Disclaimer

This web site has a number of downloads available in the Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF) format.  Click on the logo below to download the Reader software directly from the Acrobat website.

Click here to view an Adobe Acrobat Reader version of this document

 

Public decisions require a balancing of different goals. This balancing is difficult, but essential. The goal of providing a high-quality transportation system must be constantly weighed against the goal of efficiently using available financial resources. The goal of quality transportation must also be balanced against the effects that a particular project might have on the environment. This is the challenge for the planning process.

Moreover, the results of the transportation needs analysis make it clear that a program of improvements should be planned for implementation over the next 20 years. The translation of needs into a definition of such improvements should be guided by goals and objectives. Goals are broad policy statements that describe the purpose of the plan and relate the physical environment to overall social values. Objectives are specific and measurable statements that relate to the attainment of goals. Various evaluation criteria are employed to provide a quantitative measurement of these objectives. When used as planning guidelines, goals and objectives give proper direction to the planning process in such a way that transportation solutions will be appropriate for Will County. This chapter presents the goals and objectives (with accompanying evaluation criteria) that have been used. These are also accompanied by a set of planning policies and assumptions that were used as input in developing alternative transportation concepts.

Transportation Goals and Objectives

The formulation of goals and objectives serves two primary functions in the development of the 2020 Transportation Plan. The first is to assist in the development of the transportation system concepts by limiting them to those that are consistent with the goals and objectives. Second, the goals and objectives provide a means of evaluating the effectiveness of the various concepts and provide a basis or benchmark by which to evaluate the concepts against each other. It should be noted that the goals and objectives may at times compete with one another. However, this just reflects the reality that public transportation decisions often require a balancing of different and competing goals.

Several sources were consulted in developing the goals and objectives, including the Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) 2020 Regional Transportation Plan, TEA-21 factors, transportation plans for Will County's municipalities, the Will County Governmental League, and the combined Policy, Board, Planning, and Citizen Committees established to oversee the transportation planning process.

Goals and objectives address both end result (i.e., the long-range transportation vision in terms of facilities and services) and the means required to achieve such ends. In this case, the means address matters of interagency coordination, financial feasibility, and commitment to an implementation program. With these differences in mind, the goals and objectives that follow have been organized into two groups: Group 1 addresses the transportation system itself, and Group 2 addresses the planning and implementation process.

The Transportation System

Goal 1: Mobility and Accessibility

The transportation system should offer convenient travel opportunities and an integration of travel modes that will allow people to travel to a variety of places according to the needs of their own lifestyle.

Objectives

1. Provide citizens with at least one affordable mode of travel option that is within reasonable walking distance and available at times when travel is more desired.

Criterion. Percentage of residential and commercial land within one-quarter mile of transit routes, bicycle/pedestrian paths, or roadway facilities.

2. Improve the existing multimodal transportation system into an intermodal system that facilitates transfers among all transportation modes.

Criterion. Number of transportation centers, transfer facilities, park-n-ride lots, and commuter rail stations.

3. Improve the existing transportation system to achieve desirable linkages with new developments and other significant changes in land use, as guided by the Will County Land Resource Management Plan.

Criterion. Percentage of new developments within one-quarter mile of a transit station, interstate interchange, regional route, or subregional route.

4. Improve access from residential areas to major activity centers.

Criterion. Percentage of residential land within 20 minutes of major shopping centers, service facilities, or employment locations.

Goal 2: Transportation and Land Development

The transportation system should support existing and future patterns of land development, as guided by the Will County Land Resources Management Plan.

Objectives

1. Encourage compact and contiguous land use patterns along existing transportation corridors.

Criterion. Percentage of new development within one-quarter mile of regional, subregional, or arterial routes.

2. Encourage local governments to develop land use regulations that support transit-oriented development, including high-density residential and employment clusters near transit stations.

Criterion. Percentage of new high-density residential developments and major commercial developments within one-quarter mile of a transit station.

3. Encourage a balance of housing units and employment opportunities to reduce travel distances.

Criterion. Number of new housing units versus number of new jobs.

4. Promote right-of-way preservation in existing and future transportation corridors through a coordination of transportation and land use planning activities (including adequate building setbacks).

Criterion. Acres of new right-of-way preserved.

5. Minimize disruptions to existing land uses caused by transportation improvements.

Criterion. Number of businesses and households displaced. Acres of agricultural land penetrated.

Goal 3: Transportation Performance

The transportation system should provide efficient quantity and quality of service with needed capacity, reasonable speed, convenience, and safety for all users.

Objectives

1. Provide a roadway system with the capability of achieving appropriate arterial roadway and intersection performance levels for peak-period demand.

Criterion. Traffic volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratio and level of service.

2. Reduce both the time delay and accident potential at at-grade railroad crossings that experience motor vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic.

Criterion. Rail crossing exposure factor; predicted accident frequency; and average vehicular delay.

3. Increase regional and subregional accessibility by improving vehicular access to regional highways and completing arterial connections between communities.

Criterion. Daily vehicle miles of travel.

4. Improve access management on regional roadways and major arterials to provide safe access to adjacent properties, reduce the number of accidents, decrease vehicle delay, improve traffic flow, and make more efficient use of the existing roadways.

Criterion. Average arterial travel speed, and number of accidents.

5. Reduce congestion and improve transportation system efficiency through the use of transportation demand and systems management strategies (e.g., transit incentives, ridesharing, flextime, signal interconnection, HOV lanes, park-n-ride facilities).

Criterion. Travel mode split; average automobile occupancy; and number of TMS program participants.

6. Maximize system efficiency and capacity through the use of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies (e.g., real-time travel information, I-PASS system, signal preemption).

Criterion. Average system travel speed and daily vehicle hours of travel.

 

Goal 4: Non-Motorized Travel

The transportation system should enhance the quality of life in Will County by providing a system of interconnected and safe bicycle paths, pedestrian facilities, and equestrian trails.

Objectives

1. Link land uses and transit facilities with the bikeway and pedestrian system where these modes can be used as a convenient and efficient alternative mode of travel, as well as an attractive recreational opportunity.

Criterion. Bicycle/pedestrian path mileage as a percent of roadway system mileage.

2. Link the Will County bikeway and equestrian trail system with the Forest Preserve District's trail system and the systems of adjacent counties (including Lake County in Indiana).

Criterion. Number of bikeway/equestrian trail connections to the county forest preserves and adjacent county systems.

3. Extend the bikeway and pedestrian system to be integrated with new development.

Criterion. Percent of new developments with convenient access to the bicycle/pedestrian system.

Goal 5: Economic Development

The transportation system should support and stimulate economic development within the region.

Objectives

1. Provide sufficient investment in transportation infrastructure through roadway access and capacity improvements and intermodal facilities that enhance passenger travel and goods movement.

Criterion. Traffic volume to capacity ratios. Average distance between employment centers and freeway interchanges or transit facilities.

2. Provide direct and efficient roadway access between commercial and industrial development corridors and the regional highway system while minimizing delays due to insufficient road capacity.

Criterion. Percent of major business centers within one mile and/or five minutes of a freeway interchange.

3. Improve accessibility to high-growth residential areas of the county.

Criterion. Percent of new residential developments within one-quarter mile of two or more regional or subregional routes.

4. Develop transportation system improvements that promote investment in and revitalization of existing communities.

Criterion. Lane miles of new or improved roadway facilities and route miles of new or expanded transit services and non-motorized travel paths.

5. Provide efficient multimodal access to cultural, recreational, and tourist activities.

Criterion. Percent of major activity centers within one mile of a regional or subregional roadway facility and one-quarter mile of a transit or non-motorized mode.

Goal 6: Environmental and Natural Resource Protection

The transportation system should be sensitive to the environmental resources of the region and minimize negative encroachments to and disruptions in such areas.

Objectives

1. Minimize transportation system encroachments into environmentally sensitive areas such as forest preserves, river and stream valleys, historic and cultural sites, greenways, agricultural land, recreational areas, and other undisturbed areas of significant natural resources.

Criterion. Acres of environmentally significant land taken for new right-of-way.

2. Minimize neighborhood penetration by arterial streets.

Criterion. Miles of residential penetration by arterial streets.

3. Develop a transportation system that promotes long-term improvements in air quality, uses energy efficiently, minimizes noise and vibration levels, manages stormwater, and provides visually pleasing facilities.

Criterion. Quantity of air pollution (function of vehicle miles of travel and speed) and length of residential and institutional land adjacent to regional or subregional routes.

The Planning Process

Goal 7: Interagency Coordination

In conjunction with the transportation plan, a spirit of commitment to interagency coordination and cooperation should be established in the region.

Objectives

1. Provide transportation services that achieve equity in benefits and costs among the regional agencies (Will County, municipalities, townships), the state (IDOT, ISTHA), and private enterprise.

Criterion. Percent of jurisdictional funding for transportation improvements.

2. Promote intergovernmental cooperation for the coordination of land use development and transportation services and to provide the means for expanding intermodal opportunities.

Goal 8: Financial Feasibility

The development of the transportation system should use financial resources efficiently and be financially attainable.

Objectives

1. Pursue all available opportunities to fund the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the county's transportation system.

Criterion. Level of funding and number of funding sources pursued.

2. Consider cost-effectiveness, initial capital cost, and life cycle costs in selecting projects for implementation.

Criterion. Added trips carried per dollar of capital investment.

3. Define a feasible financing strategy for the transportation plan.

Criterion. Ratio of available financial resources to capital cost.

4. Leverage the use of non-local resources to increase the amount and/or effectiveness of federal and state funding available to the region.

Criterion. Ratio of local to non-local funding.

5. Increase the use of private sector financial resources for transportation improvements based on the impacts generated by the private developments.

Criterion. Average ratio of local to private funding per project.

Goal 9: Commitment to Implementation

The transportation plan should be supported by a commitment to implement the recommended improvement according to an identified schedule.

Objectives

1. Provide a management system to guide, monitor, and implement the transportation plan.
2. Define specific milestones for implementation. These milestones should be related to specific events or other activities (e.g., pace of development, population growth, specific developments, approval of financing at the state or federal level).

Policies

Within the framework described by the goals and objectives, the following policies should be used to guide the definitions of transportation alternatives. These policies reflect certain choices about planning that would be consistent with conditions in Will County.

1. Land-use planning should incorporate growth management concepts that relate the availability of adequate transportation facilities to the approval of new development. Land-use planning should be conducive to a true multimodal approach.
2. Accessibility created by the transportation system should be consistent with the proposed land-use concept, i.e., the composite of the county and municipal plans.
3. The county and local agencies should consider interagency agreements to better coordinate transportation systems.
4. The plan will strive to meet the requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA).
5. Consideration should be given to identifying and designating high-quality resource areas in the county that should be preserved and protected.
6. Transportation performance standards should be adopted for both highways and public transportation.
7. Transportation projects should comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
8. Transportation projects need to be prioritized to facilitate the implementation process.

Planning Assumptions

Using these policies, the definition of alternatives needs to reflect certain assumptions. These assumptions (discussed below) help define the point of beginning and describe the broader factors that would exist for the planning period.

1. The plan will be based on the year 2020 forecasts for population and employment as prepared by NIPC with county input. This establishes the planning period for the project. The CATS travel demand procedures produce a good approximation of future traffic conditions. Implicit in this statement is the assumption that regional activities or lifestyles will continue to be similar to those existing today.
2. The year 2020 population and employment forecasts are accurate and reflect the distribution of land-use activities around the county. The 2020 forecasts will recognize two scenarios: (a) assuming the construction of a third regional airport and (b) assuming no new regional airport. The first scenario will have a major impact on the distribution of growth in the county and adjoining areas and significantly affect travel demand. No contingency is specifically included in the plan for substantially different conditions than those described in the two scenarios.
3. The land-use plan will be the composite plan created by joining the county and municipal plans. This recognizes that the transportation system needs to serve the total demand generated by land-use in Will County, whether within or outside of municipal limits. Further, land-use planning is accomplished by county and municipal agencies. These plans need to be merged into a mutually compatible overall view of future land-use.
4. Public transportation will continue to exist at least at current levels of service. This means that the available service--Metra, Pace, and local public transit (area dial-a-ride and paratransit)--would continue. As such, it is anticipated that public transportation will continue to capture a similar share of the future travel demand as it does today. The plan does not have to include a contingency element that considers a situation without any transit or very reduced transit service.
5. Federal and state funding for transportation will continue at levels similar to 1998-99. This means that the ability to pay for transportation improvements would be similar to the existing program. The financial feasibility of the plan will be a significant consideration in implementation.
6. Vehicle operating characteristics and clean fuels will be developed consistent with CAAA. The strategies for achieving clean air conditions entail changes in travel behavior (e.g., use of non-auto modes) and improvements in transportation technology (e.g., less polluting vehicles and cleaner fuels). It is assumed that both changes (travel behavior and technology) will be considered in preparing the transportation plan.
7. A gas crisis will not occur, nor will the cost of fuel increase significantly. The plan will not assume the type of crisis experienced in 1974 and 1977. The relative cost of automobile transportation will not change significantly (e.g., gas at $3.00 per gallon), and there will be no major disruptions in the transportation system due to energy shortages. The plan will not need a contingency element to deal with such events (as was needed in the late 1970s).
8. Recent car ownership trends for the county will continue in the future. This means that Will County will continue to exhibit high auto ownership. The transportation system will need to reflect the priority for use of the auto. The overall demographics and income levels of the citizens will not change relative to the rest of the region.
9. Level of Service D (defined by the Highway Capacity Manual) will be the basic roadway system performance standard. This is the common performance standard used in urban areas. It means that the roadway system would operate at reasonable speeds (not necessarily at maximum speed limits). At signalized intersections, traffic would typically be able to proceed without waiting more than one signal cycle.