[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 97 (Thursday, May 19, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 28947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-12292]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

49 CFR Part 665

[Docket No. FTA-2011-0015]
RIN 2132-AB01


Bus Testing: Calculation of Average Passenger Weight and Test 
Vehicle Weight, and Public Meeting and Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice announcing conference call and extension of comment 
period of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is hosting a 
conference call to address issues concerning its notice of proposed 
rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the calculation of average passenger 
weights and test vehicle weights. The purpose of this conference call 
is to allow the public to ask questions and to clarify any 
misunderstandings regarding the NPRM published on March 14, 2011 (76 FR 
13580). Furthermore, due to the complexity of the issues proposed in 
the NPRM, FTA is extending the comment period to June 15, 2011, to 
allow interested parties time to carefully review the actual changes 
proposed in the NPRM and the information presented during the 
conference call.

DATES: Comments should be submitted before June 15, 2011. Late-filed 
comments will be considered to the extent practicable.
    Conference Call Date: FTA will hold the conference call on 
Wednesday, June 1, 2011, commencing at 2 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. 
Interested parties are invited to call 1-877-407-0183 and enter 
Participant Code 681759. Note that the conference call is only for 
information purposes and commenters must submit their comments to the 
official docket in order to have them considered by FTA.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments to DOT Docket ID Number FTA-2011-
0015 by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and 
follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building, Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Fax: 202-493-2251.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information, Gregory 
Rymarz, Bus Testing Program Manager, Office of Research, Demonstration, 
and Innovation (TRI), (202) 366-6410, [email protected]. For legal 
information, Richard Wong, Office of the Chief Counsel (TCC), (202) 
366-0675, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 14, 2011, FTA published an NPRM in 
the Federal Register (76 FR 13850) proposing to amend its bus testing 
procedures to more accurately reflect average passenger weights and 
actual transit vehicle loads. Specifically, FTA proposed to change the 
average passenger weight from 150 lbs to 175 lbs. In addition, FTA 
proposed to change the floor space occupied per standing passenger from 
1.5 to 1.75 square feet, and update the Structural Strength and 
Distortion test procedures.
    FTA is aware that the proposal has been the subject of some 
mischaracterizations, causing interested parties to have misperceptions 
regarding the NPRM's actual impact and intent. During the conference 
call, FTA staff will summarize its proposals in the NPRM and will be 
available to answer questions regarding those proposals. This is an 
opportunity for affected parties to receive clarification regarding the 
content of the NPRM. The conference call is not, however, an 
opportunity to submit comments to FTA regarding the proposals contained 
in the NPRM. Rather, interested parties should submit their comments to 
the docket for this rulemaking as described in the ADDRESSES section of 
this notice.
    In addition, because of the scheduling of the conference call and 
the apparent confusion regarding the issues proposed in the NPRM, FTA 
is extending the comment period until June 15, 2011. This additional 
time should be sufficient to allow interested parties to review and 
submit final comments following information conveyed during the 
conference call.

    Issued this 12th day of May 2011.
Therese McMillan,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2011-12292 Filed 5-18-11; 8:45 am]
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