Agenda - Council Work Session - 02/27/2018

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Transportation Metro Cities supports state funding for state highway projects, including congestion, bottleneck and safety improvements. Metro Cities also supports state financial assistance, as well as innovations in design and construction, to offset the impacts of regional transportation construction projects on businesses. Metro Cities opposes statutory changes restricting the use of local funds for transportation projects. Metro Cities opposes restrictions on aesthetic related components of transportation projects, as these components often provide important safety and other benefits to projects. Metro Cities supports further research into the policy implications for electric and autonomous vehicles on roadways, transit, and other components of transportation systems. Metro Cities encourages the state to study the impact of electric and autonomous vehicles on transportation related funding and policies. 5-B Regional Transit System The Twin Cities Metropolitan Area needs a multi -modal regional transit system as part of a comprehensive transportation strategy that serves all users, including commuters and the transit dependent. The transit system should be composed of a mix of HOV lanes, a network of bike and pedestrian trails, Bus Rapid Transit, express and regular route bus service, exclusive transit ways, light rail transit, streetcars and commuter rail corridors designed to connect residential, employment, retail and entertainment centers. The system should be regularly monitored and adjusted to ensure that routes of service correspond to the region's changing travel patterns. Current congestion levels and forecasted population growth require a stable, reliable and growing source of revenue for transit construction and operations so that our metropolitan region can meet its transportation needs to remain economically competitive. Metro Cities supports an effective, efficient and comprehensive regional transit system as an invaluable component in meeting the multimodal transportation needs of the metropolitan region and to the region's economic vibrancy and quality of life. Metro Cities supports strategic expansion of the regional transit system. Metro Cities supports a regional governance structure that can ensure a measurably reliable and efficient system that recognizes the diverse transit needs of our region and addresses the funding needs for all components of the system. Metro Cities recognizes the need for flexibility in transit systems for cities that border the edges of the seven -county metropolitan area to ensure users can get to points outside of the seven - county area. Metro Cities encourages the Metropolitan Council to work with border counties to help coordinate planning so riders can get to and from destinations beyond the boundaries of the region. Metro Cities opposes statutory changes restricting the use of local funds for planning or construction of transit projects. Restricting local planning and funding limits the ability of cities to participate in transit corridor planning and development. 2018 Legislative Policies 50