Regional Framework vs. Local Fabric
In November 18th testimony, the Alliance congratulated the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Transportation Planning Board (TPB) on 50 years of contributions to regional mobility and urged them to return their focus to the founding purpose….planning our region’s transportation framework.
The Alliance reminded the TPB that “Significant initial focus was on the region’s transportation framework in recognition that a strong framework is essential to better mobility and land use. Plans reflected both strategic suburbs to core and suburb to suburb connections.”
Yet over the last few decades, the TPB’s focus has “shifted from completing that regional highway and transit framework to promoting local fabric including complete streets, neighborhoods, pedestrian systems and bicycle networks, subjects historically the purview of local governments.”
As a result of this shift, and the lack of accountability by a planning board made up of primarily local jurisdiction officials for a National Capital region comprised of three states, the region has failed to build planned Potomac River Bridges and suburb-to-suburb connectivity framework or to upgrade major failing corridors, resulting in the region becoming the nation’s most congested.
Read the full text of the remarks here.