goals and objectives
DESCRIPTION
Goals and Objectives document created by the Buckeye Hills HVRDD RTPO. Published in April 2014. Items are subject to modification and update without notice.TRANSCRIPT
GOALS AND
OBJECTIVES
APRIL 2014
ThesegoalsandobjectivesarepartofaplandocumentbeingcompletedbytheBuckeyeHills–HockingValleyRegionalDevelopmentDistrictaspartoftheRTPOPilotProgramfundedbytheOhioDepartmentofTransportation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents
BackgroundInformation________________________________________________________________________________ 1
MaintainandPreservetheRegion’sTransportationSystem_________________________________________ 2
EnhanceTransportationSystemSafety________________________________________________________________ 3
StrengthentheRegion’sEconomicVitality ____________________________________________________________ 4
BeSensitivetoEnvironmentalSustainabilityinTransportationPlanning__________________________ 5
IncreaseMobilityandAccessibilityOpportunities____________________________________________________ 6
EnhancetheCoordinationandConnectivityoftheTransportationSystem_________________________ 7
ThisdocumentproducedbyBuckeyeHills–HockingValleyRegionalDevelopmentDistrict,inpartnershipwiththeOhioDepartmentofTransportation.
April2014
Pleasedirectallquestionsandcommentsregardingthisdocumentto:
TransportationPlanningManager
P.O.Box520
Reno,Ohio45773
V740.374.9436F740.374.8038
www.buckeyehills.org
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Page1
BackgroundInformation
‘Region‐abroadgeographicareadistinguishedbysimilarfeatures’
‘Planning‐theestablishmentofgoals,policies,andproceduresforasocialoreconomicunit’
TheseWebster’sdefinitionsarenotnewtoBuckeyeHillsortheAppalachiancountiestheyhaverepresentedforthepast45years.Overthedecadestherehasbeenoneconstant–asteadfastdevotiontothepeopleandcommunitiesoftheregion.Empoweringleaderswithinformation,providingaccesstostateandfederalfundingopportunities,andsupportingregionalendeavorsarethelong‐termhallmarksofBuckeyeHills.
When the Ohio Department of Transportation began a pilot program where Regional TransportationPlanning Organizations (RTPO) would be formed to create a regional plan encompassing all modes oftransportation,BuckeyeHillswasthelogicalentitytotakeuptheendeavor.
BuckeyeHills–HockingValleyRegionalDevelopmentDistrictwasdesignatedasanRTPOinJuly2013.Aspartof the initial scopeofwork, threecommitteeswere formed–aPolicyCommittee;CitizensAdvisoryCommittee;andaTechnicalAdvisoryCommittee.TogetherthesegroupsweretaskedtoformulategoalsandobjectivesthatwouldserveasthebasisofRTPOactivitiesduringthepilotperiod.
MembersoftheRTPOCitizensAdvisoryandTechnicalAdvisorycommitteesarecomprisedoflocalstakeholders‐includingpublicofficials,industryleaders,economicdevelopmentrepresentatives,andprivatecitizenswhocareaboutthetransportationneedsoftheregion.
Afterseveralmeetingsduringlate2013andearly2014,whichprovidedconstructiveinput–includinganinformalelectionofpriorities,RTPOcommitteememberswerecommittedtocreatinggoalsandobjectivesthatmeetthefollowingcriteria:
1. BuckeyeHillsRTPOgoalsshouldcloselycorrelatewiththegoalssetforthinMAP‐21andOhio’slongrangeplanentitlesAccessOhio2040;
2. BuckeyeHillsRTPOgoalsshouldaddresstheresultsofarecentlycompletedtransportationstudyperformedbyODOTonbehalfofBuckeyeHills;
3. Thegoalsshouldbereflectiveoflifewithintheregion.
AsummaryofMAP21performancemeasurescanbefoundontheFederalHighwayAdministrationwebsite.
GoalsandobjectivesasoutlinedinOhio’slongrangetransportationplancanbefoundontheODOTwebsite.
Goalsandobjectivesoutlinedinthefollowingsectionsaddressthemajorityofthesefactorsandincludeothersthatarespecifictotheregion.
ItwastheopinionofRTPOcommitteemembersthateachgoalandobjectiveisequallyimportant,thereforetheyarenotinanyparticularorder.
MAINTAIN AND PRESERVE THE REGION’S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
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MaintainandPreservetheRegion’sTransportationSystem
OBJECTIVES
‐ Identifydeficienciesandrecommendimprovementsintheregion’stransportationsystem.(e.g.pavementconditions,basestructure,bridgerehabilitation,etc.)
‐ Developstrategiestoimproveandmaximizethelifeofregionaltransportationsystems.
‐ Increasetransportationeducationopportunitiesforpublicawarenessincludingfinancingandimprovementcosts.
‐ Encouragetwo‐wayreportingofroadwayconditions.
DuetothesolvencyissuesoftheNationalHighwayTrustFund,aswellasOhio’sendeavortocreatemorepublic/privatepartnerships,fundingfortransportationprojectsisbecomingincreasinglyscarce.StudiesnationwidehaveshownthatmostAmericansfeelitisaprioritytomaintainandpreserveourtransportationinfrastructureratherthanbuildingnew.ThissentimentwasdemonstratedintheresponsestotheregionaltransportationsurveycompletedbyODOTonbehalfofBHin2013.
Transportationcommitteestakeholdersfeelitisimportanttoeducatethepublicontransportationfundingsotheygainabetterunderstandingofthetruecostsassociatedwithmaintainingourtransportationinfrastructure.Thecommitteesalsofeelitisimportantforthepublictohaveavoicewithtransportationdecisionmakers–andforthosesamedecisionmakerstokeeplinesofcommunicationopenwiththepublic.ItisthegoalofBuckeyeHillsRTPOstafftoensurethattransportationplanninghappenswiththeresidentsoftheregion,nottothem.
Newtransportationtechnologiesshouldbepursuedwhereapplicabletoaidinthepreservationofthesystem’sinfrastructure.BH‐HVRDDencouragesthecontinueddevelopmentofpartnershipswithresearchinstitutionsfindinginnovativemeasurestosustainourtransportationassets.BuckeyeHillshasengagedwithregionalpartnersbothinOhioandbeyond,suchasOhioUniversity,Mid‐OhioRegionalPlanningCommission(MORPC),NationalAssociationofDevelopmentOrganizations(NADO),WoodWashingtonWirtInterstatePlanningCommission(WWWIPC),NorthCentralPennsylvaniaRegionalPlanningandDevelopmentCommission,andotherstostayabreastofthelatestdevelopmentsintransportationplanningaswellastransportationrelatedtechnologiesthatmaybenefittheBuckeyeHillsregion.
ENHANCE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM SAFETY
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EnhanceTransportationSystemSafety
OBJECTIVES
‐ Reducetherateofroadwaycollisionsinidentifiedhigh‐riskareas.
‐ Advocateforsafetymeasuresthatprotectallusers.
‐ Improvedriverawarenesseducation.(e.g.distracteddriving,winterdriving,bike/pedestrianalertness,motorcycleawareness,etc.)
Safety,isaprimaryconcernofanytransportationendeavor.Noautomaker,engineer,transitofficial,orpedestrianarguesthatsafetyisthenumberonepriorityforanyformoftravel.Itisnolesstruefortransportationplanning.ItisagoalofBuckeyeHillstoachieveasignificantreductionintrafficfatalitiesandseriousinjuriestakingplaceonhighwaysacrosstheregion.Tohelpachievethisgoal,BuckeyeHillsplanstouseGISmappinganddataanalysistoinformlocalstakeholdersofpotentialhighriskareasthatmayrequireattentionorremediation.Thebestwaytocombattheseinjuriesandfatalitiesistoputactionableinformationinthehandsoflocaldecisionmakers,whilesimultaneouslyconnectingthemwithavailableresourcesthatmayhelpalleviatesomeoftheattributableconditions.Othertransportationsystemsarenotimmunetoinjuriesandfatalities.Undercurrentconditionsthemostrobust,readilyavailable,andactionabledatatoimprovesafetyisfromthelargesttransportationnetwork,thehighwaysystem.Asopportunitiestoreceiveandanalyzesafetydataforothermodesoftransportpresentthemselves,BuckeyeHillswillapplythesameanalyticalprincipalstoidentifyareasofriskandconcerninthoseareas.
Inordertohelpachievethesafetyinitiativesofinteresttoourcommitteemembersandconstituents,BuckeyeHillsiscommittedtoidentifyingandutilizingavailablefederalandstatesafetyprograms.Theseprogramsprovideaprovenapproachofcreatingsafertravel,aswellasprovidingeducationalopportunitiesthatteachbetterdrivinghabitstoallusers.
BuckeyeHillsisalsocommittedtopursuingavailablefundingopportunitiesthatassistintherealizationofsafetravelacrossallmodes.BuckeyeHillswillworkwithODOTatthestatelevel,localdistrictoffices,aswellasMORPCtolearnaboutandidentifyfundingopportunitiesthatcanhelpachievethesafetygoalssetforthbythetransportationcommitteemembers.
STRENGTHEN THE REGION’S ECONOMIC VITALITY
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StrengthentheRegion’sEconomicVitality
OBJECTIVES
‐ Ensuretheregionaltransportationsystemconnectspopulationswitheconomicassetswithintheregion.
‐ Fortifytheregion’sglobalcompetitiveness,productivity,andefficiency.
‐ Encourageincreasedinvestmentsinfreightmovement,road,rail,andmaritimeprojects.
Historically,countiesintheBuckeyeHillsregionhavehadsomeofthehighestunemploymentratesinOhio.Atthetimeofthisreport,sevenoutofeightcountiesintheregionhavehigherratesofunemploymentthanthestateaverage.LeveragingtransportationinvestmentstoimprovethisrealityisakeyfocusoftheRTPOprogramnotonlyforBuckeyeHills,butforalltheparticipants.Regionaltransportationprojectsshouldbefocusedonfosteringeconomicdevelopmentandpromotingconsistencybetweenimprovementstoexistingassetsandplannedgrowth.Targetedinvestmentsincurrentinfrastructure–includingroads,rail,andmaritime(theOhioRiver)–couldyieldbenefitssuchasenablinglargecargotobemorereadilytransportedbybargeandrail,andthentransferredtotrucksforlastmiledelivery.Thesetypesofsuccessfulinvestmentscouldencouragefurtherdevelopmentintheregion.
BE SENSITIVE TO ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
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BeSensitivetoEnvironmentalSustainabilityinTransportationPlanning
OBJECTIVES
‐ Promotetheuseofalternativemodesoftransportation.
‐ Fosterthedevelopmentandutilizationofbikeandpedestrianfacilities.
‐ Respecttheregions’environmentalresourcesbyavoidingunnecessaryimpactsandmitigatingnegativeoutcomes.
Whilehighwaytraveldominatesthetransportationportfolioinourregion,alternativemodesoftravelmustbeconsideredforanumberofreasons,mostimportantlytheenvironment.AlthoughtheBuckeyeHillsregiondoesnothavethelevelofvehiclecongestionfoundinmetropolitanareasofthestate,increaseduseofbikeandpedestriantrails,aswellaspublictransitareslowlyincreasing.Nearly49%ofthosesurveyedintheregionaltransportationstudyindicatedthattheavailabilityofpublictransitintheirlocalareaswaspoorornon‐existent.Notonlywillthedevelopmentandimplementationofthesefacilitiesbenefitthoseworkingandlivingintheregion,buttheywillhelpuslessentheimpactsallthevariousmodesoftransportationarehavingonthelocalenvironment.IfOhioistocontinueparticipatingintheeconomicsofagricultureandoutdoortourism,environmentalpreservationmustbeatoppriority.
INCREASE MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY OPPORTUNITIES
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IncreaseMobilityandAccessibilityOpportunities
OBJECTIVES
‐ Encourageadditionaloptionsformovingpeopleandgoodsfromplacetoplace.
‐ Promoteincreasedaccesstoavailablepublictransportationoptions.
‐ Investigatetheestablishmentofadditionalpublictransportationassets.
Aregionaltransportationplanthatemphasizesmobilityandaccessibilityisessentialformaximizingaccesstovitalservices(publicandprivate)forthosewhoneedpublictransportationthemost.Atthetimeofthisreport,nearly20%oftheBuckeyeHillsregionisage60orolder.Theneedforaccessibletransportationoptionsisexpectedtoincreaseasthegeneralpopulationages.Thisisparticularlytrueintheruralareasoftheregionwhereseniorsmaynothaveviableoptionstoaccessneededhealthcareappointmentsandothervitalhealthserviceorganizations.
Surveyshaveshownthatagreatnumberofmillennialsaremoreinterestedinusingpublictransportationthanowningtheirownvehicle.Thiscouldbeattributedtotherisingcostsofvehicleownership,concernsaboutpollution,orthegeneraldesiretoconserveresources.Theregionneedsaregreaterthanjustmaintainingourroadsforindividualdrivers.
ENHANCE THE COORDINATION AND CONNECTIVITY OF THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
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EnhancetheCoordinationandConnectivityoftheTransportationSystem
OBJECTIVES
‐ Identifyandmaintainaregionalcoretransportationsystemthatconnectsfacilities,economicassets,andOhio’svariedtransportationnetworks.
‐ Strengthenintermodallinksbetweenbicycleandpedestrianfacilities,publictransportation,motorizedtransport,andrecreation.
‐ Coordinateoutreachandcommunicationswithallinterestedparties,includinglocalgovernments,communities,organizations,andindividuals.
Aregionaltransportationplanmustshowhowthedifferentmodescanworktogethertoimprovetheoverallefficiencyoftheoveralltransportationnetwork.Strengthenedregionalpartnershipsandcollaborationwillberequiredtosecureregionalinvestmentstofund,build,operate,andmaintainadditionaltransportationservicesandfacilities.Theseinvestmentswillpromotetheeconomy,improvethequalityoflife,encourageadditionalgoodsmovements,andsupportregionalcommunities.