Agenda - Planning Commission - 03/06/2014

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The geographic planning areas described in the following section reflect the transportation system and the land use patterns that developed alongside it. Most of the region's job and activity centers as described earlier in Thrive are located at the confluence of regional highways, transit, and/or rail service. In the more urbanized communities, transit use and bicycling represent significant shares of travel, but communities experience congestion and the economic and social costs of highway building. In suburban areas, transit use is less common, but plays an important role in commuting to the downtowns from park -and -ride facilities. In post-war suburban areas, shopping centers are evolving toward mixed -use concentrations of housing and jobs, which are easier to serve by transit. Geographic patterns of development mean that different areas will have different challenges and opportunities related to each transportation mode. The region has a significant investment in the regional highway system and the areas that it serves. More recently, the region has been making significant investments in the development of a system of dedicated transitways including light rail transit (LRT). To ensure that the region prospers and responds to the economic needs of households and businesses, the Metropolitan Council will be a good steward of these regional investments. As described in the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan, this will include detailing land use development expectations to support transit investments, identifying cost-effective means of improving multi -modal access to regional destinations, and improving mobility and reliability on the regional highway system, especially when it benefits movement and accessibility for freight, transit, carpools, and MnPass users. Managing regional growth and travel demand requires a partnership between the region and its communities. Regional highways, transitways, and bikeways are planned and designed to provide faster travel over longer distances. Local transportation systems, on the other hand, play an important role at the beginning and end of these trips whether for automobiles, freight movement, bicycling and/or walking. A critical piece of local transportation planning is the development of interconnected local street networks. In many cases, the regional highway system, including county arterial roadways, are serving short trips that should be made on local roadways. Interconnected local streets with more direct routes also lay the foundation for better conditions for walking and bicycling. More direct routes, route alternatives, and a wider distribution of traffic also create opportunities for greater sharing of public right-of-way among different modes. In particular, the development of the regional transit system is enhanced by the development of local bicycle and pedestrian systems. Transit patrons may not own cars, and transit trips typically end on foot even if they began at a park -and -ride. Local pedestrian and bicycle planning is also critical for the development of regional job and activity centers, where intensification and diversification of land uses create economies of scale and an opportunity to make shorter local trips on foot or by bike. Local bicycle and pedestrian planning is also critical in more automobile -oriented parts of the region where sidewalk networks are essential to reach jobs for people who are transit -dependent. Regardless of the development pattern, communities can identify cost-effective opportunities to make biking and walking a more attractive alternative over time as redevelopment occurs and as roadways and right-of-way are planned, improved or reconstructed. Council Role • Oversee the planning of a multi -modal, interconnected regional transportation system in cooperation with state agencies, counties, and local governments. DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT Last revised: February 21, 2014 75