Just the Basics An Overview of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) and its Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC)

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Just the Basics An Overview of the National
Capital Region Transportation Planning Board
(TPB) and its Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC)
March 10, 2005
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What 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.

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TPB Planning Area

• Approximately 3,000 square miles
• Includes 4.5 million people and 2.8 million jobs

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The 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

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Key Roles of the TPB

• Federally required planning process
• Forum for regional coordination
• Technical resources for decision-making

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Federally 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

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Federally 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.

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Federally 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.

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Federally 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.

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A 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.

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Key Roles of the TPB

• Federally required planning process
• Forum for regional coordination
• Technical resources for decision-making

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Forum 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.

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Forum 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.

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Forum 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 ... ?
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Forum 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

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Forum 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

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Forum 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.

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Key Roles of the TPB

• Federally required planning process
• Forum for regional coordination
• Technical resources for decision-making

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Technical Resources for Decision-Making

• Travel Monitoring

• 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

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Technical 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.

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What 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.
•  

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CAC 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
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The 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.

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For more information, contact the Department of
Transportation Planning at COG

• [phone]
• TPBPublicComment_at_mwcog.org
• www.mwcog.org/transportation
• John Swanson 202-962-3295
• Wendy Klancher 202-962-3321