The original
New Visions Plan called on CDTC to
review and revise project evaluation criteria for capital projects as necessary
to ensure that all transportation projects reflect New Visions principles, strategies and budgets.
A
comprehensive re-examination of the project evaluation criteria used at CDTC,
NYSDOT, and CDTA was identified as a
necessary implementation step in making New
Visions a reality. Benefits from so
doing are seen across a variety of performance areas. The main changes that were perceived to be needed are ones that
better capture the external impacts of transportation decisions -- regional
quality of life, compatibility of transportation with adjacent land use, and
support for the economy.
Budgetary priorities will need to be reassessed, although there will not
necessarily be an increase in resource requirements. Because of this, a continuation of the consensus building
approach of New Visions will be very
important. The Budget chapter includes
more detail on priorities -- this strategy makes the connection directly to the
capital program.
Flexible
federal funding is expected to continue in coming years. The challenge of assigning priority to
competing uses of scarce resources may become greater in the future. Future federal programs may offer greater
flexibility (through block grants and expanded project eligibility) at the same
time that overall federal funding levels are lowered to meet deficit reduction
targets. CDTC's Transportation
Improvement Program (TIP) is the vehicle through which federal highway and
transit funds are assigned to particular projects. Since adoption of the New Visions plan, CDTC has reviewed
its TIP project selection procedures, including its project screening, "fact sheet" evaluation, and program development to ensure consistency with New Visions concepts.
New
evaluation and program development approaches resulted from the review, tying
the TIP strongly to the New Visions Plan and resulting in a far different set
of projects than would have been the case prior to the plan's adoption. CDTC will continue this linkage in the
future.
Regional
"set-asides" are currently used to provide traffic signals, pavement
markings, bridge inspections, and other programs where specific locations are
not determined at the time of programming.
There are several other areas where such an approach may facilitate the
implementation of small, cost-effective improvements.
Quick-turnaround
identification and mitigation of small-scale obstacles to cycling and walking
is desirable. The City of Seattle has a
program that accomplishes this. Its
Bike Spot Improvement Program uses postcards, made available to the public at
bike shops, libraries and other locations, which people can send in to request
anything from pavement sweeping to pothole repairs, bike racks and trail
extensions. A comparable program was established
cost-effectively by CDTC.
Older people, because of the aging process, experience visual problems
related to depth perception, visual field, visual acuity and glare
sensitivity. Many of these people could
continue to drive safely as they age with improvements in sign letter heights,
sign reflectivity and improvements in stopping site distances.
A sign letter height standard of 40 feet to 1 inch (i.e. for every 40
feet of visibility distance needed to detect, read and react to a freeway guide
sign, provide one inch of letter height) is needed. The current AASHTO standard is 50 feet to one inch. In addition, signs should be made of high
performance retroreflective sheeting.
Adopting a 3.5-second perception-to-reaction time in favor of the
current 2.5-second standard in determining stopping sight distances would
better accommodate older drivers.
In 1999,
CDTC programmed two projects -- one in Albany County and one in the city of
Albany -- to replace all regulatory signs with those that meet these criteria.
The regional highway inventory identifies roads with poor "Level of
Compatibility". While some of
these locations will require corridor-wide planning and improvements, others
could experience significant improvements with small projects. Examples include small-scale traffic calming
devices (speed tables or the like) on a residential street, turning
prohibitions, and signal modifications.
There is a need to complement on-street bicycle accommodations with bike
paths in major travel corridors to support recreational bike/hike activities --
and remove those trips from the road completely. Development of such facilities should follow an examination of potential
use and collection of public input.
Depending on the areas selected and the lengths of the project, there
might be needs for separate ("Class 1") bike paths, shared
bike/pedestrian paths, sidewalks and/or other facilities. In addition, accommodations "along the
way," such as crosswalk markings, pedestrian signal phases and bike racks
would be included. Development of completely separate facilities improves the
regional bicycle and pedestrian travel environments. The long-term goal is to have such facilities in every county in
the region.