ON IMPROVING THE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROCESS

THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS OF THE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROCESS ARE REVIEWED: REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING, CORRIDOR PLANNING, AND PROJECT PLANNING. THE REGIONAL LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROCESS RESTS FAR TOO HEAVILY ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE INPUTS TO THE PROCESS CAN BE FORECAST WITH AN ACCEPTABLE DEGREE OF ACCURACY OVER A TWENTY TO TWENTY-FIVE YEAR PERIOD. SOME PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IMPROVING THE TRAFFIC SIMULATION MODELS THAT UTILIZE THESE INPUTS, AND SOME RESEARCH HAS BEEN DIRECTED TOWARD IMPROVING METHODS OF EVALUATING OUTPUTS, THE PROCESS STILL REMAINS ONE OF TESTING ALTERNATIVE END-STATE ASSUMPTIONS AND IS TOO FAR REMOVED FROM THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION PROCESS BE REORIENTED FROM ITS OVERWHELMING PREOCCUPATION WITH DETAILED LONG RANGE FORECASTING AND END-STATE PLANNING AT THE REGIONAL SCALE. IT MUST BE MADE MORE RELEVANT TO DECISION-MAKING AND IMPLEMENTATION. MOST TRANSPORTATION DECISIONS ARE NOT MADE AT THE REGIONAL SCALE BUT AT THE CORRIDOR AND PROJECT LEVELS. BROADER REGIONAL STUDIES INVOLVING HUMAN VALUES, AS WELL AS PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN.