Tag: gtc

Nearly 80 projects recommended for region’s Long Range Transportation Plan 2045

The Genesee Transportation Council is looking for public feedback on nearly 80 recommendations in five categories as part of its development of the Long Range Transportation Plan 2045.

The purpose of the plan is to establish transportation priorities and strategic direction for the nine-county Genesee-Finger Lakes region. Federal, state and local governments will use LRTP 2045 to guide transportation investment decision-making in the region in the next 25 years.

The draft recommendations are a result of an assessment of the current transportation system, emerging issues and opportunities and the input received from the public gathered last summer about existing needs and conditions. Each of the recommendations falls into categories that include health and safety; access and equity; system management and maintenance; sustainability and resilience; and economic development.

 

Control room at the regional traffic operations center on Scottsville road Source: Genesee Transportation Council
Control room at the regional traffic operations center on Scottsville Road
Source: Genesee Transportation Council

Fifteen projects have been recommended in the health and safety category, including ongoing plans to ensure pedestrian and bicyclist safety; the adoption of Complete Streets policies; and promoting studies to rehabilitate older multi-use trails. Near and medium-term projects include evaluating rural intersections for redesign and reconfiguring pedestrian facilities at intersections.

In the access and equity category, recommendations include enhancing access to public rights-of-way by installing ADA-compliant treatments at transportation facilities; exploring ways to increase county-to-county transit connections; and tying street design to transit-supportive enhancements at bus stops; among other things.

Recommendations in the system management category include actions to optimize transportation system performance through Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) deployments that enable operators to monitor and manage transportation infrastructure. ITS implementation also maximizes the value of limited public resources through joint service delivery, the report notes.

Recommendations in the sustainability and resilience category focus on actions to prevent hazards from damaging assets and disrupting services. They seek to protect infrastructure from anticipated hazard impacts and ensure that impacted systems and structures have redundant elements to avoid catastrophic failure. In addition, the recommendations consider how post-hazard recovery activities, including both short-term response and long-term restoration, can be integrated into the transportation planning process.

The report suggests that the transportation system as currently configured is not a barrier to economic development and growth.

“As we look to the next 25 years, it is essential that the region continues to maintain the existing system in a state of good repair, augments last-mile connections and improves access to destinations,” according to the report.

In the economic development category, 14 recommendations are made including projects in parking management, wayfinding systems, last-mile access and e-commerce support.

“Across all recommendations, LRTP 2045 looks to make the region a more equitable place by increasing access and mode choice, along with reducing health disparities through investments. The future transportation system will not hinder residents’ ability to pursue economic and social opportunities or negatively impact their well-being,” the report states. “GTC could initiate some of these programs, but successful implementation will require strong partnerships with public agencies and community organizations.”

GTC will host two online public information meetings to discuss the recommendations. The first session will be on Feb. 23 from 1 to 2 p.m. The second session will be on March 2 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Both sessions will be recorded and available for later viewing. Individuals may access a list of the draft recommendations and submit comments online by visiting publicinput.com/LongRangeTransportationPlan.

[email protected] / 585-653-4021
Follow Velvet Spicer on Twitter: @Velvet_Spicer

Transportation system called inadequate for low-income workers

bus-public-transportation-seats-373978-1A new transportation and poverty report commissioned by a number of area organizations involved in Rochester’s anti-poverty initiative suggests that the city’s transportation system reinforces the disparities that already exist in the community, rather than helping to reduce them.

Transportation and Poverty in Monroe County: How Land Use, Job Locations and Commuting Options Affect Access to Jobs found that changing patterns of residential settlement and location of jobs have made it increasingly difficult for people, especially low-income people, to access employment.

“This report makes it clear that transportation is a structural barrier that forces people living in poverty into impossible choices, and that the situation has been exacerbated by increased decentralization of jobs over time,” said Reconnect Rochester President Mike Governale. “The transportation needs of our most vulnerable workers should not be an afterthought in land use management and regional economic policy decision making.”

The report’s findings, he said, should be a call to action to improve the coordination between public and private dollars invested in transportation, economic development and anti-poverty efforts.

The report, prepared by the Center for Governmental Research Inc., notes that in 1910 more than three-quarters of Monroe County’s population lived within the city limits. A century later, that had dropped to just one-quarter. And from 2002 to 2015, the share of county jobs located in the suburbs grew, while the share in the city declined.

The report notes that while the overall number of jobs declined slightly, the changes in income levels of the jobs available have been more dramatic. From 2002 to 2015, Rochester saw a 29 percent decline in low-income jobs and a 32 percent decline in its mid-income jobs.

While low-income jobs are concentrated in a few tracts in the city and in Henrietta, the workers who work those jobs often commute from elsewhere in the county, the report notes. Low-income workers’ residences are much more widely scattered across the county than the locations of their jobs, which makes getting to those jobs more difficult.

The report concludes that “the state of the transportation options in Monroe County and Rochester pose an equity issue for the community, both in terms of race and income. Drivers (who are whiter and wealthier than transit riders) face easy commutes and a wide access to jobs. Those who ride the bus face very long commutes and limited access to jobs.”

The report was commissioned by Reconnect Rochester, in partnership with the city of Rochester, Connected Communities Inc., ESL Charitable Foundation, Genesee Transportation Council (GTC), Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI), the Community Foundation and the United Way of Greater Rochester Inc. ESL Charitable Foundation, United Way and CGR funded the project.

The report will be used to inform the strategy and focus of the RMAPI transportation policy work group, which will work to translate the findings into policy recommendations and action.

“Funding constraints limit public transit’s ability to meet the changing needs of the community and customers we serve,” RGRTA CEO Bill Carpenter said. “This report shows the impact of limited funding on access to jobs, education and health care and how barriers to transportation reduce quality of life in our community.”

GTC Executive Director James Stack noted that the organization’s long range transportation plan supports development that considers and integrates transportation needs.

“This report highlights the need for employers to consider the transportation options that potential employees can afford on the anticipated wages,” Stack said. “Employers should consider the benefits of reduced turnover that locating near reliable transportation can provide.”

The full report can be read here.

[email protected] / 585-653-4021
Follow Velvet Spicer on Twitter: @Velvet_Spicer