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Spring2007
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DVRPC News
Spring2007
DVRPC News - Spring 2007
GOVERNOR RENDELL OFFERS POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO TRANSPORTATION FUNDING
CRISIS In April, the DVRPC Board authorized a letter to be sent to all Southeastern Pennsylvania legislators highlighting the need for action and offering support to reach a viable solution.While the letter does not identify a preferred solution, it recognizes the need for increasing funding and calls upon the State legislature to craft a solution whereby any funding package must be sufficient, predictable, dedicated, and sustainable.
DVRPC APPROVES DOLLARS FOR SAFETY DVRPC, in partnership with PennDOT and state and federal legislators throughout the region, have taken recent action to make our roads safer - namely, PA 100 in Chester County and Roosevelt Boulevard in the City of Philadelphia. In March 2007, the Commission held a press conference to announce over $2 million in safety improvements for PA Route 100. Since 2003, there have been a dozen fatal crashes on an 8-mile segment of PA 100. In response to local concern about the fatalities, the DVRPC Board has approved almost $1.5 million in federal funding as part of a comprehensive package to implement a Safety Action Plan in this area. In addition, PennDOT is spending over $800,000 of its own funds to implement physical elements of the plan to mitigate crashes on PA 100. "DVRPC, in partnership with PennDOT and state and federal legislators have taken recent action to make our roads safer - namely, PA 100 in Chester County and Roosevelt Boulevard in the City of Philadelphia." In addition, PA 100 has been officially designated as a Safety Corridor, which means that fines will be doubled for certain traffic violations. This is an effort to curb speeding - a major cause of crashes along the corridor. For more information about the PA 100 Safety Action Plan, contact Regina Moore, DVRPC Transportation Engineer, at 215-238-2862 or rmoore@dvrpc.org. During a second press conference in April 2007, a 12-mile stretch of Roosevelt Boulevard was also designated as a Safety Corridor. DVRPC is working on a Roosevelt Boulevard Corridor Study, in which staff will offer suggestions to improve pedestrian safety and mobility. In addition, staff will complete a preliminary examination of reducing the number of travel lanes from 12 to 10, allowing for a more "complete streets" approach. The study is expected to be complete in late summer. For more information, contact Ellis Kim, DVRPC Transportation Engineer, at 215-238-2894 or ekim@dvrpc.org. Interested in learning more about smart growth in the region? Visit
the NEW Smart Growth page on the DVRPC website: FEATURING:
ROSEMARIE ANDERSON HONORED BY FHWA DVRPC's Manager of Safety and Corridor Planning, Rosemarie Anderson, was presented with the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) Dave Powell Excellence Award at the January Board Meeting. Ms. Anderson was chosen for the award based on her commitment to enhancing the partnership between DVRPC and the FHWA while achieving quality results for the citizens of New Jersey; and for conducting her actions with the highest regard for creating "win-win" situations, always dealing with people with respect and dignity. She was nominated for the award by a member of the New Jersey Division office of FHWA who indicated that she truly embraced the partnership between the two agencies. The Regional Safety Task Force is recognized by the FHWA office as a premier example of MPO safety actions. DVRPC SERVES AS HOST FOR NATIONAL APA CONFERENCE In April 2007, over 6,000 planning professionals from across the country and around the world arrived in Philadelphia for the American Planning Association Conference. DVRPC staff took the lead in organizing the conference, and were critical to its success. A number of DVRPC staff members led mobile workshop tours, orientation tours, spoke on panels, and presented posters including:
Staff also volunteered at a DVRPC exhibit booth, greeting conference attendees and handing out information about DVRPC's programs and reports. A special thanks to all DVRPC staff who volunteered their time and shared their knowledge about DVRPC and the region! COMMISSION RECEIVES FTA GRANT DVRPC has been awarded a grant through the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA's) Public Transportation Participation Pilot Program (PTP Program) to enhance public outreach. The PTP Program is designed to fund small applied research projects that focus on developing products for improving the practice of public participation in transportation planning at the regional or project level. "Dots and Dashes is designed to develop, implement and assess regional transit planning projects and to enhance the public outreach process." DVRPC's proposal, Dots and Dashes: Game Playing for Long-Range Consensus Building, is designed to develop, implement and assess regional transit planning projects and to enhance the public outreach process through a unique communicative and consensus-building planning exercise. Participants affix game pieces ("dots and dashes") to identify preferred transit projects on a game board (DVRPC's regional Transit Score map). Dots and Dashes will provide quantitative findings to identify and prioritize regional transportation projects, as well as qualitative results that will inform DVRPC's near-term and longrange planning efforts. Priorities derived from this exercise will also be utilized in the Board-mandated Regional Transit Vision Project. For more information on Dots and Dashes, contact Joseph Hacker, AICP, Ph.D, Manager, Office of Transit, Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning at jhacker@dvrpc.org or 215-238-2935; or Jane Meconi, AICP, Manager of Public Involvement and Title VI Compliance at jmeconi@dvrpc.org or 215-238-2871. DVRPC IMPLEMENTS NEW ROUNDABOUT INCENTIVE PROGRAM Modern-day roundabouts (as opposed to New Jersey traffic circles) are now being constructed in select locations around the country as operational improvements and as safety solutions that prevent and reduce the severity of intersection crashes. A roundabout can be a good alternative to installing a traffic signal at problematic intersections which may be skewed or offset, congested, or pose some other operational or safety challenge. A new $2 million federally funded line item was established in the DVRPC FY07 Pennsylvania Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to fund the construction costs of a few low cost, easily implementable, locally supported pilot roundabout projects. The goal is to make funding available as an incentive to gain experience in using roundabouts as an improvement that can be embraced by the region. Two projects were selected for funding: one in Bucks County and one in Chester County. The two projects were selected by the Pennsylvania Subcommittee of the Regional Transportation Committee (RTC), after considering more than 20 potential locations, and endorsed by the DVRPC Board. "Roundabouts are now being constructed in select locations around the country as operational improvements and as safety solutions that prevent and reduce the severity of intersection crashes." The Bucks County project is located in Buckingham Township at the intersection of Cold Spring Creamery Road and Burnt House Hill Road where increased traffic volumes are becoming a safety issue. The proposal suggests a one-lane roundabout with a total construction cost of nearly $800,000, and is expected to begin construction by the end of 2007. In Chester County, construction is expected to begin in 2008 or 2009 and is estimated to cost nearly $835,000. The proposed one-lane roundabout in Pocopson Township is at the intersection of PA52/Wawaset Road/ Unionville Road South where three roads come together and pose geometric challenges. The design for both of the projects is being funded locally. For more information, contact Elizabeth Schoonmaker at 215-238-2938 or eschoonmaker@dvrpc.org. INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TASK FORCE PROVIDES GROUNDBREAKING FORUM in· ci· dent [in-si-duhnt], Webster's dictionary defines it as "an action likely to lead to grave consequences." It is only by effectively managing the incident that grave consequences can be avoided. In 2007, eight years after the establishment of the I-76/I-476 Incident Management Task Force (IMTF), police and fire responders in this area work cooperatively and willingly with PennDOT, PA Turnpike, EMS, County 911 Centers, towing companies and other highway incident responders. Through active participation in the IMTF, all of the responders have learned that protecting their "turf" is not the most efficient, quickest nor safest way to detect, respond to and clear highway incidents. "Through active participation in the IMTF, all of the responders have learned that protecting their "turf" is not the most efficient, quickest nor safest way to detect, respond to and clear highway incidents." The I-76/I-476 IMTF was established by DVRPC in 1999 at the request of PennDOT and tasked with four primary goals:
The IMTF is comprised of approximately 45 organizations responsible for incident management in this area and has met quarterly since 1999. Most important to this success has been the relationships and respect developed among the different disciplines that have led to the sharing of information and resources. Although administratively supported by DVRPC staff, the IMTF has appointed its own chairman and developed an Action Plan to address its needs. Other successful efforts include: installing ramp designation signs in this interchange area, adding access doors to newly constructed noise walls along the highways, providing incident management training courses and holding post-incident debriefings. The IMTF is currently considering the production of a Policy and Procedures Manual.
"Most important to the success [of IMTF] has been the relationships and respect developed among the different disciplines that have led to the sharing of information and resources." For more information about the IMTF, contact John Ward, Associate Director of Intermodal Planning, DVRPC, at 215-238-2899 or jward@dvrpc.org. TREEVITALIZE MUNICIPALITIES HELP COMMUNITIES BECOME GREENER The TreeVitalize Municipalities Program, which works to integrate trees into municipal plans, ordinances, and projects, has awarded a total of $100,000 for 12 projects in 19 different municipalities in southeastern Pennsylvania. "The grants will provide municipal officials with the means to plan for a greener future," says Patty Elkis, Associate Director of Comprehensive Planning, DVRPC. "The program also helps municipal leaders to understand the need for trees in their communities, and challenges them to treat trees as part of their community's infrastructure." After an application process, which ended in January 2007, projects were chosen for their capacity to sustain community forestry efforts. Examples of projects include tree inventories, tree protection ordinances, multi-municipal tree planting projects on public spaces, and other creative ideas. Benefits of trees are often undervalued and unrecognized. A tree can increase property values by 20%, help decrease air pollution, save energy, regenerate a business district, and decrease wind and water erosion. TreeVitalize Municipalities is a partnership of DVRPC, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Penn State School of Forest Resources Cooperative Extension, and the PA Environmental Council. The grant program is funded by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and is part of TreeVitalize, a public-private partnership to address the loss of tree cover in Southeastern Pennsylvania. For more information about the TreeVitalize program, visit www.TreeVitalize.net. 2007 TREEVITALIZE MUNICIPALITIES GRANT RECIPIENTS & PROJECTS Bucks County
Chester County
Delaware County
Montgomery County
CONGESTION MANAGEMENT PROCESS ENHANCES TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM Since its adoption in 2006, DVRPC's Congestion Management Process (CMP) has reached a number of strategic goals. CMP is a systematic process for managing congestion; it provides information on transportation system performance and recommends a range of strategies to minimize congestion and enhance the mobility of people and goods. The CMP advances the goals of the DVRPC Long-Range Plan and strengthens the connection between the Plan, Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and other commission efforts. SOME IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE CMP INCLUDE:
THE FOCUS IN 2007 HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTATION AND SOME RECENT HIGHLIGHTS ARE:
In July 2008, the update of the CMP will begin and will provide timely analysis for the next Long-Range Plan. For more information about the current CMP or to participate in the update, see www.dvrpc.org/transportation/longrange/cmp.htm or contact Zoe Neaderland, DVRPC Senior Transportation Planner, at 215-238-2839 or zneaderland@dvrpc.org. AIR QUALITY ACTION KICKS OFF THE 2007 OZONE SEASON The region's 12th Ozone Season kicked off on May 10, 2007 with an event and press conference, hosted by the Air Quality Partnership (AQP) and Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities at the Shell Gas Station at 12th and Vine Streets. The Air Quality Partnership is dedicated to educating the public about the health risks associated with both ground-level ozone and particle pollution and encouraging voluntary action to help reduce pollution-forming emissions. Simple steps such as taking transit, refueling in the evening and avoiding topping off the gas tank, reduce the pollutants that contribute to unhealthy levels of ozone. For more information and daily forecasts, visit www.airqualitypartnership.org.
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