Transportation

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TransportationMoving Toward Enhanced Mobility

• Michael D. Meyer, P.E., Professor
• School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Georgia Institute of Technology

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Transportation Capacity
1950s 1970s 1990s
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Lochner Plan 1946
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Transportation Capacity
Lochner Plan
1950s 1970s 1990s
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Voorhees Plan 1971
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Atlanta Urban Area Tollway System 1972
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MARTA System Plan 1972
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Transportation Capacity
MARTA System plus.
Lochner Plan
1950s 1970s 1990s
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Freeing the Freeways 1978
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Transportation Capacity
Free the Freeway
MARTA System plus.
Lochner Plan
1950s 1970s
1990s
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Transportation Solutions for A New Century 2025
RTP
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Mobility 2030 Setting the Direction for
Regional Transportation
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Population
Employment
2030 RTP
Transportation Capacity
Free the Freeway
MARTA System plus.
Lochner Plan
1950s 1970s
1990s
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Important to note that all of these major
initiatives had some form of dedicated funding
attached to them
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Whats next?
2030 RTP
Transportation Capacity
Free the Freeway
MARTA System plus.
Lochner Plan
1950s 1970s
1990s
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Other Regions
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San Diego
MOBILITY 2030 VISION REGIONAL TRENDS THROUGH
2030 HOW ARE WE GROWING AND CHANGING? FINANCIAL
STRATEGIES PAYING OUR WAY LAND
USE-TRANSPORTATION CONNECTION WE MUST GROW
SMARTER SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT MORE TRAVEL
CHOICES SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT MAKING BETTER USE OF
WHAT WE HAVE DEMAND MANAGEMENT TAKING PRESSURE
OFF THE SYSTEM
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Seattle
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Dallas-Ft. Worth
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Denver
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Binding agreement to guide growth Agree to
establish growth boundaries Comprehensive plans
that are consistent with each other and with the
region Linked to zoning, regulations, and
codes 73 of regions population
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So, what is transportation planning?
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.a process of continually examining the
transportation challenges facing a region, and of
identifying a plan of action to improve
transportation system performance
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So, what are the transportation challenges
(and/or problems)?
It all depends on who is defining challenges
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Congestion/delay/it takes a long time to get
there
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Translating Crash Statistics into Local
TermsGeorgia Crime Crash Clock (2002)

• 1 murder every 16.8 hours

• 1 fatality every 5.7 hours

• 1 aggravated assault every
• 84 minutes

• 1 injury every 4 minutes

• 1 violent crime every 15
• minutes

• 1 property damage crash
• every 2.2 minutes

• 1 property crime every
• 1.7 minutes

• 1 crash every 1.6 minutes

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Safety Costs versus Congestion Costs, Atlanta
Region, 2001
Congestion Cost 2.021 billion
Safety Cost 3.314 billion
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• Inadequate transportation options
• Poor land use/transportation linkage
• Inefficient pricing of a scarce resource
• Poor policy guidance on both land use
• and transportation decisions
• Lack of funding.and willingness to
• provide funding

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Guess what?
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Mobility and Accessibility
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Intelligent Transportation Systems
Transit Facilities and Services
System Operations
SUPPLY MANAGEMENT
Intermodal Facilities and Services
Mobility and Accessibility
Traffic Engineering
Bike/Walkways
Highway Capacity
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Intelligent Transportation Systems
Growth Management
Transit Facilities and Services
Planning Zoning
System Operations
SUPPLY MANAGEMENT
Phasing/Adequacy
Intermodal Facilities and Services
Mobility and Accessibility
Urban Design
LAND USE MANAGEMENT
Traffic Engineering
Mixed Use
Density
Bike/Walkways
Highway Capacity
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Intelligent Transportation Systems
Growth Management
Transit Facilities and Services
Planning Zoning
System Operations
SUPPLY MANAGEMENT
Phasing/Adequacy
Intermodal Facilities and Services
Mobility and Accessibility
Urban Design
LAND USE MANAGEMENT
Traffic Engineering
Mixed Use
Density
Bike/Walkways
Highway Capacity
DEMAND MANAGEMENT
Alternative Work Schedules
Alternative Modes
Alternative Work Locations
Employer Support Programs
Pricing
Financial Incentives and Disincentives
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.a process of continually examining the
transportation challenges facing a region, and of
identifying a plan of action to improve
transportation system performance
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How are projects selected for the regional
transportation plan and the TIP?
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Plan and associated TIP will be developed by
prioritizing transportation strategies based on
three areas of priority Managing, optimizing
and operating the current transportation
system Implementing overall demand management
programs Expanding the regional system where
appropriate
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The challenge facing the Atlanta region is not a
deficiency of ideas..
.but rather the lack of institutional and
funding capability that can deal with regional
problems!
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Regional Transit Institutional Analysis
Transit Planning Board (TPB)
Transit Services Board (TSB)
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• Transit Planning Board
• Commissioner of 10 largest metro counties
• Atlanta Mayor
• Chairmen, GDOT Board
• Chairman, GRTA Board
• MARTA board chairman
• Three representatives appointed by Governor

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Transit Planning Board Act as an advocate at the
federal level for the provision of additional
regional transit funding resources. Oversee
integration of fares, marketing and customer
information across the region. Work with
individual operators and oversee the
implementation of transit service to improve
regional service coordination. Develop and
evaluate a Regional Transit Plan including a
comprehensive financial plan that identifies
needed local, state and federal resources. 
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Measure system performance.  Propose and make
recommendations to the State for additional
transit funding, once a comprehensive financial
plan is complete. In the event that a new
regional transit funding mechanism is approved,
the TPB would develop a recommendation for the
long term TSB. 
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Transit Services Board Distribute new regional
transit funds (both capital and operating) to the
transit providers based on its designated
criteria. Oversee the financial and operational
performance of the transit providers. Identify
and implement the preferred operational and
financial arrangements for major new transit
services in the region as well as potential
changes to existing service provision
arrangements.
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How do the players work together in the
transportation planning process?
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• Anyone who wants to be can be involved,
  however.. there are some who wield greater
  authority and influence than others because of
• Enabling legislation
• Position held within governance structure
• Knowing how to work the system
• Holding the purse strings

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For Example.. Atlanta Partnership for Regional
Livability Atlanta Neighborhood Development
Partnership Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC)
Casey Foundation Center for Neighborhood
Technology (CNT) Community Foundation of Atlanta
Data and Policy Analysis (DAPA) Enterprise
Foundation Fannie Mae Federal Home Loan
Bank Georgia Conservancy Georgia Institute of
Technology School of Planning Georgia Trust for
Historic Preservation

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Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA)
Greater Atlanta Homebuilders Association (GAHB)
Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce (MACOC)
Regional Business Coalition (RBC) Turner
Foundation United Way of Atlanta Urban Land
Institute Atlanta District Council (ULI) U S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
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• Motivation for Collaboration
• We will all gainwin-win (and Id like to
• think this is what it is all about)
• It is the right thing to do
• Crisis or threat, e.g., Olympics, 9/11
• I will gain on this decision
• I will get a future bargaining chip
• An ambassador or peer convinces me
• based on experience
• Were told to do it (e.g., blame the feds)

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Funding
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Mobility 2030 plan faces a 3.9 billion deficit.
a result of costs increasing 25 and revenues
decreasing 6.5.
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Georgia Gasoline Tax is Lowest in US
Cents per Gallon
Additional Federal Tax 18.4 cents per gallon
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Trend in Gasoline Tax in Georgia andNeighboring
States
North Carolina
Tennessee
Alabama
South Carolina
Cents per Gallon
Florida
Georgia
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And if one looks into the future, with
alternative fueled vehicles and greater gas
mileage per vehicle, the gas tax might not be a
stable source of funds for building, operating
and preserving the transportation system.
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I predict that, in the future, the states and
regions with the most stable and reliable
financing of their transportation system will
have a menu of funding sources
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Most Common State-levelDedicated Funding Sources

• Transit
• Retail sales
• Personal income
• Real property
• Motor fuels
• Gallonage tax
• Sales tax
• General fund
• Transportation trust fund

• Highway
• Motor fuels
• Bonding against gas tax revenues
• Future federal funds Grant Anticipation
  Revenue Vehicles (GARVEEs)
• Toll roads

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More Innovative Sources

• Public/private funding
• Public Private Initiatives (PPIs)
• HOT lanes
• State infrastructure bank

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What is needed is either a statewide increase
in transportation revenues (all ships rise with
the tide).OR authorization for metropolitan
areas to develop a strategy for regional
transportation finance
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Regional Funding Strategies

• Seattle
• San Francisco
• Los Angeles
• Tri-State (NY-NJ-CT)
• Portland
• Twin Cities
• Kansas City, MO
• Vancouver, BC

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Seattle---RTIDRegional TransportationInvestment
District

• Sales Tax of 0.1 to 0.5,
• Vehicle License Fee of 1 to 100,
• Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (MVET) of
• 0.1 to 0.3, 
• Local Option Gas Tax 0 to 2.8 per gallon
• Tolls on specific roads or bridges

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We need a regionally-based funding source that
is--multimodal--equitable--indexed to
inflationary trends--operations- and
capital-oriented--shared by state and
locals--targeted on critical bottlenecks
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Our outreach efforts as part of the NSAS/GA 400
study indicated public support for funding
strategies where users pay for the benefits
received
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King for the Day
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Focus on regional strategic systems Priority to
HOV system Managed lanes (pricing) Corridor
approach Best practices and tools for land
use Freight mobility AND MOST OF ALL Regional