TMACOG Web site: http://www.tmacog.org

• On the Move (PDF files at TMACOG Web site)
  • Projects
  • Initiatives
  • Policies
  • Proposed core projects map
  • Additional priority projects map

Also on the TMACOG Web site:

• Traffic Count Database - Enter a location and time of day to get traffic volume.
• 2005 Traffic Flow Map (8mb PDF file)

2007 public meetings

Where the plan will be introduced and citizens can comment and ask questions. Copies of the projects, initiatives, and policies PDF files are distributed to meeting attendees, along with a couple of maps and the "introduction" page that is listed below.

March 2 meeting

Pic of the meeting:

Introduction

(From a handout distributed at the meeting)

What will the Toledo metropolitan area look like in 30 years? Over the next three decades, what improvements in transportation do we need for better freight movement, personal mobility, and regional strength?

These are the core questions for TMACOG and the people of our region (Lucas and Wood counties in northwest Ohio, plus southern Monroe County, Michigan). The answers will be found in the "On the Move: 2007-2035 Regional Transportation Plan."

A broad-based leadership team is working with TMACOG staff. The plan task force has heard from the public, looked at technical analysis, brainstormed solutions, and made tough decisions on priorities. The result is a draft list of major projects addressing needs and opportunities, plus a list of regional initiatives.

The draft list of projects :

• addresses regional goals
• includes multiple modes of transportation (cars, trains, buses, bicycles, etc.)
• is fiscally constrained based on expected federal, state, and local resources

In addition to these projects, the plan will include:

• initiatives (major studies, other strategic actions)
• policies (to guide future action in the region)
• system preservation projects (to reconstruct deficient bridges and road pavements)
• a time line for implementation beginning in fiscal year 2008 (July 2007)

To finalize the plan, the task force invites public review and comment. The plan is posted on the TMACOG website, http://www.tmacog.org. A series of six public meetings is slated for March 2nd through 12th. In addition, displays have been placed at all public libraries in the region.

Making this plan a reality will call for focused effort and effective partnering. We invite you to support the On the Move Plan -- because great things happen when we work together!

For more information or to comment on the draft Plan, visit http://www.tmacog.org, or contact:

Diane Reamer-Evans
Transportation Project Manager
Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG)
300 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
P.O. Box 9508, Toledo OH 43697
419-241-9155 ext 117; fax 419-241-9116

evans@tmacog.org

Goals

From the policies file (access file for details about each goal) :

• Passenger Goal: Our region will be a top quality multi-modal passenger transportation hub.

• Freight Goal: Our region will be a world-class multi-modal freight transportation hub

• Research Goal Statement: Our region will be a center of transportation research and innovation.

• Environment Goal: Our region and its transportation system will protect and sustain community and natural environments.

• System Preservation Goal: We will protect the region's investment by maintaining and preserving the existing system.

• Safety & Efficiency Goal: Our transportation system will be designed and operated to promote safe and efficient travel across all modes.

• Funding Goal: Our region will be successful in obtaining adequate funding for transportation facilities.

Initiatives

From the initiatives file :

Initiatives are defined as regional actions requiring investment of funds and other resources. The draft plan reserves $4.5 million (an estimated $161,000 per year) for completing initiatives. The proposed initiatives are listed by regional goal.

• Bike Path Connectivity Study — Study key destination connections (schools, developments, parks, points of interest) with bike/ped trails and paths.

• Lake Erie West Global Logistics Hub — Support development and implementation of a business plan for the “Lake Erie West Global Logistics Hub,” including private/public investment in infrastructure for selected sites and connectivity between sites.

• Education campaign on Funding Needs, Part 1 — Local transportation stakeholders must educate policy makers and local tax payers on the lack of adequate resources for maintenance and improvement of the current system (all modes - highway, transit, seaway, rail, air, pedestrian/bikeway) and the disproportionate inflation in material and other costs for maintenance, construction, and operation of the system that has eroded the buying power of current funding. This requires a consistent and factual message.

• Education campaign on Funding Needs, Part 2 — Local transportation stakeholders must educate policy makers and the public on the inadequacy of the current fuel tax mechanism as a means to support highway and transit investments in the future and the relationship between reduced fuel use (a positive trend) and reduced funding for transportation (a negative trend).

• Steady State-related Research & Actions — Research efficient standards for system preservation goals, estimate required resources to maintain existing systems, and ensure that project selection criteria place priority on maintaining the system effectively while still leaving some resources for needed capacity expansion.

• Research on increasing tax revenue — Research existing dedicated transportation tax mechanisms for the potential to provide additional funding for transportation needs including such things as:
  
  • Sales tax on bigger, heavier, and/or more expensive personal vehicles
  • Use taxes (e.g. licenses or vehicle registrations)
  • Fuel taxes

• Regional transit funding — Different / regional transit funding mechanism - geographically fair - to allow service throughout region as needed

• Multiple-hub transit system — As a first step, investigate feasibility (routing, performance and costs) of multiple hubs for the TARTA bus route system

• Regional transit — Increase TARTA routes and other public transit in order to increase the geographic area served (county wide or region wide).

• Develop a regional safe routes to school program addressing ped/bike routes, funding, infrastructure, etc. [addresses concerns of TMACOG Ped School Survey]

• Sidewalk Policy Committee — Establish a regional committee to examine current sidewalk policies and regulations concerning installation, maintenance and enforcement and to develop a regional policy.

• Establish a System Preservation Process — establish a System Preservation task force or coalition to:
  • Step 1: Establish System Preservation Process basics (determine conditions, set goals, determine costs/steady state budgets)
  • Step 2: Develop management tools (Pavement Management System, etc.)
  • Step 3: Buy-in: Develop support for Preservation Process and improved repair techniques and materials Buy-in: Develop support for Preservation Process and improved repair techniques and materials
  • Step 4: Address lack of funds to implement Process and appropriate fixes

• Freight Database — Develop comprehensive goods movement "knowledge database" (how much freight is moving from/to and through our region and by which modes).

• Fuels Research — Comprehensive research on production and use of ethanol/bio-fuels.

• Transit Research — Research role of transit in establishing identity for corridor (studies of other successful corridors, e.g. Silicone Valley, research triangle, etc.).

• Work Zone Safety — Driver education on work zones.

• Rail Crossing Safety — Study locations for warning lights and gates at railroad crossings.

• Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) — Identify diversion routes to coordinate between arterials and freeways

Pics of slides

The Power Point presentation given at the meeting is not available for download on the TMACOG Web site. A few of the slides were enlarged and displayed in the meeting room.

Click to enlarge:

2006 slides

TMACOG's Web page titled Solutions Summit, June 22, 2006 has links to PDF files that contain presentation slides.

1. Passenger Hub Goal
2. Freight Hub Goal
3. Research Goal
4. Environment Goal
5. Preserve/Maintain System Goal
6. Safety & Efficiency Goal
7. Funding Goal

Pics of maps

Several maps were on display in the meeting room. I took pictures of a few of the maps, but not all because I was told they were available on the TMACOG Web site, but I haven't been able to find them all. A couple of these pictures are of maps given to meeting attendees.

Click to enlarge:

Roundabouts

At the meeting, a video was shown of the roundabout in Howard, Wisconsin, but I don't see this video on the TMACOG Web site, but you can view an excerpt of the video on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Web site.

Playing time: 2:08

• Video clip- high bandwidth (9 MB, WMV file)
• Video clip - low bandwidth (2 MB, WMV file)
• Transcript

From the meeting:

• Roundabouts greatly reduce head-on and t-bone collisions, which reduces the number of serious injuries. The crashes that do occur are mostly side-swipes.

Additional info :

Roundabouts move traffic safely through an intersection because of:

• Slower speeds
• Fewer conflict points
• Easier decision-making

Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show that roundabouts provide a:

• 90% reduction in fatal crashes
• 76% reduction in injury crashes
• 30-40% reduction in pedestrian crashes
• 10% reduction in bicycle crashes

Roundabouts are planned for the following intersections:

• Douglas/Laskey/Tremainsville
• Detroit/Telegraph/Laskey
• Heatherdowns/Garden Rd.

Although not listed in the projects file, it was mentioned at the meeting that a roundabout is planned in 2008 for the Nebraska/King intersection, unless I heard that wrong.

Related Web site: http://www.roundaboutsusa.com

Toledo Express Airport

A couple things mentioned at the meeting:

• Airport Master Plan
  • expanding runways
  • constructing a new air traffic control tower in 2009 (they think)

Light rail

During the question and answer period, an attendee wondered why more of the region would not have light rail.

Answer from TMACOG:

• It's not feasible to cover the entire region with light rail due to our land use practices. No changes in the Ohio legislature are expected that will govern how we use or development land. In other words, we're continuing to spread further and further outward. No containment borders are expected that would control how we expand.

LEW Global Logistics Hub

From the policies file:

Freight Goal: Our region will be a world-class multi-modal freight transportation hub

Policy 8: To strengthen our role as a freight transportation hub, our region will work together to implement Lake Erie West Global Logistics Hub business plan. This plan comprises four major freight facilities: Toledo Express Global Logistics Park (see Policy 9), Trans-Pacific Inland Port (see Plan Project 1 and Policy 10), Golden Triangle Distribution Corridor, and the Toledo Seaport (see Policy 11). We will identify needed improvements/ resources; support public/private infrastructure investment for the sites, and connectivity between them (on public roads or off-road).

Policy 9: A regional priority is to expand use of the air freight mode and use of air facilities as intermodal hubs. This will include increasing airport capacity throughout the region and providing good road access. We will develop Toledo Express Airport as a major intermodal hub, to be known as the “Toledo Express Global Logistics Park,” with needed infrastructure improvements (including Plan Projects C-3, 4, 59 and 60) and creation of a “transportation opportunity district.”

Policy 10: To expand freight capacity, we will work to increase use of and multi-modal access to rail freight. This will include supporting development of a Trans-Pacific Inland Port (see Plan Project 1), a rail/truck container facility designed to capture major freight flows from Asia, for distribution to the Midwest and eastern U.S.

Policy 11: Our region has an opportunity to expand waterborne freight movement. To do so, we will work to increase rail access to the Toledo Seaport, and we will support maximized use of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes water system.

Policy 12: It is essential for our role as a freight hub to improve road access and capacity for trucks, and reduce modal conflicts. As part of this policy, we support:

1. Making the Ohio Turnpike more truck-friendly with "Easy Pass" electronic toll collection and quantity discounts.
2. Increasing the quality of township roads by requiring agri-business to meet same constraints as other industries, that is, eliminating exemptions that allow producers to use township roads without defraying costs of upgrades and maintenance.
3. Providing real-time information on road congestion via ITS that is suitable to trucker needs.

UT ITI

Web site: The University of Toledo Intermodal Transportation Institute

From the policies file:

Research Goal Statement: Our region will be a center of transportation research and innovation.

Policy 13: We need to diversify fuels for transportation, to insure fuel will be available on a long-term basis, with reduced dependence on foreign sources. To do so, our region will:

1. Support the work of a consortium of area universities to develop and commercialize hybrid vehicles.
2. Analyze current state and federal policies to propose changes and/or take advantage of existing policies in order to enhance alternative fuels production and use in our region.

Policy 14: With the amount of transported freight expected to double in the next 15 years, we need innovative ways to move goods more efficiently. Therefore, it is our region’s policy that:

1. Local jurisdictions and planning/development agencies should seek to locate industrial and distribution facilities near existing transportation terminals and interchanges.
2. We encourage development of multi-trailer terminals at Ohio Turnpike interchanges.
3. We should identify examples of trucking company collaboration on deliveries, and support implementation of such a system.
4. We should research ways to improve efficiency of transfer of goods between transportation modes.

Policy 15: To build on regional strengths, we need to support/expand transportation logistics and supply chain research in the region. This research should include looking at the potential to coordinate transportation to common suppliers/locations.

Policy 16: To enhance economic and technical development, our region will work to establish the identity of the Toledo Science and Technology corridor and the movement of people and ideas within this corridor.

Policy 17: Our region supports creating innovative traffic systems to improve traffic flow, such as modern roundabouts (see Policy 19), coordinated signal timing on all major arterials, and freeway management systems and other Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

Search results from the TMACOG Web site for "Intermodal Transportation Institute."

Perrysburg - TARTA

During the question and answer period at the March 2 meeting, at least two people brought up the issue of Perrysburg wanting out of TARTA.

I wasn't recording audio, so I don't have exact quotes. I was in the back of the room, eating cookies and looking at the displays.

Task Force member Sherri McNeill gave what seemed to me to be an anecdotal comment about Perrysburg and public transportation. Sherri said that according to someone or some group in Perrysburg, if you don't drive, then you shouldn't be living in Perrysburg. Move out.

The main presenter was Dave Dysard, Vice President of Transportation, TMACOG.

After Sherri's little story about Perrysburg, Dave followed with something along the lines of we're better than that.

Dave said let's face it, racial forces are at work here. Something like that. I wish I was recording. Dysard definitely used the word "racial" or "racially" when discussing the Perrysburg-TARTA issue, although he provided no evidence to support his claim.