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- What is Communities in Motion?
- What is a regional long-range transportation plan?
- Why is transportation planning becoming more regional?
- What is the Treasure Valley?
- What is COMPASS?
- What is multi-modal transportation?
- How is our population growing?
- Why is land use important in developing a transportation
plan?
- What are the facts about projected growth in Ada and Canyon Counties?
Communities in Motion is the name of the regional long-range transportation
plan being developed by Community Planning Association (COMPASS)
in partnership with the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD).
The name is meant to
illustrate that Treasure Valley communities are growing rapidly
and need transportation systems that help people and the goods and
services they
need to move between and within communities effectively. The name
also implies changing values and new directions for our region.
Communities in Motion is a both a process and a plan. The process will
use dynamic and interactive tools such as this website to
ensure public
participation, resulting in a plan that truly reflects regional
values and goals. The plan will outline priorities that guide
growth and
maintenance of transportation systems for the next 20-plus years.
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A long-range transportation plan is a document resulting from a
regional process of collaboration and consensus on a region’s
transportation system. This document serves as the defining vision
for the region's
transportation systems and services. The plan indicates all of
the regional transportation improvements needed over the next
20 or more
years. Putting
a transportation plan together requires careful consideration
of many factors, including population growth, economic trends,
financial
resources,
community goals, preservation of both human and natural environments,
and maintaining good quality of life.
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Transportation planning today clearly requires a regional rather
than a solely local view. Most people do not spend their entire
day in
one town. Driving to work, school, shops and recreation
may require driving through several towns and rural areas.
Communities
acting
individually cannot solve regional transportation demands.
Also, funding resources are limited. It makes sense for communities
to collaborate to make sure that transportation systems work
smoothly together and that individual projects make the system
as a
whole
stronger.
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The Treasure Valley refers to the metropolitan region that
covers Ada and Canyon Counties, surrounding Boise, Nampa
and Caldwell.
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COMPASS (or Community Planning Association of Southwest
Idaho) is an association of local governments working
together to
plan for the future
of Southwest Idaho. COMPASS members develop a plan for
regional investments in transportation over the next
20-plus years.
COMPASS addresses regional
issues by:
- Coordinating and implementing planning efforts
- Ensuring local government and citizen involvement
- Developing policies to achieve solutions
- Providing resources to support effective planning
As the metropolitan planning organization for the Boise and Nampa Urbanized
Areas, COMPASS is specifically tasked with development
a regional transportation plan.
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Multi-modal is a word used frequently in transportation planning
to refer to several different ways of getting from
one place to another. People often think of cars and roads when they
think of
transportation.
Saying that Communities in Motion will be a "multi-modal" plan
is to say that a variety of transportation choices
will be considered. These choices include roadways,
buses,
other public transit,
bicycles, pathways, carpooling, vanpooling, and
work-from-home incentives.
The emphasis is on increasing choices in transportation.
The plan will
explore transportation choices for persons who
are elderly, disabled or who have a low-income,
and will
also consider
the multiple
modes of freight movement to and through Southwest
Idaho such as trucks,
rail, and air.
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The population in the Treasure Valley is up 44%
since 1990 and by 2030 our population will grow
another 60%
from just
over 500,000
to nearly
800,000. Rapid growth can easily result in more
cars, more pollution and more congestion. Effective
planning
can help
reduce these
effects. Detailed demographic information can
be obtained on the COMPASS
website
www.compassidaho.org/demographics.html
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The land use/transportation connection has
been a growing concern in transportation planning
over the last 10-20
years. Many
communities, especially those larger areas
seeking
to improve the effectiveness
of public transportation, have turned their
focus on changing the
way their communities develop. Higher density,
well-designed housing, increased connectivity
of streets, mixture of
residential with appropriate
commercial and services, and the placement
of buildings closer to the street can all play
a part
in improving
the use of alternatives
and reducing the need to drive.
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