RESOURCE PAPER-WORKSHOP 2: POLICY PLANNING

This paper which defines responsibilities and discusses how states meet the issues of transportation planning, recognizes that the prevailing national and state situation is one of a multiplicity of separate, uncoordinated and often conflicting modal policies. The product and the process of transportation planning are defined. The policy analysis or policy planning which precedes and follows policy determination, and the hierarchy in the levels of policy processes are discussed. Policy planning and statewide transportation planning are more than a delineation of facility and service plans for intercity passenger and freight systems at the statewide scale. They include recommendations for changes in federal, state, local and private transportation policies. It is observed that the consequences of existing and proposed policies must be examined. For the former, past and current trend data may be instructive. Consequences may be traced out by making illustrative plans under present or assumed constraints or, alternatively, by estimating plan output. Professional aid is emphasized in specifying the consequences and circumstances to provide the background against which evaluation can be made. Transportation policy issues are grouped in 6 classes. A discussion of the allocation of responsibilities for the provision of transportation facilities and services, covers the aspects of new responsibilities for the states; obsolete jurisdictions; construction versus operation; and federal-assistance policies. Traditional transportation decision-making, idependent authorities, comprehensive planning, public participation, litigation, and pass-through funds are aspects of the decision-making process that are reviewed. The integration is reviewed of privately provided public transportation into the state system (traditional regulatory theory; railroad branch lines). Changing the demand for transportation facilities and services (land use and transportation, selective provision of transportation facilities and services, changing government control of development, changing government policies to affect land development; peaking characteristics; accidents and pollution; energy and transportation) is reviewed. Funds for transportation (transportation needs and plans; funding arrangements) and charging for transportation are also reviewed in detail.