Fiscal Note
No additional appropriation is required. Travel costs will be funded through the appropriate agencies' operating budgets.
Title
Authorizing City staff, the Chair and any alder serving on the Sustainable Madison Transportation Master Plan Oversight Committee to tour Strasbourg, France and Freiburg, Germany for the purpose of learning innovative urban transportation system approaches.
Body
WHEREAS the City of Madison's population and economy is growing, and in order to help facilitate this growth and ensure a high quality of life, the City has identified a need for a comprehensive transportation master plan that integrates all modes of passenger and freight transportation (i.e., auto, bicycle, public transportation, pedestrian, freight rail and truck, high-capacity transit, air, etc.), identifies how those modes interconnect and work together, and identifies how the City's numerous plans and policies are enhanced and supported by it; and
WHEREAS the City of Madison supports goals to use land use objectives and policies that improve the residential quality of life for urban neighborhoods and improve mobility/access options for all Madison area residents and visitors to the City, and the coordination and integration of Madison's transportation and land use plans, policies and practices will help keep Madison vibrant and attractive to businesses, visitors and residents; and
WHEREAS the purpose of the Sustainable Madison Transportation Master Plan is to guide transportation decisions in the City of Madison (and coordinate the City's decisions with those of the greater larger metropolitan area), in order to help make Madison a more walkable, bikeable and livable city; and
WHEREAS the Plan will help to create and strengthen livable neighborhoods, will place an emphasis on creating transportation choices (especially bicycling and public transportation), and will help make the City more accessible and attractive to employers, visitors and residents; and
WHEREAS the informational tour to Strasbourg and Freiburg will help TMP Oversight Committee alders and staff better understand innovative urban transportation system techniques and opportunities, and ways those techniques could be applied here as part of a strategic implementation plan for the City to follow for the next 25 years, and beyond; and,
WHEREAS the informational tour will help to build Madison's sister city relationship with Freiberg, Germany, and through our sister city relationship help to make the trip more cost-effective; and,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council hereby authorize City staff, the Chair and any alder serving on the Sustainable Madison Transportation Master Plan Oversight Committee to tour Strasbourg, France and Freiburg, Germany for the purpose of learning innovative urban transportation system approaches.