engineers to routinely design and operate the entire right-of-way to enable safe access for all users,
regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation.
Conformity- A process in which transportation plans and spending programs are reviewed to ensure
that they are consistent with federal clean air requirements; transportation projects collectively must
not worsen air quality. Conformity ensures that the planning for highway and transit systems, as a whole
and over the long term, is consistent with the state air quality plans for attaining and maintaining
health-based air quality standards; conformity is determined by metropolitan planning organizations
(MPOs) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) and is based on whether transportation
plans and programs meet the provisions of a State Implementation Plan.
Congestion Pricing- The concept of charging a toll that varies by the amount of congestion on a
transportation facility, usually on a freeway during rush hour.
Connectivity- The number of publicly accessible street intersections per square mile, including
intersections of streets with dedicated alleys and transit rights-of-way, and intersections of streets with
nonmotorized rights-of-way. If one must both enter and exit an area through the same intersection,
such an intersection and any intersections beyond that point are not counted; intersections leading only
to culs-de-sac are also not counted.
Contract Authority- A federal budgetary term that refers to a form of budget authority permitting
obligations to be incurred in advance of appropriations. Advance obligations, however, have been
limited by the appropriations committees with obligation limitations.
Contraflow Lane- Reserved lane for buses on which the direction of bus traffic is opposite to the flow of
traffic on the other lanes.
Corridor- A broad geographical band that follows a general directional flow connecting major sources of
trips that may contain a number of streets, highways and transit route alignments. .
Cross Docking- Cargo transfer from one mode of transportation to another mode.
Crosstown- Non-radial bus or rail service which does not enter the Central Business District (CBD).
Context-Sensitive Solutions (CSS)- The planning, design, and implementation of transportation
infrastructure and facilities that are in scale and character with surrounding land uses in a way that
minimizes negative transportation effects and provides value to adjacent land uses through design,
aesthetics, and other techniques.
CTC - California Transportation Commission- A state-level version of MTC that sets state spending
priorities for highways and transit and allocates funding. Members are appointed by the governor.
Cumulative impacts- Refers to two or more individual effects which, when considered together, are
considerable or which compound or increase other environmental impacts. (a) The individual effects
may be changes resulting from a single project or a number of separate projects. (b) The cumulative
impact from several projects is the change in the environment which results from the incremental
impact of the project when added to other closely related past, present, and reasonably foreseeable,
probable future projects. Cumulative impacts can result from individually minor but collectively
significant projects taking place over a period of time.
DBE - Disadvantaged Business Enterprise- A business owned and operated by one or more socially and
economically disadvantaged individuals. Socially and economically disadvantaged individuals include
African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans or Asian Indian
Americans and any other minorities or individuals found to be disadvantaged by the Small Business
Administration under Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act.
Deadhead- The movement of a transit vehicle without passengers aboard; often to and from a garage or
to and from one route to another.
Dedicated Funding Source- A source of monies which by law is available for use only to support a
specific purpose, and cannot be diverted to other uses.
DEIR/DEIS- See EIR/EIS. Draft EIR/Draft EIS.
Demand Responsive- Nonfixed-route service utilizing vans or buses with passengers boarding and
alighting at prearranged times at any location within the system's service area. Also called "Dial-a-Ride"
(DAR).
Dial-a-Ride- See "Demand Responsive".
Discretionary Riders- Riders who choose to ride transit though they have other travel options.
Discretionary Spending- A federal budgetary terms that refers to any funds whose distribution in not
automatic. Discretionary spending encompasses programs controlled by annual appropriations bills and
is subject to the constraints imposed by the discretionary spending limits set in the balanced budget law.
DOT - Department of Transportation
Double Deck Bus- See "Bus, Double Deck".
Downtime- A period during which a vehicle is inoperative because of repairs or maintenance.
DPM - Downtown People Mover- A type of automated guideway transit vehicle operating on a loop or
shuttle route within the Central Business District (CBD) of a city.
Drayage- Transportation of freight (often containers from rail yard or seaports) by truck typically over a
relatively short distance to an intermediate or final destination; may also refer to a charge for
pickup/delivery of goods moving short distances (eg, from marine terminal to warehouse). Originally,
the term dray referred to a cart, usually three-sided, used to haul goods.
Drought-Tolerant- Adapted to arid or drought conditions.
Dwell Time- The scheduled time a vehicle or train is allowed to discharge and take on passengers at a
stop, including opening and closing doors.
Earmark- A federal budgetary term that refers to the specific designation by Congress that part of a
more general lump-sum appropriation be used for a particular project; the earmark can be designated
as a minimum and/or maximum dollar amount.
EA – Environmental Assessment- A concise public document that a Federal agency prepares under the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to provide sufficient evidence and analysis to determine
whether a proposed agency action would require preparation of an environmental impact statement
(EIS) or a finding of no significant impact. A Federal agency may also prepare an EA to aid its compliance
with NEPA when no EIS is necessary or to facilitate preparation of an EIS when one is necessary. An EA
must include brief discussions of the need for the proposal, alternatives, environmental impacts of the
proposed action and alternatives, and a list of agencies and persons consulted. [See finding of no
significant impact, environmental impact statement, and National Environmental Policy Act.]
EIR - Environmental Impact Report- A detailed statement prepared under CEQA describing and
analyzing the significant environmental effects of a project and discussing ways to mitigate or avoid the