12/04/1985 Meeting (3) - Laserfiche WebLink

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text of a December 4, 1985 letter from MAPAC chair Jim Hale. The letter - described the reasons for MAPAC's recommended adoption of TransPlan and the concerns members had, including the amount of transit and alternative mode use, location of industrial development, population forecasts, parking policies, and proposed street and highway improvements and the related deficit. Mayor Obie thanked Mr. Eysenbach for his work in the TransPlan process. Jim Hale, 4064 Meredith Court, said he supported MAPAC's recommendation but was speaking for himself. He said he favored adoption of the TransP1an and believed one condition for adoption should be some consensus for a clear course of action regarding further studies about major issues of controversy, particularly population projections and use of alternative modes, that could deplete support for public improvements in the plan. Mr. Hale showed slides concerning the relation between population projections and use of alternative modes over the next 20 years. He said the plan showed 500,000 automobile trips at present, with about four or five percent for alternative modes, and he showed a chart illustrating auto trips and alternative mode use with no increase in population. He said the population increase envisioned without certain alternative mode assumptions would mean about 900,000 auto trips daily in the metro area. He also indicated on the chart the increase in automobile trips on which the street and highway improvement project list was based, along with the 23 percent of trips projected to be diverted by alternative modes. Mr. Hale said MAPAC was recommending after adoption of TransP1an that a new model be developed using lower assumptions of 11.5 percent for transit and alternative mode use. This assumption would increase the number of e automobile trips on which the project list would be based so that the same number of trips would occur sooner. He also said all the projects on the list would be needed sooner than under current assumptions, and additional projects would be called for in the latter part of the planning period. Mr. Hale said the plan needed to be made more believable to both the left and right wings of the community, adding that many people believed the population projections and alternative mode assumptions were too high. He said he thought more work was needed on those issues, or the enthusiasm necessary for funding projects might not exist. Mr. Rust requested copies of the transparencies shown by Mr. Hale. Harold Chapman, 51 Chapman Drive, showed a graph illustrating the increase from zero to eight percent in projected automobile trips diverted by transit use by the end of the planning period. He said TransPlan assumed current ridership would continue throughout the planning period, but meeting the goal of eight percent diversion by 2000 would require an annual ridership growth rate of almost 17 percent. A longer planning period could mean the goal would be met with lower intermediate ridership levels. Under MAPAC's recommended model, Mr. Chapman said four percent of auto trips would be diverted to transit at the end of the planning period, with lower intermediate ridership levels in 1990 and 1995, which he said would be more in accordance with forecasts by LTD consultants. e MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials Hearing--TransP1an December 4, 1985 Page 3