The Transportation Experience in America
A Research Guide
Internet Resources
American Public Transportation Association. (2003). APTA: American Public Transportation Association. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from http://www.apta.com
This site serves primarily as a portal for members of this organization, which advocates widespread availability of public transportation throughout the United States. Though the site consists primarily of information regarding membership, conferences, and the like, it also includes links to other industry and government websites (such as the Census Bureau). All of the information stored on this site is openly available; one does not need to be a member of the organization. The scope of this site is wide enough to serve many types of users.
American Public Transportation Association. (n.d). Public transportation: Wherever life takes you. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from http://www.publictransportation.org
This site, though distinct from the previous one listed, is hosted by the same organization. Rather than a portal primarily for members of the organization, this website’s intended audience is the general public. In addition to news items, the site also contains reports and statistics regarding public transportation systems across the country. The “Transit Facts” page includes some valuable figures, though citations are largely absent. This site would serve best as a portal for research, rather than as a primary source.
Research and Innovative Technology Administration. (n.d.). Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). Retrieved October 1, 2008, from http://www.rita.dot.gov
RITA is a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, whose charge is to “advance the deployment of cross-cutting technologies to improve our Nation’s transportation system.” In this vein, their website aggregates data from several other government sites, including the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Among its most important external links is the National Transportation Library, which features a federated search interface, and digital special collections, to name but a few components.
AARoads (2008). Welcome to AARoads: The online highway guide!. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from http://www.aaroads.com
As a site developed by two self-proclaimed “road enthusiasts”, and including user-contributed content, AARoads is a true denizen of Web 2.0. This site serves a variety of purposes for a variety of audiences. The casual user can enjoy the pictorial guides to the interstate freeways; the devoted road enthusiast can enhance his or her knowledge of the Interstate Highway System; and, the scholar can make use of features like the Glossary, which elucidates such obscure terms as “collector-distributor lane” and “control city”. Links to government and other sites are plentiful, allowing for fact verification.
National Transportation Library (n.d.). National Transportation Library. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from http://ntlsearch.bts.gov/tris/index.do
This database features many standard functions, such as basic keyword and advanced searches, browse (with sixteen high-level categories), alphabetical and hierarchical thesaurus listings, and a thorough help page. Among the resources indexed here are government documents, technical reports, web pages, grey literature, and the like. Its scope encompasses all areas of transportation, with a particular emphasis on highway engineering, research, statistics and planning.
U.S. Office of Multifamily Housing Programs. (1999). No car? No problem!: Innovative transportation solutions. VA: U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Housing-Multifamily: Neighborhood Networks. Accessed December 2, 2008, from http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS55376
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development produced this guide to assist community organizers in providing mobility to their residents, especially those seeking jobs and on welfare. It highlights one community’s “mini-transit to jobs” program, its strategies, barriers and the lessons learned. Included is an annotated list of federal and municipal organizations which can serve as resources to explore further.