01340155

Component

The literature gives advantages and disadvantages of shifting transportation programming responsibilities from higher to lower levels of government. Cited advantages are (1) lower overhead costs associated with project delivery by a more local entity; (2) the integration of regional comprehensive long-range planning with regional project delivery and land use; and (3) greater accountability regarding issues of local concern. Disadvantages are given or implied as (1) the tendency for operations to dominate longer term planning when both are housed in the same entity; (2) greater difficulty in terms of achieving network benefits, since some links of the transportation network may provide greater benefits to the system as a whole than to the area where the link is located; and (3) inconsistent operational or maintenance practices throughout the transportation network. The literature suggests useful practices. To the extent that effective cooperation means an ability to achieve consensus without requiring unanimity or non-controversial decisions, characteristics of such cooperation may include (1) decisions made by an organization that does not necessarily serve some vested interest; (2) project selection being made in a joint meeting of professionals rather than from point scores computed in isolation; and (3) clear documentation of how programming decisions are made. For example, the last characteristic may be implemented through two practices: (1) the state department of transportation providing a written explanation to the metropolitan planning organization for projects sought that were not programmed, and (2) performance measures being used to indicate why particular projects were selected.

01329018

11-0758

English

18p

2011

Transportation Research Board 90th Annual Meeting

DVD

References (58)

Cooperation; Decentralization; Government agencies; Land use planning; Long range planning; Metropolitan planning organizations; Overhead costs; Project delivery

Transportation networks

Administration and Management; Planning and Forecasting; I10: Economics and Administration; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2011 Paper #11-0758

TRIS, TRB

Feb 17 2011 5:34PM