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To endorse the Franklin County Transportation Coordination Plan, otherwise known as the Coordinated Plan, as the official coordinated transportation plan for the central Ohio region, and to endorse the service and policy coordination strategies set forth in the plan to local transportation funders, providers and users.
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To endorse the Franklin County Transportation Coordination Plan, otherwise known as the Coordinated Plan, as the official coordinated transportation plan for the central Ohio region, and to endorse the service and policy coordination strategies set forth in the plan to local transportation funders, providers and users.
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WHEREAS, the Franklin County Transportation Coordination Plan ("Coordinated Plan") has been developed to determine how existing transportation services could be better coordinated and how new funding and other resources should be used to improve transportation services in a coordinated fashion; and
WHEREAS, the Coordinated Plan is intended to satisfy the requirements of a Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan as laid out in federal law; and
WHEREAS, by meeting these requirements, this plan gives Franklin County entities access to federal funds that can be used for the following transportation purposes:
* Access to jobs for low-income individuals (Job Access Reverse Commute),
* Vehicles or other equipment for transporting seniors or people with disabilities (Specialized Transportation),
* New transportation services for people with disabilities (New Freedom); and
WHEREAS, the Coordinated Plan was developed through a partnership of public and private entities with extensive data collection from transportation funders, providers and users; and
WHEREAS, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) served as the lead planning agency, providing direction and staff support to the effort and the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) served as the fiscal agent responsible for handling and reporting on the federal funds used to develop the plan; and
WHEREAS, in order to carry out the intent of the Coordinated Plan, COTA has been identified as the official Designated Recipient of the federal funds tied to the Plan; and
WHEREAS, it will be COTA's responsibility to develop and conduct a competitive project selection process based on the strategies listed above. COTA proposes to utilize its Mobility Advisory Board, consisting of many of the Plan's stakeholders, to evaluate and recommend projects for funding; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
To endorse the Franklin County Transportation Coordination Plan, otherwise known as the Coordinated Plan, as the official coordinated transportation plan for the central Ohio region, and to endorse the service and policy coordination strategies set forth in the plan to local transportation funders, providers and users.
The service strategies are:
* Provide late night service (for 2nd and 3rd shift workers)
* Increase non-medical transportation
* Increase after school service
* Provide more transportation between suburban areas, particularly concentrations of employment and population.
* Increase reverse-commute service between the central city and suburban employment areas.
* Provide sidewalk links to connect people with transit and other components of the transportation system.
* Maintain existing transportation services and vehicle fleet.
The policy coordination strategies are:
* Establish a one-stop resource for transportation information.
* Conduct ongoing public outreach regarding transportation services.
* Share information among transportation providers and funders in person and online; include benchmarking and best practices.
* Establish partnerships between the transportation sector and businesses/employers to improve the connection between transportation service availability and business location decisions.
* Conduct outreach and education with local governments regarding transportation services and the impact of development patterns on the ability to provide service.
* Study consolidation of transportation services, fuel, vehicles, etc., as a future step toward greater coordination.
* Establish a policy oversight group to recommend policy changes that would improve coordination among agencies.
* Create a position to spearhead coordination among agencies.