Trends in Rural Transportation Planning

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• Trends in Rural Transportation Planning

John Marshall Western Piedmont Council of
Governments Hickory, NC
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Rural Transportation Planning

• Regional-level rural transportation planning
  began after ISTEA in 1991
• 2003 FHWA/FTA planning regulations
• Today, no federal requirement for sub-state
  non-metro planning, but trend of using RPOs is
  growing

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States with at least one RPO shown in dark blue
States with at least one RPO shown in dark blue
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Rural Transportation Planning

• No single RPO structure
• Varied responsibilities and funding levels
• Many housed in and staffed by Economic
  Development Districts, Councils of Government, or
  Regional Planning Commissions

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Common RPO Tasks

• Assist State DOT with conducting rural local
  official consultation
• Assist State DOT with public outreach
• Coordinate transportation priorities with
  economic development goals

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Common RPO Tasks

• Coordinated Human Services Transportation
  Planning
• Data gathering
• Mapping over- and underserved areas
• Developing strategies to provide mobility options
  with wide range of partners
• Meeting federal requirements for 5310, 5311,
  JARC, New Freedom programs
• Collaborating with Neighboring Regions

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Common RPO Tasks

• Rural Safety Planning
• Strategic Highway Safety Plans
• Addressing rural traffic fatalities
• Mapping crash locations
• Adapting to and Mitigating Environmental Impacts
• Responding to stronger AQ standards
• Climate change
• Future of transportation energy

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RPO Resources RPO America

• ?Established in June 2006 by the NADO Board of
  Directors
• ?Program affiliate of NADO consisting of all
  existing dues-paying members of NADO
• ?Serves as the national professional association
  for rural transportation planners, practitioners
  and stakeholders

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Purpose and Duties

• Provide information, education, peer networking
  and research services for rural transportation
  planners and stakeholders
• Serve as national clearinghouse and forum for
  exchange of information on transportation issues
  impacting rural regions
• Create opportunities for peer learning, including
  through national and regional conferences,
  reports and online communications

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Membership Structure

• Consists of all existing dues-paying members of
  NADO without additional charge
• Each NADO member is allowed to designate a
  point-of-contact to receive RPO America
  information and communications
• Target Audience Rural Planning Staff and/or
  Related Professional Staff

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Center for Transportation Advancement Regional
Development

• Established under Sec. 5504 of 2005AFETEA-LU
  Four-year cooperative agreement with FHWA
• MISSION Provide research, training and
  professional resources aimed at enhancing the
  transportation networks of small metro and rural
  regions to support their economic competitiveness
  and growth

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Resources

• National Rural Transportation Peer Learning
  Conference, October 28 30, 2009, Savannah, GA
• Special Reports
• NADOs Rural Transportation Listserv and Web
  site, RuralTransportation.org

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NC RPO Overview

• RPOs formed through legislative action in 2000 in
  response to federal requirements to address rural
  concerns
• RPOs represent all or part of 78 counties in NC
• NC is rapidly urbanizing - but still rural in
  many areas of the state
• RPOs provide link between local priorities and
  statewide transportation planning process
• RPOs facilitate communication between NCDOT and
  rural counties and municipalities through their
  TCC and TAC meetings

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Areas Represented

• Contiguous Areas of three to fifteen Counties
• Must have at least 50,000 population according to
  Office of State Planning
• Metropolitan Planning Organizations areas shall
  not be included
• Not all Municipalities in a proposed RPO must
  join the organization but the County must be a
  member in the RPO.

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Structure

• Planning Work Program based on MPO
• work program and prospectus structure
• Local and State funding sources only
• NCDOT 80 Local 20
• 100,000 Average

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How many are there?There are twenty organized
RPOs throughout North Carolina.

• Isothermal RPO
• High Country RPO
• Lake Norman RPO
• Northwest Piedmont RPO
• Piedmont Triad RPO
• Eastern Carolina RPO
• Down East RPO
• Southwestern RPO
• Albermarle RPO
• Kerr-Tar RPO

• Upper Coastal Plain RPO
• Rocky River RPO
• Triangle Area RPO
• Lumber River RPO
• Mid-East RPO
• Peanut Belt RPO
• Land-of-Sky RPO
• Mid-Carolina RPO
• Cape Fear RPO
• Unifour RPO

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Rural Planning Organization Four Core Duties

• Developing long range local and regional
  transportation plans.
• Providing a forum for public participation in the
  transportation planning process.
• Developing and prioritizing projects the
  organization believes should be included in the
  TIP.
• Providing transportation related information to
  local governments.
• These are the core duties that must be provided
  but the
• organization is not limited to only these and can
  provide
• other duties

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NC RPO Work Programs

• Deliverables Are Required By NCDOT
• Maps
• Traffic counts
• Public outreach materials
• TIP project priority list
• Transportation Plan priority list
• Meeting agendas/minutes
• Planning documents
• CTP data

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Primary Roles

• Develop and communicate local priorities to NCDOT
• Provide comments on the STIP
• Conduct local community and public involvement
  activities
• Assist in, and/or develop CTPs in coordination
  with NCDOT
• Prioritize CTP study needs for the region

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Primary Roles

• Provide support to the project development
  process through local input, data and Serve as a
  key stakeholder in the development,
  implementation and update of the STP
• Provide overall needs to NCDOT for use in
  preparing STIP updates
• Provide feedback on pending policy issues that
  affect all partners
• Conduct, partner or request specific studies

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Coordination

• There has been coordination between RPOs and MPOs
• Serve on each others boards
• More highway corridor planning consistency
  between rural and urban areas (major purpose of
  strategic highway corridor system identified by
  NCDOT)
• After 2010 Census expansion of MPOs will be
  smooth because of RPO project planning and
  prioritization
• Annual MPO/RPO Conference
• NCDOT Study

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RPO Association

• Network of RPO Planners
• Quarterly meetings
• Subcommittees Legislative, GIS
• Professional and educational
• network
• Work with MPO Association

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Funding Website

• Worked for more than a year to develop a database
  of mostly non-TIP transportation funding options
  and projects in North Carolina
• The goal was to create a brochure of all of these
  programs and sources, with contacts and
  application forms for local staff and elected
  officials to use
• Became more complex and comprehensive it because
  apparent that a strategy to guide users to the
  appropriate information was needed
• Website was developed
• www.nctransportationanswers.org

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Key Issues

• Where will the future money it come from?
  Administrative section of the highway trust fund
• Initially funded for five years. NC RPOs are in
  seventh year of existence
• Evaluation by ECSU
• New RPO Boundaries?
• Will RPOs continue in NC?

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Reauthorization Issues

• Rural areas need the support of the Federal
  Government to provide meaningful transportation
  planning services and input into the state
  process
• The issue of rural consultation does not appear
  to be adequately addressed in recently proposed
  changes to the federal transportation bill

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Contact Information
Questions?

• Carrie Kissel John Marshall
• NADO WPCOG
• [phone] [phone]
• ckissel_at_nado.org john.marshall_at_wpcog.org