Fiscal Note
A fiscal analysis has not yet been completed.
Title
Creating and implementing a comprehensive, multi-modal transportation and parking design for central Madison.
Body
WHEREAS, central Madison - including downtown, the east Isthmus, the east Campus, and the north Park Street corridor - continues to grow as a regional center for business, culture, government, and academia and also continues to grow as a high-density residential area; and;
WHEREAS, the growth of central Madison will generate increased demand for travel to, through and around this part of the City, such demand originating both from an increasing number of local residents and from the ever-growing metropolitan region; and;
WHEREAS, Madison has recently completed a number of mode-specific studies including the Ad Hoc Long Range Metro Transit Plan, the Platinum Bike Study, the Parking Strategic Plan, the Streetcar Study, and Transport 2020 that identify opportunities for increased utilization of various transportation modes in addition to the automobile; and;
WHEREAS, near-exclusive reliance on the automobile for meeting both local and commuter travel demand is becoming increasingly problematic for economic, environmental, and social reasons; and;
WHEREAS, a number of adopted City plans, including the Comprehensive Plan, the East Washington Capitol Corridor Gateway Plan, and neighborhood plans have recommended that the City develop a comprehensive, multi-modal transportation and parking strategy for the central City,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and Common Council create an ad hoc committee to develop a comprehensive, multi-modal transportation and parking design and plan for central Madison. The plan shall establish central Madison as a Transportation Design District for the purposes of implementing near-term and long-term multi-modal transportation and parking management strategies. Strategies will include both Transportation System Management (TSM) and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) components. The comprehensive transportation design shall function as on overlay that supports the land use objectives for the area. Understanding that such an endeavor must be undertaken in phases, the committee shall first undertake, policy, scope, budget and planning deliverables to include:
a. Policies, principles and mechanisms that will govern transportation investment decisions for the district,
b. High-level design elements to be included in the comprehensive overlay district.
c. Budget projects for further developing the plan including Requests for Proposals for consulting and engineering services for subsequent phases, and
d. Project timeline and budget for subsequent phases.
The committee shall report back to the Common Council on these issues before proceeding with subsequent phases.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall ensure that the comprehensive design shall build upon and integrate previous and soon-to-be-completed mode-specific plans noted above and will:
a. Establish policies and principles for balancing transportation investment across all modes - pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, bus and rail,
b. Focus on strategies to achieve increased consumer inter-operability among present and future transportation modes,
c. Use transportation investment to stimulate and support economic development and land use objectives for the downtown and the central urban neighborhoods
d. Improve the residential quality of life for central urban neighborhoods and improve mobility/access options for all Madison area residents and visitors to the central City.
e. Support Madison's regional role as the economic and cultural hub that is accessed via the larger regional transportation system.
f. Promote a culture of mutual respect and entitlement among all transportation consumers - pedestrians, drivers, bicyclists, and transit riders - and ensure that the engineered environment embodies those values for all users.
g. Implement other values and principles as the committee shall determine appropriate.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall consist of not more than eleven members including three alders, and representatives from central City neighborhood associations, Downtown Madison Inc., major property and business owners, the University of Wisconsin, Madison Metro, the Downtown Coordinating Committee, the Long Range Transportation Planning Commission, the Transit and Parking Commission and the Pedestrian/Bicycle/Motor Vehicle Commission. The committee shall be staffed by the Planning Unit with assistance from Traffic Engineering.