Growing To Meet the Challenges: Emerging Roles for Transportation Management Associations

Widely varying in organizational form and function, transportation management associations (TMAs) offer the flexibility—and increasingly, the expertise—to assist local residents and businesses with emergency transportation problems (e.g., caused by a transit strike). With departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations, TMAs can plan for long-term and regionwide transportation needs. The public-private sector partnerships embodied by many TMAs provide several potential benefits, including a ready organizational structure for a closer dialogue between government agencies and transportation users; familiarity with local needs and problems, a knowledge of technical issues; and a broad base of human, financial, and technical resources with which to devise and implement solutions to transportation needs and problems. TMAs have come a long way from being merely employee organizations oriented to trip reduction. Today, TMAs engage in everything from public education, to working with local economic development organizations on enhancing a region’s attractiveness and competitiveness, to running local transportation systems. In the 21st century, the geographic information system and intelligent transportation system capabilities many TMAs already possess will enable them to take on greater roles in improving the transportation networks in their regions and in integrating transportation planning with land-use and economic-development planning. Typical and innovative activities currently undertaken by TMAs are described and some of the valuable roles TMAs can play in the future are discussed.