|
CFTE Glossary
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
- C -
CAA
Clean Air Act
CAAA
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
Cable car
An electric railway operating in mixed street traffic with unpowered, individually controlled transit vehicles propelled by moving cables located below the street surface and powered by engines or motors not on board the vehicle.
CAD
Computer-aided dispatch
Call Risk
Risk to the investor associated with prepayments by the issuer of the principal amount of the bonds prior to the stated maturity date, in accordance with the bonds' redemption provisions.
Capacity
Maximum number of riders that a transit line or system can carry, measured in riders per hour past a designated point in one direction.
Capital appreciation bonds
Long-term bonds which pay no current interest, but accrete or compound in value from the date of issuance to the date of maturity. CABs differ from zero coupon bonds in that they are issued at an initial amount and compound in value, in contrast to zeroes, which are issued at a deep-discount and compound to par.
Capital assistance
Financial assistance for transit capital expenses (not operating costs); such aid may originate with federal, local or state governments.
Capital costs
Costs of long-term assets of a public transit system such as property, buildings, vehicles, etc.
Capital employee
An employee involved with construction or capital procurement and who has no involvement with operation of the transit system.
Capital Program funds
Financial assistance from the Capital Program of 49 U.S.C. (formerly Section 3). The Capital Program enables the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to make discretionary capital grants and loans to finance public transportation projects divided among fixed-guideway (rail) modernization; construction of new fixed-guideway systems and extensions to fixed-guideway systems; and replacement, rehabilitation and purchase of buses and rented equipment, and construction of bus-related facilities.
Capital reserves
Funds that remain in a bank and are not loaned out. These funds can be used to support a variety of credit enhancement tools. Capital reserves also can be used to leverage the lending institution, or borrow against reserves to expand the pool of available loan funds.
Capitalization
Process of depositing various funds as seed capital into a lending institution to enable financial services. This pool of money is distributed, through loans and credit enhancements, in such a way to ensure that payments are made back to preserve the corpus.
Capitalized Interest
A specified portion of the original bond proceeds which will be used to pay interest on the bonds until revenue from planned sources becomes available upon completion of construction.
Carbon Dioxide
See "CO2."
Carbon Monoxide
See "CO."
Carpool
An arrangement by which two or more people share the use and cost of privately owned automobiles in traveling to and from pre-arranged destinations together. Generally, carpooling agreements are not arranged by contract, whereas vanpool and buspool agreements are contractually binding.
Catchment area
Area from which primary transit ridership is drawn.
Catenary
An overhead contact wire system which supplies power from a central power source to an electric vehicle, such as a trolley bus.
CBD
Central business district
CCTV
Closed-circuit television
CDL
Commercial driver license
Central business district (CBD)
The downtown retail trade and commercial area of a city or an area of very high land valuation, traffic flow, and concentration of retail business offices, theaters, hotels and services.
Central city
Usually one or more legally incorporated cities within the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) that is significantly large by itself or large relative to the largest city in the MSA. Additional criteria for being classified as a "Central City" include having at least 75 jobs for each 100 employed residents and having at least 40 percent of the resident workers employed within the city limits. Every MSA has at least one central city, usually the largest city. Central cities commonly are regarded as relatively large communities with denser population and a higher concentration of economic activities than the outlying or suburban areas of the MSA. "Outside Central City" are those parts of the MSA not designated as central city.
CFF
Clean fuel fleet: see "clean fuel vehicle."
CFR
U.S. Code of Federal Regulations
CFV
Clean fuel vehicle
CH3OH
Methanol
CH4
Methane
Charge off
Alternative term to write-off. Write-off is the preferred term. See "Write-off".
Charrette
A Charrette is a planning session in which participants brainstorm and visualize solutions to a design issue. Charrettes provide a forum for ideas and offer the unique advantage of giving immediate feedback to designers while giving mutual authorship to the plan by all those who participate. The term "charrette" derives from the French term for "little cart" and refers to the final intense work effort expended by architects to meet a project deadline. At the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris during the 19th century, proctors circulated with little carts to collect final drawings, and students would jump on the charrette to put finishing touches on their presentations minutes before their deadlines.
Charter bus
A bus transporting a group of persons who, pursuant to a common purpose and under a single contract at a fixed price, have acquired the exclusive use of a bus to travel together under an itinerary.
Charter service
A vehicle hired for exclusive use that does not operate over a regular route or on a regular schedule and is not available to the general public.
Charter service hours
The total hours traveled/operated by a revenue vehicle while in charter service. Charter service hours include hours traveled/operated while carrying passengers for hire, plus associated deadhead hours.
Circulator bus
A bus serving an area confined to a specific locale, such as a downtown area or suburban neighborhood, with connections to major traffic corridors.
Citizen Participation
Citizen participation is a mechanism for decision-makers to obtain community input and contribution in the planning process. Conventional citizen participation is often reactive- limited to public input following the release of a draft community plan, typically during an open comment period or public meetings. Under smart growth, citizen participation is proactive - citizens provide input and guidance throughout the plan making process and are vital contributors to defining a community's development vision and identifying implementation strategies. Methods for citizen participation range from: public meetings; mediation and consensus-building; to study circles; design charettes and visual preference surveys.
Claim
Synonymous with the term "debt,” see "Debt." Alternative meanings of the word "claim" include a request (1) submitted by a lender for government payment of a defaulted guaranteed loan; (2) filed with the Department of Justice for the pursuit of litigation and/or enforced collection of an account; or (3) filed with an agency for the payment of an amount considered due to the submitting individual or organization, such as for medical insurance.
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA)
The comprehensive federal legislation which establishes criteria for attaining and maintaining the federal standards for allowable concentrations and exposure limits for various air pollutants; the act also provides emission standards for specific vehicles and fuels.
Clean fuel vehicle
Vehicle meeting the clean fuel vehicle exhaust emissions standards with no restriction on vehicle type.
Clock Headways
Development of transit schedules to provide service at regular intervals that are repeated hourly (e.g., 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes) to make schedules easy for patrons to remember.
Close out
Occurs concurrently with or subsequent to an agency decision to write off a debt for which the agency has determined that future additional collection attempts would be futile.
Cluster zoning/subdivisions
Allows houses to be grouped closer together than normally allowed on small lots to protect open land.
CMAQ
See: “Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (Improvement Program).”
CMS
Congestion management system
CMSA
Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area
CNG
Compressed natural gas
CO
Carbon Monoxide: A coloroless, odorless, highly toxic gas that is a normal by-product of incomplete fossil fuel combustion. Carbon monoxide, one of the major air pollutants, can be harmful if breathed over a certain period of time.
CO2
Carbon Dioxide: A colorless, odorless, nonpoisonous gas that is a normal part of the ambient air. Carbon Dioxide is a product of fossil fuel combustion.
Code of Federal Regulations
Code of Federal Regu
A compilation of the general and permanent rules of the executive departments and agencies of the federal government of the United States as published in the Federal Register. The code is divided into 50 titles representing broad areas of federal regulation.
Cohort
Direct loans obligated or loan guarantees committed by a program in the same year even if disbursements occur in subsequent years. Post-1992 direct loans or loan guarantees will remain with their original cohort throughout the life of the loan, even if the loan is modified. Pre-1992 loans and loan guarantees that are modified shall each, respectively, constitute a single cohort. (OMB Circular No. A-11, "Preparation and Submission of Budget Estimates." Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, hereafter cited as OMB Circular No. A-11.)
Cohousing
Cohousing communities are small-scaled, intentional communities where each family owns its own home, but some facilities and resources are shared. The development process is usually driven by future residents, not a developer. Benefits include a collaborative approach to community decision-making, a meaningful sense of community, and cost savings through shared resources. Co-housing neighborhoods tend to offer environmentally sensitive design with a pedestrian orientation. They typically range from 10-35 households emphasizing a multi-generational mix of singles, couples, families with children, and elders. Cohousing is a concept that came to North America in 1988 from Denmark where it emerged over 25 years ago. Co-housing communities have been successfully developed in both rural and urban settings in Europe, the United States and Canada.
Collective bargaining
Negotiations between labor union representatives and employers to reach agreement on a contract describing such matters as wages, hours and working conditions.
Collector street
Roadway that serves internal traffic movements in an area by connecting several local streets with an arterial roadway.
Commercial Linkage Fee
In cities that require a commercial linkage fee, developers who build office space are required to pay a fee to help offset the increase in housing demand that the new offices would create. Often, commercial linkage fees are used to raise money to create housing. Depending on the particular needs of a city, linkage fees can also be used to provide for other community resources, such as public art, childcare and open space acquisition. The type of development being built determines the fee that is charged. Fees vary between office space, hotels, manufacturing, warehouse space, research and development and other uses.
Commercial
Adjective used to signify a business activity, regardless of whether that activity has been undertaken by an individual or business.
Community and stakeholder collaboration in develop
Encouraging "Community and Stakeholder Collaboration in Development Decisions" means ensuring the early and frequent involvement of all stakeholders throughout the planning and development decision -making process. The means of engaging the community and stakeholders are myriad and range from early stakeholder input in community plans to ongoing feedback and evaluation of plan implementation as projects are constructed. Ensuring a high level of public involvement is fundamental to guaranteeing that community needs are fully integrated into the planning and development process, as well as contributing to avoidance or creative resolution of development conflicts.
Community transportation
The efficient and effective utilization of all available resources in the provision of safe and reliable public transportation services for all citizens.
Commute
Regular travel between home and a fixed location (e.g., work or school).
Commute Alternatives
Commute Alternatives promotes the use of alternative transportation modes such as carpooling, vanpooling, riding transit, walking, bicycling, and telecommuting. Commute alternative programs typically offer incentives, such as transit vouchers, fare-free travel zones, or services, such as ridesharing, telecommuting to encourage the use of alternative transportation modes.
Commuter
A person who travels regularly between home and work or home and school.
Commuter bus service
Fixed-route bus characterized by service predominantly in one direction during peak periods, limited stops, use of multi-ride tickets and routes of extended length, usually between the central business district and outlying suburbs. Commuter bus service also may include other service, characterized by a limited route structure, limited stops and a coordinated relationship with another mode of transportation.
Commuter lane
Another term for "high-occupancy vehicle lane."
Commuter rail service
Railroad local and regional passenger train operations between a central city, its suburbs and/or another central city. It may be locomotive-hauled or self-propelled, and it is characterized by multi-trip tickets, specific station-to-station fares, railroad employment practices and usually only one or two stations in the central business district(s). Also called "suburban rail."
Commuter train
A short-haul passenger train operating on track which is part of the general railroad system of transportation, within an urban, suburban or metropolitan area. It includes a passenger train provided by an instrumentality of a state or political subdivision thereof. Includes commuter trains and passenger trains other than elevated trains and subways. Includes local and commuter train service. Does not include intercity service by Amtrak.
Compact Building Design
Compact Building design refers to the act of constructing buildings, vertically rather than horizontally, and configuring them on a block or neighborhood scale that makes efficient use of land and resources, and is consistent with neighborhood character and scale. Compact building design reduces the footprint of new construction, thus preserving green space to absorb and filter rain water, reduce flooding and storm water drainage needs, and lower the amount of pollution washing into our streams, rivers and lakes. Compact building design is necessary to sustain transit ridership at levels necessary to make public transit a viable transportation option.
Compact neighborhoods
Higher-density development in which a variety of land uses are located such that residents and workers are within walking distance of many destinations.
Comprehensive Plan
The comprehensive plan is the basic foundation for local planning. It lays out a community's vision and priorities and describes where, how, and in some cases when development will occur. Comprehensive plans stipulate the ultimate goals and the rules of the game efficient transportation; adequate employment; affordable and adequate housing; community and individual pride; and access to clean air, water and open space.
Compressed natural gas (CNG)
Natural gas which is comprised primarily of methane, compressed to a pressure at or above 2,400 pounds per square inch and stored in special high-pressure containers. It is used as a fuel for natural gas-powered vehicles. CNG vapor is ligher than air.
Compulsory arbitration
Arbitration that is required by law.
Concierge Service
At transit stations, a concierge service allows commuters and residents to obtain local business services (dry cleaning, groceries, photos, return videos and library books, drop off cars for repair, schedule hair appointment requests, etc). Businesses process commuter requests during the day. When commuters return at the end of the day, they pick up their orders at the station. A small surcharge is added to each order to pay for the service.
Conformity
The ongoing federal process that ensures 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 Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ)
Federal funds available for either transit or highway projects which contribute significantly to reducing automobile emissions which cause air pollution.
Conservation easement
Legal tools by which a landowner voluntarily limits the uses of and rights to her/his property to preserve the natural values of the land.
Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area
A metropolitan complex of one million or more population, containing two or more component parts designated as primary metropolitan statistical areas, or PMSAs.
Context Sensitive Design (CSD)
An approach to the design of transportation corridors, in particular highways that balance objectives of mobility, with those of safety, community aesthetics and environmental protection. Context sensitive design pays particular importance to meeting the needs of a variety of stakeholders- from local officials and citizens to State interests-thus it emphasizes involving community stakeholders in the management and maintenance of transportation corridors. CSD shifts the emphasis from the street or the road and toward the way in which the street or road connects to the community, and makes the community a more economically stable, safe and productive.
Contingencies
Existing conditions, situations, or circumstances which involve uncertainty and which could result in gains or losses. For example, guaranteed loans represent contingent liabilities which, in the event of default by the borrowers, the federal government would be liable to cover the losses of the guarantors, and thereby sustain the loss itself.
Contract authority
A form of budget authority that permits obligations to be made in advance of appropriations. The federal Discretionary Grants program is funded from contract authority, subject to an obligation limitation.
Contraflow lane
Reserved lane for buses on which the direction of bus traffic is opposite to the flow of traffic on the other lanes.
Conversion controls
The conversion of existing housing to nonresidential uses, as well as the conversion of existing rental units to ownership units can result in a significant reduction in the affordable housing stock. Conversion controls seek to limit the rate of conversion in situations where the private market is not developing new rental housing at an adequate rate to make up for the loss of units.
Cooperative agreement
Written consent between two parties to define the basic structure and purpose of a financial transaction, including the roles the parties involved and the way in which funds will be administered.
Core
The area within 1/4 mile radius of a rail transit station, representing about a five-minute (or less) walk to the station.
Corporate Location
Decisions made by corporations to locate or consolidate their headquarters, research and development facilities in accessible, smart growth locations often served by amenities such as transit, telecommunications and gray infrastructure; and proximity to like businesses and labor markets. Decisions to locate in smart growth places are driven by a variety of factors including - quality of life, smart growth public policy, incentives, employee demands and location preferences, and corporate culture.
Corpus
The corpus refers to all initial funds, additional, and subsequent revenue deposited for bank capitalization. The corpus is essentially a "body" of funds that is available, on a revolving basis, for use in providing financial assistance to borrowers.
Corridor
A broad geographical band that follows a genera directional flow connecting major sources of trips that may contain a number of streets, highways and transit route alignments. A long passageway connecting two or more points that may include rail transit lines or a major highway thoroughfare.
Coverage margin
The margin of safety for payment of debt service on a revenue bond, reflecting the number of times (e.g., 1.2) by which annual revenues after operations and maintenance costs exceed annual debt service.
Credit cycle
Complete credit process, composed of four phases: credit extension, account servicing, debt collection, and write-off/close out.
Credit enhancement
Financial guarantees or other types of assistance that improve the credit of underlying debt obligations. Credit enhancement has the effect of lowering interest costs and improving the marketability of bond issues.
Credit extension
Review and approval of requests for short and long-term credit.
Credit program
Federal program that makes loans and/or loan guarantees to non-federal borrowers.
Criteria pollutants
EPA has identified and set standards for six pollutants in order to protect human health and welfare, as mandated by the 1970 amendments to the Clean Air Act. The six pollutants are: ozone, carbon monoxide, total suspended particulates, sulfur dioxide, lead and nitrogen oxide. The term "criteria pollutants" is derived from the requirements that EPA must describe the characteristics and potential health and welfare effects of the pollutants. The standards are based on these criteria.
Crosstown
Non-radial bus or rail service which does not enter the central business district.
CSNET
Coalition for Safe and Efficient Transportation
CTAA
Community Transportation Association of America
CTAP
Community Transportation Assistance Project. This program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers training materials, technical assistance and other support services for community transportation providers across the country. CTAP services are currently delivered by CTAA through the National Transit Resource Center.
CTC
Community transportation coordinator
CTR
Commuter trip reduction
Curb-to-Curb Service
A common designation for paratransit services. The transit vehicle picks up and discharges passengers at the curb or driveway in front of their home or destination. In curb-to-curb service the driver does not assist the passenger along walks or steps to the door of the home or other destination.
Current discount rate
Discount rate used to measure the cost of a modification with respect to the modification of direct loans or loan guarantees. It is the interest rate applicable at the time of modification on marketable Treasury securities with a similar maturity to the remaining maturity of the direct guaranteed loans, under either pre-modification terms, or post-modification terms, whichever is appropriate.
Current receivable
A receivable on which payment is due within 12 months of the reporting period.
CUTA
Canadian Urban Transit Association
Cutaway van
A standard van which has undergone some structural changes, usually made to increase its size and particularly its height. The seating capacity of a cutaway van is approximately nine to 18 passengers. Cutaway vans also may be referred to as "modified vans."
CY
Calendar year
Cycle Time
The total time required for a transit vehicle to complete one round trip on its route, including all station dwell times and time for layover at terminals.
|
