State departments of transportation (DOTs) are gradually incorporating a performance-based approach to their transportation planning.  Today, state DOTs are likely to include performance-based planning elements, such as goals and objectives for the state’s transportation network, in their long-range statewide transportation plans (LRSTPs).  As DOTs provide direction for a state’s transportation network, they set statewide goals for the network’s different systems.  However, this does not always extend to a state’s public transportation system.  State DOTs have limited influence over individual transit agencies and rarely set statewide transit goals.  Transit systems are often built, operated, and maintained by a local/regional agency that is separate from the state DOT.  Only a few DOTs operate transit systems and in most states, the majority of transit funding originates at the federal level, limiting state DOT influence over transit decisions.  This limited influence creates challenges for DOTs when setting statewide transit goals.  This report responds to a need for a better understanding of current and best practices in statewide transit goal setting by state DOTs, and of the methods used to achieve those goals.

Status: The final Report has been published as: Research Results Digest 358