A Project for Citizen Participation in Planning the Future of Akron

WORKGROUP ON REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION

1. Safety and Maintenance of Transportation Systems: The highest transportation priority should be to take care of the existing transportation infrastructure.
1. Maintain and preserve the transportation systems. Examples are patching potholes, sealing cracks in streets and inspecting structures
2. Replace and rehabilitate failed elements of the transportation system Examples include paving streets, sidewalks, and repairing bridges
3. Maintain and preserve public transportation facilities in region

4. Continue to invest in maintenance and improvements that provide safety for all transportation modes

2. Access Management: Implement access management policies to minimize the adverse transportation impacts of land use changes and to prevent the growth or creation of congestion. Access management is the process of providing and managing access to land development while preserving the flow of all modes of traffic in terms of safety, capacity, speed and the prevention of congestion. This can be achieved by the following:

1. Revise various governmental regulations such as Subdivision and Zoning Regulations to institute more requirements for access management (Summit County Subdivision Regulations*, City of Akron Subdivision and Zoning Regulations)

* Summit County is in the process of revising their Subdivision Regulations

2. Emphasize better planning especially in commercial developments for access management in order to reduce problems of traffic congestion

3. Better coordination between adjacent jurisdictions when planning road connections for new developments, in order for a more efficient road network

3. Transit: We should promote transit to reduce our dependence on the automobile and to provide an alternative form of transportation.
1. Need to encourage use of current transit system by providing incentives to increase ridership
2. Make transit convenient, understandable and easy to use, and provide more informational signs
3. METRO should provide their regional bus routes map/ schedules on their web site so people can access the information more easily
4. Improve transit speed and reliability

5. Promote the development of a commuter rail system, where it is cost effective

4. Bicycling: Actively welcome and accommodate bicyclists on city and suburban streets.
1. Provide street space for bicyclists
2. Encourage installation of safe and convenient bicycle parking
3. Provide bicycle racks on buses

4. Expand the region’s bicycle network in order to encourage people to bike

5. Pedestrian Access: Actively welcome and accommodate pedestrians on sidewalks and street crossings.
1. Make street crossings safer and easier
2. Upgrade crossings to improve pedestrian safety and convenience
3. Adjust signal timing to support walking
4. Require sidewalks and safe pedestrian connections when new roads are being designed to minimize pedestrian/ vehicle conflicts
5. There should be more emphasis on providing sidewalks in new commercial developments and also on providing sidewalk connections to transit stops
6. Ensure security by proper design and lighting

7. Revise Subdivision Regulations to require more installation of sidewalks in new developments (Summit County and City of Akron regulations)

6. Accessibility: Improve accessibility for people with mobility problems.
1. Install curb cuts and curb ramps
2. Install sidewalks along arterial streets
3. Implement innovative pedestrian crossings such as auditory crosswalk signals

4. Maintain and possibly expand specialized paratransit services and programs depending on results of local planning and needs assessment studies

7. Special Needs Populations: Strive to improve the transportation opportunities of specialized consumers, such as the elderly, disabled and working poor.
1. Due to the aging of the population, more resources will be needed for METRO SCAT type services to keep up with the current level of service

2. Expand transportation services for welfare clients who are trying to get to jobs and off welfare rolls

8. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS): Support the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems, (ITS) which uses computer technologies to improve efficiency. The AMATS "Intelligent Transportation Systems" Plan is the regional blueprint for using technologies to actively manage our transportation system and in doing so improves safety and efficiency. This includes:
1. Freeway and Incident Management which identifies and cleans-up bottlenecks quickly
2. Regional Traveler Information which provides travel options and advanced warnings
3. Advanced Traffic Signals which improve coordination of traffic signals and reduces delay, especially across jurisdictions

4. Public Transportation – by knowing the exact location of buses, planners can more efficiently schedule buses which improves flexibility and convenience

9. Transportation Demand Management: Provide support for Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs that include incentives to encourage the use of transportation alternatives and discourages driving alone. TDM programs are designed to reduce the number of automobile trips or switch the time of trip to less congested periods of the day.
1. Support vanpool and carpool programs

2. Promote telecommuting, and flexible work hours

10. Environmental Impacts: Work to reduce the environmental impacts of our transportation system.
1. Seek to reduce the noise impacts of freeway and arterial traffic through the use of more aesthetically pleasing methods
2. There should be improved landscaping and more street trees planted along roadway corridors
3. Whenever possible, scenic roadway views should be preserved
4. Transportation facilities and land use should be coordinated to encourage more compact development
5. Encourage the development of more fuel efficient vehicles
6. Encourage the development of alternative fuels

7. Promote transportation alternatives, such as transit, pedestrian walkways, and bikeways to reduce vehicle miles and improve environmental quality

11. Commercial Transportation: Preserve and improve commercial transportation mobility and access.
1. Minimize conflicts between rail facilities and other transportation modes
2. Preserve existing rail rights-of-way and freight service where possible
3. Upgrade highway capacities appropriate to handle existing regional freight transportation needs
4. Use and encourage ITS technologies (Intelligent Transportation Systems) to provide for the safer and more efficient movement of goods and services, through Fleet and Freight Management Subsystems and HAZMAT Management tracking

5. Encourage the use of rail and intermodal goods movement

12. Multi-Modal Transportation System: Encourage the development of a balanced, integrated multi-modal transportation system which includes various modal options, such as highways, mass transit, bikeways, rail and air facilities.
1. Encourage the development of intermodal transportation facilities
2. Key railroad lines, airports and intermodal facilities should be considered critical transportation links

3. Transportation planning needs to be coordinated among modes

13. Capital Improvement Programs: Incorporate pedestrian, bicycle and transit improvements into capital improvement and maintenance projects.
1. Evaluate and incorporate pedestrian, bicycling and transit improvements whenever possible
2. Evaluate training and information programs for City staff, review boards and developers about how pedestrian, bicycle and transit projects can fit into roadway improvements and new design work