Transportation

Future Focus
Task Force
Report
April 13, 2006
The origin of our effort and our charge:

“… each commissioner will lead a task force that

will study and report back recommendations
and ideas to the County Commission on these
areas of interest to our future.
..
The second task force will focus on issues
related to future transportation planning”

- Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh

State of County Address - March 29, 2005
 Purpose of the Presentation
 Present the BOCC with the task force report.
 Desired Outcome Today: BOCC acknowledges report and
refers it for further study and consideration by ad hoc committee
of county and city officials.

 Answer Questions – as we go
 Desired Outcome Today: BOCC understands report

 Next steps
 Desired Outcome Today: BOCC direct staff to develop a
proposed organizational structure and operating model for future
presentation and develop an implementation outline.
Future Work Session: Thursday, June 15, 2005
Desired Outcome: BOCC direct action on next steps
implementation
 Task Force Purpose
Identify transportation needs over the next 20 years in
Johnson County and propose solutions
addressing the needs.

Basic Beginning Questions:

o What problems and issues currently exist
in the area of public transit and
transportation?
o Where do we want to be, what do we
want to look like in 5, 10, 15 years?
o What is or can be Johnson County’s role
in defining this future vision?
 Process
Solicitation for participation
(56 letters were sent out to potential stakeholders)
 All Johnson County Cities
 User Groups
 Older Adults
 Persons with Disabilities
 Environmental
 Chambers of Commerce
 K-10 Association
 Development Community
 Homebuilders
 Commercial Developers
 Transportation Planning/Engineering firms
 Neighboring Counties
 Mid-America Regional Council
 Kansas Department of Transportation
 Citizens – via web and newspaper
 Johnson County Transportation and Planning Staff
36 representative individuals participated!
Commissioner Segale’s web site contained a working draft and resource links and a
feeback link on the groups work that was activated in early February 2006.
The participants’ opinions and thoughts mirrored
the opinions expressed in Johnson County’s 2005 Citizen Survey!
 Process

Task Force Meetings

July 21, 2005 3.5 hours
September 6, 2005 3.0 hours
October 19, 2005 3.0 hours
November 29, 2005 3.0 hours
January 11, 2006 3.0 hours
February 9, 2006 3.0 hours
March 2, 2006 3.0 hours
April 6, 2006 2.5 hours
Intentions of the Task Force Report
 Capture the group’s view of the Transportation
Network and Modes in Johnson County
 Provide innovative and realistic suggestions to
address the problems and the catalysts for change
identified using solutions that support the values
identified
 Stimulate permanent and meaningful cooperation
within Johnson County among all levels of
government
 Ensure that through transportation mobility
enhancements Johnson County continues to be a
“Community of Choice.”
 Summary of Findings

What problems and issues currently exist in the

area of public transit and transportation?

 Mobility in Johnson County is declining

 Costs of preserving and enhancing mobility are
rising
 Residents want effective choices in transportation –
especially in mass public transportation
 The current structure of transportation planning and
policy development are fragmented
 Summary of Findings
Catalysts for Change
 Steady Growth of County Population – Challenges mobility
with increased costs.
 Quality of Life and Economic Development –The Johnson
County lifestyle and economy depends on mobility.
 Air Quality and Health – Increased transportation congestion
creates challenges to air quality and health.
 Spatial Mismatch Between Workers and Jobs – Workers
are traveling into Johnson County for jobs.
 Aging Population – Older people may not be able to rely on
the personal automobile for transportation.
 Volatile Energy Prices and Markets – Public policy should
support energy efficient transportation choices
 Public Investment – Sources of funding should be examined
and spending should be coordinated to maintain and enhance
mobility.
 Summary of Findings
Values and Guiding Principles

 Accessible and Convenient

 Environmentally sustainable

 Expandable

 Affordable
 Summary of Findings
Community Vision
 A county where all communities are linked together
and regionally connected by an efficient and safe
transportation network.
 A transportation network that supports modal choice
using local roads and highways, fixed guideway
service provided by buses and passenger rail, and
on-and-off street routes for bikes and pedestrians.
 A transportation network that deploys the full range
of transportation system management technologies
and techniques to maintain mobility.
 Community planning and designs that support local
trips that can be made on foot or by bicycle.
 A rail network that supports delivery of consumer
goods and transportation of manufactured items.
 Summary of Findings
Community Vision (con’t.)

 A comprehensive and sustainable transportation

system that supports the movement of a diverse
population.
 A transportation system that supports the
improvement of air and water quality and accounts
for the efficient use of energy.
 Transportation infrastructure that supports and
improves community aesthetics.
 Corridor plans for the highways in Johnson County.
 Coordinated transportation planning and investment
among Johnson County cities.
 Summary of Findings
Measuring Success
 Sustainability
 Improve air quality and other environmental conditions through
management of mobile sources.
 More efficient use of energy to transport people and goods.
 Modal Choice
 Less dependence on the single occupancy vehicle.
 More people using transit (as a percent of the population).
 Greater use of bicycles for all trips.
 Reduced travel time between destinations on public transit.
 Increased numbers of people sharing rides to work.
 Increased numbers of people walking to work, shopping, and doing
errands.
 Mobility Index
 Improve mobility.
 Reduction in costs of moving supplies and finished products for local
businesses.
 Reduction in vehicle miles traveled per capita.
 Fewer miles traveled by single-occupancy vehicles per capita.
 End Result of Findings
The product of the task force is just words,
unless something is put in place to consider
and act on the work of the task force.

The task force recommends

the creation of the
Transportation Cooperation Council.
 Transportation Cooperation Council
The transportation task force recommends the creation of a Transportation Cooperation
Council (TCC) as a collaborative agency of the county and 20 cities, with participation by
KDOT and MARC.
The purpose of the TCC is to provide a permanent structure in which elected and appointed
policymakers, land planners, and transportation officials can convene to discuss and create
a unified vision of transportation and complimentary land planning within Johnson County.
In addition to MARC, the TCC will act as a second tier of connection points for Federal,
State, and regional transportation efforts to articulate a unified message for Johnson
County.
The TCC would also serve as the forum in which the cities of Johnson County can
collaborate to maximize mobility preservation through transportation improvements and
land use planning.
Johnson County’s communities can work together within the TCC to maintain and improve
our transportation network by prioritizing, coordinating, and maximizing the funding
available and providing comprehensive, collaborated county-wide transportation related
planning.
The task force supports the creation of a TCC as a collaborative agency of Johnson County
and the 20 cities in Johnson County, with participation by KDOT and MARC, as well as
representatives of primary user groups. The TCC organization should entail an advisory
relationship with the current Infrastructure City-County Coordination Committee (I4C),
County Assistance Road System (CARS) and the Johnson County Transportation Council
into a structure focused on mobility by network and mode.

The TCC is similar to structures found in Sonoma and Sacramento counties.

 Moving into the future
Ideal Scenario:
BOCC demonstrates its commitment by:
 Staffing the Transportation Cooperation Council via CARS
program funding and maintaining the County contribution to
CARS with the revenue of .4 mills as well as permitting the CARS
program to grow with gas tax and property tax revenues.
 Referring the task force report to an ad hoc committee of city and
county officials for further consideration of the development of the
Transportation Cooperation Council.
Task Force Members and Staff Move Into Action
 If county and cities agree to the formation of the TCC, the BOCC
will convene meetings with city and constituency representatives
to develop the TCC by-laws.
 Upon completion of the by-laws, the cities and county will adopt
the legal documents necessary to constitute the TCC as a
separate body governed under its by-laws.
 The TCC will inaugurate its operation and begin considering the
suggestions contained in the task force report.
 The TCC will contribute to enhancing mobility in Johnson County
reflective of the values of the Johnson County community.
Decision Point: Move Forward?
Next steps
 Desired Outcome Today: BOCC refer the report for further

study and consideration by an ad hoc committee of city and

county elected policymakers and key staff, as discussed in the
March 31 Leadership Summit.
Future Work Session: Thursday, June 15, 2005
 Staff to present a proposed staffing model and

operational expenses based on recommendations by ad

hoc committee of city and county officials.

 Desired Outcome: BOCC supports the creation of TCC.

Task Force Members begin presentations to cities with the
purpose of obtaining their support for participating in an ad
hoc committee to review and evaluate the recommendations
in this report.