transportation)—
to engage
partner agencies
in discussions
on the use of
innovative
technologies.
10 Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress
Strategic Direction: Developing Performance Measures
Objective Establish the linkage between the NJTPA’s planning activities and the results
achieved for the region in terms of improved mobility, economic growth, the environment,
and quality of life. Actions taken include defining new measures, developing supporting data
collection processes, expanding analytical efforts, and increasing the reporting associated with
greater performance metrics.
Milestones
„ The NJTPA developed an initial,
comprehensive measurement
methodology as part of the
Performance Results Study
which produced a guidebook
of techniques for performance
analysis of roadway, public transit,
pedestrian/bicycle, freight and
other improvements.
„ The NJTPA expanded efforts in
2012 to make use of archived
operations data for comparing and
reporting the impacts of
Hurricanes Irene and Sandy
in coordination with
NJDOT, NJ Transit,
TRANSCOM, I-95
Corridor Coalition and other
partner agencies.
„ The NJTPA provided $2 mil-
Manual on Uniform Traffic
Control Devices, including
establishment of a sign assessment
or management method.
„ The 2040 Freight Industry Level
Forecasts Study produced a freight
profile for the region and for each
NJTPA subregion. It also developed
a tool that allows the NJTPA to test
the impacts of various “what if”
economic forecasts as well as
economic and transportation
drivers to the year 2040.
„ In partnership with
NYMTC, the NJTPA
completed a Regional
Household Travel Survey
that provided detailed information about the travel patterns
of nearly 7,000 households in
lion to subregions to comply
the NJTPA region and almost
standards in the FHWA’s
NY/NJ/CT metro area.
with sign retroreflectivity
19,000 in total for the entire
Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress 11
Next Steps
Letter from Executive Director Mary K. Murphy
W ith th e S trat e g i c B u sin e ss P l an , the Board of Trustees set out
an ambitious agenda for strengthening the NJTPA’s regional leadership in planning and
transportation. As seen in this publication, we have made important strides toward
fulfilling that agenda.
The strategies in the Strategic Business Plan also will serve us well in
2013. Key work in the coming year will include:
„ Developing a new Intergovernmental Relations Committee under the
guidance of the NJTPA Executive Committee.
„ Updating the NJTPA’s Regional Transportation Plan.
„ Launching a new NJTPA multi-media interactive website.
„ Continuing work with Together North Jersey on the Regional Plan for
Sustainable Development and the development of new partnerships
with non-traditional stakeholders.
„ Expanding efforts to use archived operations data to examine the impacts of
hurricanes Irene and Sandy in coordination with partner agencies, as well as
continued work on climate change vulnerability and risk assessment, to increase
the NJTPA’s visibility in the sustainability arena.
„ Collaborating with partner agencies on a strategic plan for the next generation of
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in New Jersey.
„ Further expanding our ongoing work with subregions and partner agencies to
enhance the NJTPA’s role in the project development and delivery process.
All of these efforts present the NJTPA Board with a host of new opportunities
to make us an even more vital and dynamic organization. More importantly, they will
be critical to improving our regional economy and quality of life in the long term.
Our region faces many challenges going forward, including ever-growing
demands to address aging infrastructure, uncertain new federal requirements,
ongoing funding constraints, the threat of extreme weather and many others.
Fortunately, the Strategic Business Plan provides us with a wealth of strategies
and options for coping with these challenges and further strengthening our
organizational effectiveness. It has put the NJTPA on a path of progress.
Join with us in building a bright future for transportation in northern New Jersey!
Mary K. Murphy
NJTPA Executive Director
12 Strategic Plan, Strategic Progress
NJTPA Mission Statement
th e N J T P A is the regional transportation planning leader and technical
and informational resource for the people of northern New Jersey that:
„ Creates a vision to meet the mobility needs for people and goods;
„ Develops a plan for transportation improvement and management to
fulfill the vision;
„ Partners with citizens, counties, cities, state, and federal entities to
develop and promote the transportation plan;
„ Prioritizes federal funding assistance to make the plan a reality; and
„ Links transportation planning with economic growth, environmental
protection, growth management, and quality of life goals for the region.
N J T P A B o ar d o f T r u st e e s
Hon. Matthew Holt
Hon. Ann F. Grossi
Chairman
Freeholder, Hunterdon County
Freeholder, Morris County
Hon. Tom DeGise
Mayor, Newark
First Vice-Chairman
Hudson County Executive
Hon. John Bartlett
Hon. James F. Lacey
Hon. Cory A. Booker
Freeholder, Passaic County
Hon. Richard A. Vohden
Second Vice-Chairman
Freeholder, Ocean County
Freeholder, Sussex County
Hon. Joseph DiVincenzo
Freeholder, Union County
Third Vice-Chairman
Essex County Executive
Hon. Peter S. Palmer
Secretary
Freeholder, Somerset County
Hon. Kathleen A. Donovan
Bergen County Executive
Hon. Jerramiah T. Healy
Mayor, Jersey City
Hon. Stephen “Pete” Dalina
Freeholder, Middlesex County
Hon. Thomas A. Arnone
Freeholder, Monmouth County
Hon. Angel Estrada
Hon. Jason Sarnoski
Freeholder, Warren County
Regina M. Egea
Governor’s Representative
James S. Simpson
Commissioner, NJDOT
James Weinstein
Executive Director, NJ Transit
Bill Baroni
Deputy Executive Director
Port Authority of NY and NJ
Please note that all meetings are subject to change. Contact the NJTPA for
confirmation at (973) 639-8400 or check the agency’s website at www.njtpa.org.
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NJTPA
One Newark Center, 17th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102
973-639-8400 Fax: 973-639-1953
www.njtpa.org
January 2013