Review of the transportation planning process in the southern California metropolitan area

This report is the third in a series produced for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center). This formal, comprehensive review of the planning process in the Southern California metropolitan area, conducted by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) headquarters and regional staff, with input from state, regional and local transportation entities, takes the place of the 1992 planning review of the Southern California Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Based on the review, the federal team concluded that the continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive (3C) planning process produced adequate planning products and used acceptable planning tools. These conclusions are based on the regulations in effect at the time of the review. Efforts were being made to implement a multi-modal planning approach, and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the major transit operators, and local units of government were involved in this process. This report provides suggestions to strengthen the process in developing the next long-range transportation plan, Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and State Implementation Plan (SIP). This review will also assist the Southern California metropolitan area to meet the evolving requirements of Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), and in particular, to prepare for future formal certification.