Not your grandfather's transportation planning

Summertime means road construction, like the bridework currently going on near Cherry Bend.

By Matt McCauley 

When I was asked to do an article on transportation, I quickly thought, "Okay, its spring time...they must be asking about where to expect road construction outbreaks."  As we all know, Michigan only has two seasons...winter and orange barrels.  Don't we all associate "transportation" with roads and driving?  (I can sense the nodding heads.) 

As you might guess given the title and length of this article, I sensed the error in my thought process because professional transportation planning has grown into so much more.

Effective transportation planning and its supporting cast of citizen participation, elected officials, and professional staff are vital to the economic conditions and quality of life for Northwest Lower Michigan.  We are dependent on our transportation networks for the shipment of goods and services throughout the region, state, nation, and the world.  Coupled with a greater realization of environmental responsibilities and what is said to be a "flatter world," we have quickly realized the need to address transportation issues with a critical eye that has shifted "top down" planning with "bottom-up" planning.  As a result, Northwest Lower Michigan is doing a much better job of designing its communities by giving more emphasis to community character, environmental compatibility, land usage, and the economic impact of transportation systems.  Furthermore, we (meaning transportation planners) are also realizing and embracing that the transportation planning process be citizen driven.  Our planning systems must embrace the mindset of looking beyond the roads and into the visions of the community.

As an example, there is a recent land use and transportation planning process in the Grand Traverse area that does serve to address these issues towards the creation of a comprehensive land use and transportation plan for the Grand Traverse area.  In the spring of 2005, federal transportation dollars were reallocated to the Grand Traverse area for the creation and implementation of a comprehensive transportation plan.  TC-TALUS, a transportation planning agency, will administer the funds and provide project management services.  However, the bulk of the planning services will be provided by a multi-discipline consultant team.  Additionally, to assist the planning process, Grand Traverse County appointed a twenty-nine member Land Use & Transportation Study Coordinating Group (LUTS) comprised of local government, environmental, business, educational, institutional, and human service representatives.

The final plan will identify and analyze a variety of transportation system solutions that meet the region's transportation challenges and be supportive of the preferred land use vision within the region. These solutions will be outlined in incremental time blocks using a 2030 transportation planning horizon.   Additionally, the study will provide an overview of the short and long-term strengths, weaknesses and opportunities associated with the transportation system to assure actions or strategies implemented by communities within the region today, tomorrow or even twenty years in the future will not preclude long-term transportation and land use opportunities. 

A critical component of this study will be the development and implementation of a comprehensive public participation process that will assist the planning process. The primary outcome sought from this process is the significant enhancement of community understanding of the relationships, impacts and interconnectivity between transportation and land use decisions.  Public awareness, education, participation, and input will assist with the development of recommendations and solutions appearing in the final plan.  Public involvement strategies and activities should engage the public and the full range of affected stakeholder groups to: identify community values and guiding principles, identify and evaluate current land use as it relates to transportation; identify and evaluate existing multimodal transportation challenges; develop multimodal transportation scenarios and strategies to improve land use as it relates to transportation and future transportation decision-making. 

In order to have a successful study and subsequent implementation, local citizens must have a greater role in local transportation planning.  Citizens play an important role in identifying local and regional needs and solutions- more so than what any consultant can provide on their own.  Early public involvement in the transportation planning process can help reduce expensive and time-consuming rework, and contributes to more efficient project development, making implementation easier.  However, it is important to note that planning in the public realm takes time.  The transportation planning process requires a patient intensity by the community.  Decisions built on the traditional planning process are often discussed for months or even years before actions are taken, but the success rate is often higher.  

If you would like to get involved with transportation planning at any level, please do the following:

Monitor local road conditions for potential safety and planning issues.

Invite transportation officials to attend community meetings to explain the transportation planning process.

Request planning agencies and governmental units to keep you informed on public comment sessions relating to transportation planning.

Observe and educate yourself on sound transportation planning techniques that are applicable to projects in your community.

Ask questions and contribute thoughtfully with the good of your community in mind.

Display knowledge of the pertinent issues and which planning agencies and governmental units are involved with transportation planning in your community.

Stay informed and involved throughout the transportation planning process.

Michigan roads are your roads.

Think MI ROADS!