Author: mseul

Comprehensive Plan
Element Education Series:
Transportation
Mike Koles
Walt Raith

Wisconsin’s
Comprehensive
Planning Law:
Transportation Element
“A compilation of objectives, policies, goals, maps and
programs to guide the future development of the various modes of transportation,
Including highways, transit, transportation systems for
persons with disabilities,
bicycles, walking, railroads, air transportation, trucking and water transportation. The element shall compare the local governmental unit’s
objectives, policies, goals and programs to state and
regional transportation plans. The element shall also identify highways within the local
governmental unit by function and incorporate state, regional and other applicable
transportation plans, including transportation corridor plans, county highway functional and jurisdictional studies, urban area and rural area transportation plans, airport master plans and rail plans that apply in the local
governmental unit.”

Introduction to the
Transportation Element
The transportation element provides communities an
opportunity to plan locally for various modes of
transportation within a
regional and state context.
When developing the
transportation element, planners and citizens consider the entire “transportation system.” This not only includes roads, but all the modes that are used to move people and products. The principle question that is addressed in the transportation portion of a plan is: “How can our
Transportation services and facilities be maintained and developed to achieve our community’s overall vision of the future?”
In addressing this question, several important considerations must be made. A community must explore how transportation decisions impact other systems of the community (e.g., housing, economy, land use) and how other systems of the community impact the transportation system. Similarly, a community must consider how it is impacted by other communities’ transportation systems and how its own transportation system impacts others. Many planners regard the transportation system as the element that has the greatest impact on a community and surrounding communities. This fact sheet briefly examines the role of transportation and transportation planning in the community and its comprehensive process.

The Transportation System
The transportation network is the circulator system of our economy and way of life. It allows us to move goods and services from the heart of the production centers to our retain arms and legs. Road and rail move raw materials from our farms, forests and mining operations to our mills and foundries. Sidewalks, bicycle paths and transit take us to work, school and play.
Local transportation planning typically occurs within a comprehensive planning process. This results from the fact that the transportation system has a profound effect on land use, housing, the economy, the environment, and most other community characteristics. For instance, the type of land use on the landscape is determined, in part, by the land’s accessibility. As a piece of property becomes more accessible through enhancement of the transportation system, the development pressures will increase. Similarly, a program intended to boost the economy by providing affordable housing for workers will falter unless the transportation system can effectively and efficiently transport the employees from home to work. The transportation network is then a staple in a strong economy.
Conversely, community characteristics also have a profound effect on the transportation system. As more people move out of the city, a more expansive transportation system is required in the suburban and rural areas. Commerce and schools follow the people and a transportation system must be developed to accommodate them. This means appropriating adequate fiscal resources. More roads mean more water runoff and, therefore, increased efforts to control flooding and water quality. The examples of the impact of community decisions on the transportation system and the effect of the transportation system on community characteristics are endless. Planners consider a plethora of transportation data and associated factors in developing strategies to construct an effective, efficient, safe and balanced transportation system that achieves the community vision.

Transportation System
Roads
Transit Services
Rail Services
Bicycle Lanes, Paths, Trails and Accommodations
Air Travel
Pedestrian Accommodations
Harbors
Source: Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 2001

The Historical
Transportation Cycle
By the end of the second World War, cities were connected to each other mainly by two lane highways. As the economy strengthened, more families purchased cars and moved out of the city. Congestion soon became a problem, as people needed to travel further distances to work and play.
Congestion spurred a significant increase in transportation funding and road building. Decreased congestion and easier access to the rural areas, in turn, attracted more city dwellers to move to the country. As suburban and rural populations increased, businesses moved out of the city to the strip malls.
Because of increased use of the transportation system resulting from people and businesses being on the edge of communities, congestion increased. Many communities have addressed the second round of congestion by building more roads; however, most are finding themselves caught in a transportation cycle characterized by more people moving further out, who, in turn, cause congestion and then demand more roads.

Transportation Planning - Key Components
The transportation planning process basically involves analyzing the current and future needs of the community and identifying how these needs will be met so that the community vision is achieved. Throughout this process, certain transportation data and associated characteristics are considered.

TRANSPORTATION DATA
Physical Condition of the
Transportation System
The existing and future physical condition of the system is considered to determine where and when improvements are needed.
Capacity
The existing and future capacity of the system is considered to determine where and when expansion is needed.
Traffic Flow
The movement of traffic is analyzed to determine if improvements are needed to allow traffic to move more smoothly (e.g., traffic signals, realigning intersections).
Safety
The incidence of accidents is considered to determine if certain areas of the transportation system are unsafe relative to other areas and what can be done to address the issue.
Accessibility
The ability of transportation users to access the system is considered to determine if physical improvements or additions of different modes of transportation are needed.
Connectivity
The level of connectivity within a single mode of transportation and between multiple modes of transportation is considered to determine if adjustments to the transportation system are needed. For example, do streets connect in a manner that adequately and safely allows movement of automobile traffic? Or, does the bus system connect to bike trails to encourage multi-modal use?

ASSOCIATED FACTORS
Economic Development
How can the transportation system enhance economic development? How will economic development impact the transportation system?
Environment
How will changes to the transportation system impact the preservation/protection of environmental resources, such as water quality and air quality?
Aesthetics
How do transportation facilities affect the aesthetics of the community?
Efficiency
How will the community ensure that transportation decisions preserve the existing facilities and potentially reduce the need for expansion or realignment?
Land Use
How will land use decisions impact transportation needs?
How will transportation decisions impact land use needs?
What steps will be taken to ensure that transportation decisions and land use decisions are compatible?
Cost
How will costs associated with the transportation system be addressed? How can fiscal requirements be minimized in the short and long term?

Transportation & Land Use
The relationship between transportation and land use is both direct and indirect. Transportation decisions might lead directly to construction of additional stormwater detention ponds, fragmentation of wildlife habitat, loss of wetlands or farmland, or redirection of heavy truck traffic away from pedestrian traffic. Direct impacts are much easier to analyze and plan for accordingly. Indirect impacts are much more ambiguous and, consequently, more difficult to effectively address. The most recognizable indirect impact is the increase in development pressure that results from improved accessibility to an area. Development pressure can, for example, turn positively into economic development or negatively cause undue pressure on an area’s natural resource base.

Summary
The transportation system is a vital component of any community. It connects residents from their homes to their work and leisure activities. Without an effective and efficient transportation system, achieving economic development and other community desires become difficult. The transportation system profoundly affects land use and other community characteristics. These same characteristics profoundly effect transportation. The transportation element of a comprehensive plan offers communities the ability to plot out how transportation works as part of the overall community system so that the vision of the citizens can be achieved.
References
Wisconsin Department of Transportation. (2001). “Transportation planning: Resource guide”. Division of Transportation Investment Management, Madison, WI.
University of Wisconsin, US Department of Agriculture and Wisconsin counties cooperating. UW-Extension
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