Title: Just the Basics An Overview of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) and its Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC)
1Just the Basics An Overview of the National
Capital Region Transportation Planning Board
(TPB) and its Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC)
March 10, 2005
2What is the Transportation Planning Board?
- Federally Mandated Role As the Metropolitan
Planning Organization (MPO) for the Washington
region, the TPB is responsible for coordinating
planning and funding for the regions
transportation system. - Members TPB members include representatives of
local governments state transportation agencies
state and District of Columbia legislatures and
WMATA. - Relationship with COG The TPB is staffed by the
Department of Transportation Planning at COG. As
a body, the TPB is independent from the board of
the Council of Governments.
3TPB Planning Area
- Approximately 3,000 square miles
- Includes 4.5 million people and 2.8 million jobs
4The TPBs Mission and Purpose
- The TPB shall be responsible for the development
of policies of regional significance ... for the
effective implementation of the sections of the
United States Code concerning a metropolitan
transportation planning process - Bylaws of the National Capital Region
Transportation Planning Board
5Key Roles of the TPB
- Federally required planning process
- Forum for regional coordination
- Technical resources for decision-making
6Federally Required Planning Process
Key Documents
- The CLRP Financially Constrained
- Long-Range Transportation Plan
- - Comprehensively updated
- every three years
- - Horizon must be at
- least 25 years
- The TIP Transportation
- Improvement Program
- - Must be updated every two
- years
- - Always a six-year program
7Federally Required Planning Process
- The TPB Process A Condition for Federal Funding
-
- All regionally significant transportation
projects must be included in the CLRP and the TIP
in order to receive federal funding.
8Federally Required Planning Process
- Federal law requires the CLRP and TIP to be
tested for - Financial constraint The CLRP
- TIP may only include projects that can be
- reasonably anticipated to be funded.
- Emissions impacts The CLRP TIP must meet the
limits established in the regions air quality
improvement plan. This is called a conformity
finding. -
-
9Federally Required Planning Process
- Federal law also requires a
- proactive public involvement process
- Citizens Advisory Committee
- Promotes public involvement and provides
- region-oriented, citizen advice
- Access for All Advisory Committee provides a
forum for concerns of minority and low-income
communities and persons with disabilities.
10A Dose of Reality
Federally Required Planning Process
- Who develops projects? Project development
typically occurs at the state and local levels.
The TPB usually does not select and fund
projects. - Who controls the money? D.C., Maryland and
Virginia each controls its own funding stream.
Each has its own system for moving projects
forward. - Influence of the TPB process is often indirect.
Regional policies and federal transportation
planning requirements exert an influence on the
types of projects that are developed and
submitted by the states and locals to the TPB.
11Key Roles of the TPB
- Federally required planning process
- Forum for regional coordination
- Technical resources for decision-making
12Forum for Regional Coordination
- The TPB Vision Approved in 1998
- Lays out eight broad goals to
- guide the regions transportation
- investments in the 21st century.
- Is the policy framework guiding
- the work of the TPB and its members.
- Is not a plan with maps or lists of specific
projects.
13Forum for Regional Coordination
Shining a Spotlight on the Funding Shortfall
- System in Crisis (2000-01) campaign highlighted
the funding shortfall identified during the 2000
CLRP update. - The 2003 CLRP analyzed the long-
- term regional funding shortfall.
- Time to Act (2003-04) focused
- on critical 6-year needs.
-
14Forum for Regional Coordination
Improving Transportation/Land Use Coordination
- Regional Activity Centers maps (2002)
- Intended to be focal points for
- development and nodes for
- transportation linkages.
Regional Mobility and Accessibility Study
(ongoing) Looking at different hypothetical
scenarios for transportation and land use.
What if ... ?
15Forum for Regional Coordination
Emergency Preparedness
- Regional Emergency Coordination Plan
(RECP) - Approved September 11, 2002,
- Includes a transportation component and an
evacuation annex - CapCom
- New regional partnership to improve
transportation communications and coordination
during incidents
16Forum for Regional Coordination
- Management and Operations
- Coordinating the use of technology to squeeze
more efficiency out of existing infrastructure.
- Such as
- Emergency preparedness
- Coordinated response to incidents
- Seamless electronic payment
- systems
- Better traveler information
17Forum for Regional Coordination
Promoting Transportation Alternatives
- Commuter Connections
- Provides services for commuters including
carpooling, guaranteed ride home, and teleworking.
- Bicycle/pedestrian programs Raises awareness,
shares information, coordinates regional
programs.
18Key Roles of the TPB
- Federally required planning process
- Forum for regional coordination
- Technical resources for decision-making
19Technical Resources for Decision-Making
- A variety of methods are used to measure system
performance - Household travel survey
- Aerial freeway survey
- Arterial survey
- Airport passenger survey
- Traffic occupancy counts
- Truck and other special surveys
- Other
-
20Technical Resources for Decision-Making
Travel Forecasting
Computer programsmodelsenable planners to
forecast how travel behavior might change.
- Two basic inputs
- Land use forecasts of future population,
household and job growth. - Transportation Current transportation network,
plus planned or potential changes.
21What is the TPBs Citizens Advisory Committee
(CAC) ?
- The CAC has a two-part mission under the TPBs
Public Involvement Process - to promote public involvement in transportation
planning for the National Capital Region and - to provide independent, region-oriented citizen
advice to the TPB on transportation plans,
programs and issue in the Region, including
responding to requests from the TPB for comments
on specific issues or subject matter. -
22CAC Membership
2 elected by last years CAC 3 nominated by TPB
officer from DC
- 5 from DC
- 5 from Maryland
- 5 from Virginia
- 15 total members
-
2 elected by last years CAC 3 nominated by TPB
officer from MD
2 elected by last years CAC 3 nominated by TPB
officer from VA
23The CACs Schedule
- Regular monthly meeting Every month, Thursday
evening, 6-8 pm six days before the TPB monthly
meeting (usually, but always the 2nd Thursday of
the month) . CAC discusses key TPB agenda items
and other issues. - TPB meeting 3rd Wednesday of the month, 12-2 pm.
CAC chair presents a report. - Outreach meetings As many as six per year.
Dates, locations, topics to be determined by the
CAC.
24For more information, contact the Department of
Transportation Planning at COG
- (202) 962-3200
- TPBPublicComment_at_mwcog.org
- www.mwcog.org/transportation
- John Swanson 202-962-3295
- Wendy Klancher 202-962-3321