Capital Projects

Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC)

In August 2006, Triangle Transit (formerly Triangle Transit Authority) announced that it would not file a “New Starts” report on the Regional Rail Transit Project with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for Federal FY 2008.

Triangle Transit, the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC), Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG), NC Department of Transportation and Regional Transportation Alliance will work with the community as we rethink transit in the Triangle.

The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) and the N.C. Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) have concluded that providing well-planned and timely major regional transit investments is a very important part of maintaining the Triangle region’s current levels of transportation mobility, high quality of life and economic prosperity. Therefore, the MPOs have agreed to pursue the joint development of a Regional Transit Vision Plan for a regional transit system to serve as the foundation for making comprehensive, cooperative, and well-coordinated decisions on future major transit investments. The development of this plan should include a robust public outreach/community engagement effort and a process for establishing priorities for regional transit investments.

Charge to the Commission

The two MPOs appointed a Joint MPO Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC) to assist them in the development of the Regional Transit Vision Plan (RTVP). This commission will deliver to the region’s two MPOs a set of recommended major transit investments to serve the Triangle based on:

Guiding principles for transit investments
The Transit Infrastructure Blueprint Project analysis
Priorities for transit investments
A community engagement process

A list of the members of the Special Transit Advisory Commission is available here.

The official Web site for work of the Special Transit Advisory Commission and the Transit Blueprint Process is www.transitblueprint.org.

Tasks

To accomplish its overall mission, the commission may engage in any and all of the following focus areas. MPO and other staff will provide technical assistance to the commission for these tasks.

Review existing transit plans and relevant sections of the 2030 Long Range Transportation Plans, including the goals and objectives stated in those plans.
Determine the level and process for public outreach needed to inform and support the commission’s recommendations.
Determine goals and objectives for regional major transit investments.
Review and evaluate transit options available to the region for the next 25 to 30 years.
Determine regional major transit investment recommendations
Other areas as deemed advisable by the commission.

General Schedule of Activities

February-March 2007: MPOs name representatives to the Commission, approve the description of the Commission, and review and endorse a proposal for support services.

April 2007: Commission begins meeting (1-2 times per month).

Commission confirms budget, staffing, and funding for facilitation, administration, and outreach.
Members concur on the charge of the commission and overall schedule of work.
Commission determines missing information and identifies focus areas needed to execute charge.

Spring 2007: Technical activities and development of analysis framework.

Commission develops framework of prioritized goals and objectives for making recommendations, including identification of problems needing to be addressed by transit.
MPOs, TTA, NCDOT transit staff collect data on travel markets, land use, impacts on the environment, impacts on neighborhoods and communities, costs of potential transit technologies, best practices in other areas, and other needs identified by the commission.

Summer 2007: Commission reviews Transit Infrastructure Blueprint data and related research and evaluates alternatives.

Fall 2007-Winter 2008: Commission develops recommendations for a Regional Transit Vision Plan.

Spring 2008: Final STAC report to the Capital Area MPO and Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO. The MPOs will then use the recommendations in the development of their 2035 Long Range Transportation Plans.

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