6. Transportation VISION Maintain and enhance a transportation system that accommodates visitors, residents, and commuters by: ▪ Coordinating with towns for new traffic patterns, safety concerns, and mobility through population centers to maintain a healthy balance between residents and business and vacationing travelers ▪ Continuing to improve and expand opportunities for all modes of travel ▪ Promoting walking and bicycling for outdoor recreation, fitness, and transportation ▪ Providing safe access to the local transportation system to make the County a better, safer, and more connected place to live, work, and visit KEY ISSUES PLAN THEMES FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY CHESAPEAKE BAY BRIDGE Leverage State, federal, and other funding See pages [to be added for final] resources. SUSTAINABLE GROWTH TRAFFIC & CONGESTION Description of how this Chapter addresses See pages [to be added for final] Sustainable Growth. COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION MULTIMODAL CONNECTION NEEDS Description of how this Chapter addresses See pages [to be added for final] Community Revitalization. PRESERVATION & CONSERVATION LIMITED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Description of how this Chapter addresses See pages [to be added for final] Resource Conservation & Preservation. HEALTH & RESILIENCE INCREASED SAFETY Support active and healthy transportation See pages [to be added for final] options. RELEVANT STATE VISIONS GOALS The overarching goal for the transportation system is to meet the current and future mobility needs of residents, businesses, and visitors with a balanced multimodal transportation system. 6-1 Improve safety, mobility, and accessibility in the transportation network. 6-2 Enhance the transportation network for all users. 6-3 Support smart and sustainable growth. Transportation PlanQAC 2021 DRAFT 2021-03-10 Page 6-1 DRAFT 2021-03-10 The ability for the County to provide a safe, efficient, and equitable transportation system is important to maintaining a high quality of life, providing for economic expansion as well as maintaining acceptable levels of community sustainability. The various development patterns, preservation goals, and economic development strategies identified in CHAPTER 4—LAND USE and CHAPTER 8—ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TOURISM, along with the programs and services described in this chapter will shape the County’s transportation policies. Specific design of the transportation system will consider land use patterns, economic development needs, and traffic demands to adequately provide and maintain intra-county and regional connections. GUIDING PRINCIPLES & LEGISLATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES ▪ MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) ▪ MD State Highway Administration (SHA) Transportation decisions to increase roadway ▪ MD Transportation Authority (MDTA) capacity, when coupled with pedestrian and cycling ▪ Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) accessibility and connectivity, can contribute to the ▪ National Recreation Trails Program (NRT) improved efficiency of the entire roadway network by ▪ National Scenic Byways Program reducing vehicle miles traveled. The County’s ▪ Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission guiding principles for the development of safer ▪ MD Department of the Environment (MDE) roadways and enhanced bicycle and pedestrian ▪ MD Department of Natural Resources (DNR) accessibility are to: ▪ MD Historic Trust (MHT) ▪ Encourage the provision of safe and easily ▪ National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) accessible pedestrian and bicycle ▪ County, Incorporated Towns & Communities accommodations for residents with ▪ US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) considerations of accessibility and equity ▪ US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ▪ Promote trail connections within towns, the ▪ US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) County, and to the larger region, expanding on the systems already in place COUNTY POLICIES & LEGISLATION ▪ Foster transportation policies that enhance The County recognizes the importance of creating, quality of life, support livable land use, and maintaining, and operating an efficient, functioning, encourage neighborhood preservation safe, equitable, and cost-effective transportation ▪ Promote environmentally friendly system as a key factor to the County’s sustainability. transportation policies The County’s primary transportation policies and ▪ Facilitate accessible, reliable, equitable, and legislation are described below. safe transportation options for older and ▪ Roads Design & Construction Standards—The disabled citizens County manual includes standards for road ▪ Develop innovative local and regional transit classifications, geometric design, contract options drawings, road sections, trenches, curb and ▪ Improve the ability of children, adults, and gutter, sidewalk, entrances, inlets, construction seniors to maintain healthy and active lives methods, and developer responsibilities. It also ▪ Decrease traffic congestion and noise/air includes example deeds of dedication, letters of pollution by increasing active transportation credit, and performance. ▪ Identify a potential network of bicycle and pedestrian facilities ▪ Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO)— ▪ Increase roadway capacity where appropriate to The County’s APFO outlines when development support economic growth proposals will require submission of a traffic ▪ Enhance safety for all users study to determine whether the development These principles can best be established through will impact intersection level of service and, if continued collaboration with planning and so, necessary mitigation to provide adequate implementation partners, including: facility improvements. Page 6-2 PlanQAC 2021 Transportation DRAFT 2021-03-10 PUBLIC INPUT We will continue to revise this section throughout the remaining public input opportunities. The public had several opportunities to provide input related to the County’s transportation facilities, including the community survey, visioning workshops, and Transportation Special Topic Workshop. Highlights from these events are listed below. Relevant results from the community survey related to transportation facilities are found in Figures 6-1 through 6-4. Opportunities Challenges Priorities Active/Healthy Transportation Bay Bridge Crossing Broaden Public Transit Bay Bridge Crossing Incomplete Sidewalk Network Crossing Study Participation Bike & Pedestrian Trails Limited Public Transportation Increase Safety Leveraging Traffic Traffic & Congestion Multimodal Connections Figure 6-1. Importance of Transportation to Quality of Life Transportation Options 31.7% 48.0% 20.4% Walkability 36.6% 41.1% 22.3% Parking Availability 17.4% 52.1% 30.6% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Very Important Important Not Important Figure 6-2. Importance of Transportation to Future Development Transportation Network 54.6% 35.3% 10.1% (e.g., roads, buses) Walkability 32.7% 41.4% 25.9% Parking Availability 12.5% 55.1% 32.4% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Very Important Important Not Important Transportation PlanQAC 2021 Page 6-3 DRAFT 2021-03-10 Figure 6-3. Priority Considerations Related to Future Development 10.4% 2.3% Sufficient Road Capacity 86.4% 27.7% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Encourage Remain Neutral Discourage No Opinion Figure 6-4. Local Impacts of Development 1.9% Traffic Volume 6.6% 8.5% 27.7% 55.4% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Very Positive Positive Little Change Negative Very Negative TRANSPORTATION CONNECTIONS Maryland’s 2009 Smart, Green & Growing Planning Legislation to protect the environment and natural resources and to promote sustainable growth frames the relationship between policies, decisions, and actions associated with land use including environmental stewardship, economic development, and transportation. The concepts that support community sustainability are based on: ▪ Strengthening linkages and coordination between land use and transportation planning ▪ Transportation investments supporting economic development by providing better access to employment and commercial centers ▪ Managing infrastructure investments to ensure they can meet the intended need ▪ Targeting investments for enhanced transit access, bicycle and pedestrian accessibility, equity, and enhancing Towns and County Planning Areas ▪ Preserving natural resource and rural agricultural lands as responsible stewards LAND USE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Transportation plays a key role in achieving land use Transportation decisions can directly impact factors goals to establish sustainable patterns of such as the value of land and land accessibility development by providing accessibility. The County’s which are two key factors to economic development. Master Roadway and Transportation Plan through its These impacts will direct land use decisions such as policies and recommendations is an important use, density, connectivity, impervious surface, and component in determining roadway functions and green space associated with development. design. Consequently, land use planning and transportation planning must be coordinated to LAND PRESERVATION successfully achieve the goals and objectives of Transportation decisions need to work in unity with creating and maintaining a sustainable community. land use policies and programs to preserve rural, The examples in TABLE 6-1 indicate this relationship. agricultural and natural resource lands. For Queen Anne’s County, roadways are the core component of the County’s transportation infrastructure. Thus, their location, design and function are factors in Page 6-4 PlanQAC 2021 Transportation DRAFT 2021-03-10 decisions affecting community development and Formatting