Transportation
News from the Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO)
October 2014
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WILMAPCO Meetings
All meetings are open to the public. Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held in the WILMAPCO Conference Room.
In case of inclement weather, please call (302) 737-6205, or toll free from Cecil County at (888) 808-7088 for cancellations or postponements.
October 7, 3 p.m.
Air Quality Subcommittee
October 9, 10 a.m.
Congestion Management Subcommittee
October 9, 1 p.m.
Technical Advisory Committee
October 16, 10 a.m.
Public Advisory Committee
October 20, 7 p.m.
Data and Demographics Subcommittee
October 27, 10 a.m.
Other Events
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| In this issue... |
WILMAPCO News
Member Agency News
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 WILMAPCO News
 Wilmington Transit Moving Forward Public Meeting
WILMAPCO and the Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC) have announced two public meetings to allow the opportunity for public review and comment on recommendations for improvements to public transportation in Downtown Wilmington, resulting from the Wilmington Transit Moving Forward report. The Wilmington Transit Moving Forward report is the result of a nine-month effort to identify a collective vision for the future of transit in the Wilmington area. Short-term recommendations include: increasing service frequencies, shortening some downtown routes and improving service reliability. The Open House Public Meetings will take place on: - Tuesday, September 23rd from 4 to 7 pm, at the Wilmington Public Library - Meeting Flyer
10 E. 10th Street, Wilmington, across from Rodney Square - Thursday, September 25th from 4 to 6 pm, at WILMAPCO - Meeting Flyer
850 Library Ave., Newark, near the Newark Public Library
During the public meetings, DTC will present service change recommendations for DART's January Service Change. Recommendations include changes on Routes 1, 5, 6, 7, 16, 17, 19, 22, 25, 28, 30, 33, 34, 36, 42 and 55. Members of the public will have the opportunity to review and provide feedback on possible changes to individual bus routes, in advance of the service proposals being introduced at DART's Public Hearings in October. The service change recommendations are linked to the Wilmington Transit Moving Forward report. To learn more about Wilmington Transit Moving Forward, please visit www.wilmapco.org/wilmtransitmoveforward. To learn more about DART Proposed Service Changes, please visit www.dartfirststate.com/rightfit.
WILMAPCO Federal Certification Review Public Meeting Federal regulations stipulate that Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) such as WILMAPCO must undergo a federal certification review every four years. Conducted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the primary purpose of the review is to ensure that federally required transportation planning activities are being satisfactorily implemented by WILMAPCO. As part of the review a public meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 14 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., at WILMAPCO. The public meeting provides the opportunity for residents to talk directly with staff from FHWA and FTA about the transportation planning process in New Castle and Cecil Counties. Those who cannot attend the meeting are encouraged to submit written or emailed comments regarding WILMAPCO's transportation planning efforts by October 14. Comments may be submitted directly to FHWA and FTA via the addresses/emails below: U.S. Federal Highway Administration Marc Dixon, Community Planner Federal Highway Administration - DelMAR Division 1201 College Park Drive, Suite 102 Dover, DE 19904 [email protected] U.S. Federal Transit Administration Tony Cho, Community Planner Federal Transit Administration - Region III 1760 Market Street, Suite 500 Philadelphia, PA 19103-4124 [email protected]
WILMAPCO's Our Town Event a Success
WILMAPCO held its biannual Our Town forum at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Newark on September 3, 2014. Our Town focused on Transportation Funding and the shortfalls that exist in our region and nation. Attendees learned from national and local experts, and elected officials what could be done to adequately fund our transportation system now and in the future. To learn more or to view the speaker presentations from Our Town, please visit www.wilmapco.org/ourtown.
WILMAPCO Annual Public Opinion Survey
Each year WILMAPCO conducts a telephone survey to gauge the region's thoughts and priorities regarding transportation. As in previous years surveyed, residents consider transportation one of the most critical issues facing the region with congestion being the worst transportation issue for New Castle residents. Cecil County residents were most concerned with their limited access to public transportation. Most respondents (66%) had not heard of WILMAPCO before taking the survey. To view the complete survey results, please visit www.wilmapco.org/survey-results.
WILMAPCO Evaluates its Public Outreach Efforts
In conjunction with the update of our Regional Transportation Plan, WILMAPCO has carried out an evaluation of our public outreach activities. This year we saw a 13% increase in the number of names and addresses in our database and a 16% increase in Transporter Newsletter subscribers. Many of these new signups came from one of the many community events and festivals we attended. In 2013, we participated in 10 festivals, spoke at 17 events and distributed nearly 2,000 incentive items. To view the complete results of the evaluation, please visit www.wilmapco.org/ppp.
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 Member Agency News
Delaware Capital Transportation Program Hearings SetAccording to a DelDOT release, "Interested persons are encouraged to participate in the development of the state's six-year Capital Transportation Program (CTP) for Fiscal Years 2016 - 2021, by attending public hearings to be held in September. The hearings are jointly sponsored by the Council on Transportation and DelDOT and will provide an opportunity to review current and suggested transportation projects." The New Castle County public hearing will be held in conjunction with WILMAPCO on Wednesday, September 24, from 4 - 7 p.m., at the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce Building, 12 Penns Way, New Castle. Project information will be displayed and there will be opportunities for discussion with DelDOT and WILMAPCO representatives. For more information, please call the Department of Transportation, Office of Public Relations at 1-800-652-5600 or (302) 760-2080 or e-mail [email protected]. Maryland Annual Statewide Capital Transportation Program TourAccording to an MDOT release, "Maryland Transportation Secretary James T. Smith, Jr. and other department officials will hold the annual tour of 23 Maryland counties and Baltimore City to update local officials and the public on the state's six-year capital investment program. At each stop, the Transportation Secretary will seek the input on the draft FY 2015-FY 2020 Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP), which details the Maryland Department of Transportation's (MDOT) six-year capital budget." The Cecil County meeting will be held on September 30 at 10 a.m., at the Cecil County Administrative Building, 200 Chesapeake Blvd., in Elkton. To view the complete list of meeting locations, please visit www.mdot.maryland.gov/Office_of_Planning_and_Capital_Programming/2014_CTP_Tour/Index.html. To learn more about the CTP, please visit www.mdot.maryland.gov/Office_of_Planning_and_Capital_Programming/CTP/CTP_15_20/Index_Draft.html. |
 Local News
Planning For Healthy And Sustainable Places Conference
The American Planning Association's Delaware and Maryland Chapters are hosting a two-day conference, on October 28 and 29 in Newark. The Conference, cosponsored by Nemours Health and Prevention Services, will feature planning efforts in Delaware, Maryland, and beyond which seek to create healthier and more sustainable neighborhoods, towns, cities and regions. Early bird registration ends this Sunday. To learn more, please visit www.DelawareAPA.org.
B.E.S.T. Active Transportation Group Launches Website
According to new B.E.S.T website, "The Bringing Education and Safety Together (B.E.S.T.) Group promotes bicycling, walking, and public transportation in a way that engages the talents, energies and influence of the various advocacy groups and local, county and state resources. The B.E.S.T. Group advocates using Active Transportation in daily life. To promote this goal, B.E.S.T is developing a curriculum intended for Physical Education teachers in Kindergarten through Grade 12." To learn more about the program or get information on piloting the curriculum at your child's school, please visit http://www.bestde.org/.
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 National News
US DOT Secretary Announces New Pedestrian and Bike Safety Initiative
According to a September 15 League of American Bicyclists article, "Last week in Pittsburgh, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, announced a groundbreaking agenda by US DOT to address the safety of people who bike and walk in all 50 states. Rolling out over the next 18 months, the 'Safer People, Safer Streets' Action Plan commits the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to identify the causes of bicycle and pedestrian crashes and to work with practitioners, elected officials and advocates to find solutions to reduce injuries and fatalities". For more information, please visit www.dot.gov/briefing-room/us-transportation-secretary-foxx-announces-new-initiative-enhance-pedestrian-and. Highway Trust Fund Will Need at Least $7 Billion for FY 2015According to a September 1 Washington Newsline article, "The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the federal government's official score keeper when it comes to budgets and program expenditures, has released projections showing the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) will require at least $7 billion in additional resources to support existing levels of highway and public transportation investment." To view the source article, please visit www.artba.org/newsline/2014/09/01/htf-will-need-at-least-7-billion-for-fy-2015/.
TRB Report: Multi-modal Approach to Economic Develpment in MPO Planning According to a September 8 Transportation Research Board blurb, "The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a report that provides a review of research and current practices of integrating economic development goals in metropolitan area transportation planning." To view the report, please visit www.planning.dot.gov/documents/EconDevelopmentFinal_8-11-14.pdf.Study: Hispanic Neighborhoods May Face the Most Air Pollution According to a September 16 Public Health Newswire article, "Where you live has a lot to do with factors that influence your health, such as exposure to air pollution. According to new research (Race/Ethnicity, Residential Segregation, and Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) from the American Journal of Public Health, Hispanic neighborhoods experience the most air pollution, while white neighborhoods face the least. The study, led by researcher Miranda Jones, PhD, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, investigated household-level fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides and compared it against neighborhood racial composition estimates for study participants. Results revealed that the ethnic and racial make-up of a neighborhood is correlated with air pollution levels. Minority neighborhoods, on a whole, faced the largest exposures, with Hispanic communities experiencing the most." To view the source article, please visit www.publichealthnewswire.org/?p=11191. |
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About Us
The Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO) is the regional transportation planning agency for New Castle County, Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland. As the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), WILMAPCO is charged with planning and coordinating transportation investments for the region based on federal policy, local input, technical analysis, and best practices. For more information, please visit our website at www.wilmapco.org.
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