Urban transportation planning process

1. Urban transportation planning process

2. Urban Transportation Planning • Vital to an area’s economic and social health by moving people and goods (sometimes also used to revitalize the economic activity of an area) • Conflicting goals/agenda for areas in the same region, represented by different groups • Funds are limited

3. Urban transportation planning is a regional process cooperated by all levels of government as required by federal regulation, a political process, and an analytical process

4. Federal laws require regional transportation planning (long-range planning) for large- and medium-sized urban areas in order to qualify for federal highway and transit funding

5. Early highway planning • Federal-aid highway act of 1925 • Federal-aid highway act of 1934 • First manual on uniform traffic control devices published by BPR in 1935 • A study of toll roads and free roads in 1937 ordered by President Roosevelt • First version of highway capacity manual in late 1940s.

6. After the war • Highway revenue act of 1956: creation of highway trust fund • Federal-aid highway act of 1956 formally kicked off the interstate highway construction program • 1960s: oppositions to freeways

8. Robert Eyre on the history of I-90 planning • William Merry, automobile club of Washington • Ed Banks, Center area resident

9. The environment and citizen development • Two-hearing process for highway projects • Corridor public hearing before the route location decision was made and was designed for citizens to comment on the need and location of the project • Highway design public meeting on specific location and design features • This was later deemed inadequate and the 3C planning process required public participation throughout all phases of a planning process

10. Federal highway act of 1963 (3C) • Continuing: the need to periodically reevaluate and update a transportation plan • Cooperative: to include not only cooperation between the federal, state, and local levels of government but also among the various agencies within the same level of government • Comprehensive: to include the basic ten elements of a 3C planning process for which inventories and analyses were required.

11. Ten basic elements of 3C process

12. As early as in 1960s, Steps were defined in a 3C planning process: • Establish an organization to carry out the planning process • Development of local goals/objectives • Surveys and inventories of existing conditions and facilities • Analysis of current condition and calibration of forecasting techniques • Forecasting of future activities and travel • Evaluation of alternative transportation networks resulting in recommended transportation plan • Staging of transportation plan • Identification of resources to implement the plan

13. Transit planning • In the early days, transit operators also did transit planning and federal assistance was not available, • Creation of Chicago Transit Authority, Boston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority, and NYC Transit Authority • Urban mass transportation act of 1964

14. Urban mass transportation act of 1970 • 2nd landmark in federal financing for mass transportation • Provided long-term federal commitment • Established 2% of the capital funds and 1.5% of the research funds be set aside to serve the disadvantaged (elderly, handicapped)

15. Federal-aid highway act of 1973 • Federal-aid funds can be used for capital expenditures on urban mass transportation projects • Funds for highway could be relinquished and replaced by an equivalent amount from the general fund and spent on mass transportation projects • Raised federal share on mass transportation projects to 80% share • Permitted highway funds for bus related facilities such as park and ride • For the first time, urban transp. Planning was funded separately: ½ of 1% of all federal-aid funds

16. National mass transportation assistance act of 1974 • Authorized for the first time the use of federal funds for transit operating assistance