National Study on Transit Agency Weather Response and Preparedness (US DOT)

This longitudinal study examines the response to, preparation for and impacts of extreme weather on public transit agencies in the United States. Originally funded by a generous grant from the US Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration, the study is designed to facilitate understanding of the increasing effects of climate change on public infrastructure and the complex decision-making context within which transit agencies operate. Specific research questions addressed in the study include: What effects do extreme weather events have on transit agency infrastructure? Have extreme weather impacts increased over time? Why are some agencies affected more than others? What are public managers doing to respond to and plan for extreme weather? How have public transit agencies adapted to rising impacts of extreme weather over time? We are currently administering a third national survey of public managers in transit agencies. The results of our first two surveys, conducted in 2016 and 2019 are available below.  Several journal articles have also been published using the data collected throughout the life of the project. We hope to continue to provide this valuable information to public agencies and policy makers in the future, and we thank all of the public managers who have donated their time to provide information for this project over the past eight years of this study.