How Transportation Planning Happens
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6 MOVING FORWARD CHAPTER 2 2 HOW TRANSPORTATION PLANNING HAPPENS 2.1 ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT Federal legislation requires that any urbanized area (UZA) with a population greater than 50,000 must have an MPO to plan for and make decisions on the use of federal transportation funding. MPOs ensure that existing and future expenditures for transportation projects and programs are based on a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive planning process. Among other functions/requirements, MPOs cooperate with state agencies and public transportation operators to program federal funds for eligible transportation projects. As the MPO for New York City, Long Island, and the Lower Hudson Valley, NYMTC serves as a collaborative planning forum for the five boroughs of New York City; Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island; Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester counties in the Lower Hudson Valley; the State of New York; and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to undertake the federally mandated planning process and access federal funding for transportation projects. NYMTC’s regional council is advised by the 2.1.1 STRUCTURE 7 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey MOVING FORWARD NYMTC comprises the chief elected or appointed (Port Authority), New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit), officials of its member agencies, which include and the North Jersey Transportation Planning nine voting members and seven non-voting Authority, as well New York State’s Department advisory members (see Figure 2-1). NYMTC of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. operates through four standing committees: the Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and Program, Finance, and Administration Committee two modal administrations of the U.S. Department (PFAC) that oversees the day-to-day operations of Transportation (USDOT): the Federal Highway CHAPTER 2 of the organization, and three geographically Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit based Transportation Coordinating Committees Administration (FTA). (TCCs) that provide subregional planning forums. NYMTC’s Shared Vision for Regional Mobility, NYMTC is supported by a professional staff that which guides Moving Forward, is built from a is responsible for conducting the daily business framework of these members and advisers’ of the organization. strategic goals; associated objectives; and related projects, programs, and studies. Figure 2-1 NYMTC Organization COUNCIL TRANSPORTATION COORDINATING Establishes policies COMMITTEES (TCCs) Represents planning area constituents by carrying out NYMTC’s mission Consider subregional issues and projects Adopts mandated planning products Engage members at the subregional level and analyses TCCs Develop subregional programs Makes decisions on key transportation issues 9 VOTING MEMBERS • Commissioner, New York State PROGRAM, FINANCE, Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) AND ADMINISTRATION • County Executives, Putnam, COMMITTEE (PFAC) Rockland, and Westchester Counties Made up of the Council members’ • County Executives, COUNCIL representatives Nassau and Suffolk Counties PFAC PRINCIPALS Responsible for the day-to-day • CEO of the MTA operations of the MPO • Director, New York City Adopts various operating and policy Department of Planning (NYCDCP) resolutions on behalf of the Council • Commissioner, New York City Approves plans and programs Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Makes recommendations to Council 7 ADVISORY MEMBERS • Executive Director, Port Authority of New York NYMTC and New Jersey STAFF NYMTC STAFF • Commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Develops and maintains plans, programs, and processes • President and Chief Executive Officer, NJ Transit • Executive Director, North Jersey Transportation Supports PFAC and Council members Planning Authority Coordinates with federal, state, and • Division Administrator, FHWA member agencies • Regional Administrator, FTA Engages the public • Regional Administrator, USEPA 8 As shown in Figure 2-2, NYMTC’s members are Thus, the Plan fulfills federal planning MOVING FORWARD also divided into three geographically based requirements and maintains NYMTC’s eligibility TCCs to address subregional transportation for federal funding for transportation planning needs and issues. and improvement projects. NYMTC acts as a forum for collaborative planning from a regional ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES perspective. It facilitates informed decision- Federal legislation and related planning regulations making among its members by providing sound require MPOs to produce a long-range regional technical analysis and forecasts. NYMTC’s transportation plan, a five-year transportation CHAPTER 2 collective efforts help ensure that the region is improvement program (TIP), and an annual unified prepared to obtain the maximum federal funds planning work program. Moving Forward is the available to achieve the Shared Regional Goals regional transportation plan, for fiscal years 2022– and to focus the collective planning activities of 2050 for the NYMTC planning area. Moving Forward its members to achieve their Shared Vision for includes forecasts of future conditions and needs Regional Mobility. and potential transportation improvements, as well as a shared strategic vision for transportation and development within the NYMTC planning area. Figure 2-2 NYMTC Planning Area and TCCs 2.1.2 THE METROPOLITAN FOUR PLANNING PRODUCTS 9 TRANSPORTATION MOVING FORWARD 1. The regional transportation plan, (this PLANNING PROCESS document) describes long-range goals, Transportation issues cross the boundaries objectives, and needs, typically over a 20- and responsibilities of individual jurisdictions to 25-year horizon. and organizations, and each member agency 2. The TIP defines federal funding for of NYMTC brings a unique perspective and specific transportation projects and jurisdictional responsibilities to the transportation actions, typically over a five-year period. planning process. However, when these members CHAPTER 2 3. The unified planning work program come together as NYMTC, they collectively pursue determines how federal funding for their Shared Vision for Regional Mobility and its planning activities will be spent over the relationship to future growth and development in course of a program year. the NYMTC planning area. 4. A public involvement plan describes and guides efforts to include communities, FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS stakeholders and the public in the The U.S. Congress authorizes funding for ongoing planning process. transportation improvements nationally through multi-year authorization legislation. Currently, TWO PLANNING PROCESSES Figure 2-2 the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation NYMTC Planning Area and TCCs (FAST) Act is the federal transportation legislation 1. The congestion management process that authorizes funding and establishes (CMP)—a process to monitor and the requirements for the metropolitan forecast traffic congestion and consider transportation planning process that governs congestion-reduction strategies in NYMTC’s activities. The FAST Act was signed federally designated Transportation into law in 2015 and carried forward most of Management Areas; and the requirements of its predecessor legislation, 2. Transportation conformity—a including the requirement for transportation quantitative demonstration of how performance management. the fiscally constrained regional transportation plan and TIP conform The federally required metropolitan transportation to future mobile source emissions planning process establishes a continuing, milestones set in response to federally comprehensive and cooperative regional mandated air quality standards. framework for multimodal transportation planning. As part of this process, NYMTC is required to produce the following products and analyses. Figure 2-3 depicts the relationships of these products within the overall process. Figure 2-3 Metropolitan Transportation Planning Process PROJECT PLANNING REGIONAL UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM & IMPLEMENTATION TRANSPORTATION PLAN AND MEMBERS’ PLANNING Implements improvements Defines long-range needs Defines the improvements CONGESTION MANAGEMENT PROCESS TRANSPORTATION AND REGIONAL EMISSIONS ANALYSIS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM Analyzes impacts Defines schedule and funding 10 NATIONAL GOALS AND PLANNING FACTORS MOVING FORWARD National Goals have been established in the areas of safety, pavement and bridge infrastructure, congestion reduction, system reliability, freight movement, environmental sustainability, and project delivery. These National Goals, which appear in Table 2-1, were carried forward into the FAST Act, along with related federal requirements for transportation performance management. Table 2-1 CHAPTER 2 National Transportation Goals Source: 23 United States Code Section 150 Goal Area National Goal Safety To achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. Infrastructure To maintain the highway infrastructure asset system in a state of Condition good repair. Congestion Reduction To achieve a significant reduction in congestion on the National Highway System. System Reliability To improve the efficiency of the surface transportation system. Freight Movement To improve the national freight network, strengthen the ability of rural and Economic Vitality communities to access national and international trade markets, and support regional economic development. Environmental To enhance the performance of the transportation system while protecting Sustainability and