III. POLICY ELEMENT

POLICY ISSUES AND REGIONAL NEEDS

The purpose of the Policy Element is to provide direction on regional transportation issues, address legislative, planning, financial, and institutional requirements, and identify related issues (e.g. land use policies). The Policy Element guides decision-making and RTP implementation. The Policy Element is required to contain three distinct components, Goals, Policies and Objectives. Goals are end results towards which effort is directed and are expressed in general terms and are timelines. Policies are direction statements that guide future decisions with specific actions. Objectives are the results to be achieved by an identified point in time that are capable of being quantified and realistically attained considering probable funding and political constraints. Performance measures set the standards by which progress towards achieving the overall RTP goal of a balanced transportation plan will be determined.

HCAOG's Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) reviewed the policy choices presented in the drafts of the RTP update, and both committees made recommendations to the HCAOG Board of Directors.

The Policy Element contains goals, policies, and objectives for all transportation modes and issues described in the previous needs section. Performance measures for key indicators are found at the end of the element. The following section discusses statewide, regional, and local issues that shape the RTP's goals, policies and objectives.

Federal and Statewide Funding Programs and Guidelines

State level actions that have affected regional transportation planning are the passage of Senate Bill 45 (SB 45), signed into law on October 2, 1997, and CTC's updating of RTP Guidelines, which became effective in January 2000. SB 45 significantly revised state transportation funding policies, delegating more responsibility for project selection and delivery to regional agencies such as the HCAOG. The main issues addressed in the CTC's updated RTP Guidelines includes the addition of performance measures, the strengthening of the linkage between the RTP and RTIP, and integration of the RTP, the RTIP, and the ITIP.

The current state economic crisis and recent passage of the state budget has resulted in lower expectations for funding in at least the near term. As a result, HCAOG, along with other RTPAs in the state, may need to engage in exercises that would delay project implementation.

The Transportation Equity Act-21^st Century (TEA-21) expired September 30^th, 2003. The Bush Administration released a reauthorized version called Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which was enacted on August 10, 2005 as Public Law 109.59. Given both the troubling state and national economies, increases from new fuel taxes are not expected in the near term.

Statewide issues of concern to the region include pressure to avoid delays in completing programmed highway and street improvements. Delays may result from difficulties in obtaining right-of-way, lengthy environmental review, public controversy, contract problems, design changes and other factors. However, the state funding crisis provides an overall backdrop to the likely delays that are foreseen in project development and ultimate construction.

Regional Needs and Local Policy Issues

The primary regional and local transportation needs relate to deteriorating conditions on roadways in Humboldt County, and a limited number of alternative modes to provide transportation choices for residents. The most significant regional needs are to preserve existing transportation systems, and to better serve the transportation needs of Humboldt County residents and visitors. In addition, improving goods movement by water, road, air, and rail are also important issues for the County.

Transportation plans and programs are being expanded, to an increasing extent, to include energy conservation, air and water quality issues, safety, urban revitalization, and economic development objectives. At the same time, increasing transportation infrastructure costs and limited resources have made investments in new facilities more difficult. This makes it more important than ever to operate the existing transportation systems as efficiently as possible.

One approach to increase efficiency has been to incorporate Transportation Systems Management (TSM) and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) concepts and strategies into Regional Transportation Plans. Generally defined, TSM is the use of low cost technological improvements to maximize the efficiency of existing transportation systems and TDM is the use of strategies to reduce automobile travel demand (particularly in peak hours) and encourage travel by alternative modes. These concepts and strategies can be used in conjunction with each other, to develop intermodal concepts identified in federal and state programs.

TSM encompasses the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) or Advanced Transportation Systems (ATS) technology. In general, ITS or ATS is the use of computerized and communications technologies to improve safety, productivity, and mobility, even while traffic congestion increases. Specifically, ITS/ATS program areas include:

Improved traveler safety by disseminating site-specific advisory information electronically, from fixed location monitors, and from mobile in-vehicle monitors.
Emergency services that quickly alert dispatchers, advanced dispatching and vehicle-based response system, and emergency communications systems linking critical agencies.
Tourism and travel information services for route and destination guidance, mobility services including transit, para-transit and parking systems, transit and toll smart car payment systems, and event and incident management information systems.
Public transit services for improved dispatching and automatic vehicle location to improve transit timing and scheduling, smart card fare payment, and advanced ride sharing/matching systems to increase carpooling.
Infrastructure operations and maintenance systems such as traffic signal and management systems, automated bridge, pavement and roadside hardware management systems, and advanced work zone management and traffic control systems.
Fleet and commercial vehicle operations including dispatching and routing systems, advanced work zone management and traffic control systems.
Fleet and commercial vehicle operations including dispatching and routing systems, advanced vehicle tracking for snow plows, fleet maintenance management, rural addressing systems, enhanced weather advisory systems, and on-the-road communications for agricultural harvesting and migration activities.

A demonstration project for ITS/ATS concepts in Northern California has been the rural COATS (California Oregon Advanced Transportation System) project jointly undertaken by the California and Oregon Departments of Transportation. The objective of COATS was to: evaluate ITS/ATS strategies for rural counties that enhance safety; improve the movement of people, goods, services and information; increase travel information and promote trip enhancement; and subsequently promote the economic development of the bi-state region.

The ongoing application of the broad spectrum of TSM/TDM strategies in Humboldt County is periodically evaluated by HCAOG and Caltrans. Local strategies that result in efficient management practices are identified and can be transferable to other transportation providers in the region. In rural areas it is sometimes necessary to qualify programs such as TSM/TDM with the phrase, "to the extent applicable." HCAOG has actively supported TSM/TDM programs, and incorporated them in our regional planning and programming processes.

GOALS AND POLICIES

California state statutes require that each RTP shall (Government Code §65080 (b)) include a Policy Element that:

1) Describes the transportation issues in the region; and

2) Identifies and quantifies regional needs expressed within both a short and long-range framework; and

3) Maintains internal consistency with the Financial Element fund estimates.

The Policy Element serves as both an internal guide and an external resource for HCAOG entities, and associated agencies and governments in Humboldt County. Internally, creation and implementation of the Policy Element provides opportunities for multi-agency and inter-governmental input. The Policy Element also serves as an external resource for promoting consistency in decisions among state, regional, and local agencies and governments, including: transit agencies, congestion management agencies, Employment Development Departments, the California Highway Patrol, private industry councils, and tribal governments.

The Policy Element is required to contain goals, policies, and objectives. Goals are end results toward which effort is directed. Policies are direction statements that guide future decisions with specific actions. Objectives are the results to be achieved by an identified point in time. They are capable of being quantified and realistically attained considering probable funding and political constraints. Objectives are linked to implementation goals. Each objective is drafted to be consistent with the needs identified in the RTP, as a means of strengthening statewide system planning and ultimate project implementation linkage.

The overall goal of the Regional Transportation Plan for Humboldt County is:

To develop, operate and maintain a well-coordinated, balanced, regionwide multimodal transportation system that is safe, efficient, and provides good access to all cities, communities, and recreational facilities, and into adjoining regions. A balanced multimodal transportation system includes but is not limited to highway, public transit, aviation, marine, railroads, recreation, bicycle, pedestrian, and utility systems.

The following goals, policies and objectives address regional needs and cover a comprehensive range of transportation issues. The objectives apply to both the 10-year and 20-year year time frames, unless otherwise noted. Some policies are directly linked to program level performance measures (Table III-1); these linkages are indicated in brackets following the applicable policy.

A. ROADWAYS (State Highways, County Roads and City Streets)

Goal: Build, maintain a safe and efficient highways, roadways, and streets system that will accommodate and balance multiple modes of transportation.

A-1 Policy: Support efforts to preserve the existing state, county, city, and reservation road system from further deterioration. [Linked to Performance Measure #1-Roadway System Preservation.]

Objective: Support efforts to promote and fund a local road maintenance program-similar to Caltrans' SHOPP program-which would receive adequate funding.

A-2 Policy: To facilitate road and highway improvements where feasible to provide additional secure access for communities whose access is threatened by road failure or other conditions.

Objective: Identify communities in the region with a history of access problems of isolation due to roadway failures and facilitate local government efforts to eliminate those conditions.

A-3 Policy: Project Study Reports shall be developed for RTIP candidate project nominations which include a (1) statement of need, purpose, and description of project; (2) estimated costs; and (3) delivery schedule.

Objective: Completed project study reports from project applicants prior to programming.

A-4 Policy: Support safety improvements on highways, roadways, and streets in the HCAOG region. [Linked to Performance Measure #3-Safety.]

Objective: Secure funds for efforts to reduce traffic congestion, promote non-motorized access with bridge and shoulder widening, and improve overall safety for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians on all county, city, and state highways and streets.

A-5 Policy: Support barrier stripe mitigation efforts, in mountainous and rural areas, that alleviate travel delays.

Objective: Identify locations where there is a lack of passing opportunities in mountainous and rural areas of the region.

A-6 Policy: Support non-freeway alternatives for US 101 through Eureka.

Objective: Program improvements needed to correct identified congestion and safety problems on US 101 through Eureka. Allocate program revenues generated from the sale of bypass rights of way, for non-freeway alternative congestion reduction measures including Transportation System Management techniques, and non-construction solutions.

A-7 Policy: Promote at-grade intersection improvements. [Linked to Performance Measure #2-Congestion and #3-Safety.]

Objective: Identify all existing at-grade intersections where improvements are needed, including those on State Routes where Caltrans would be the lead agency for improving circulation and safety for the region's motorists.

A-8 Policy: Support corridor protection measures for future highways and major streets.

Objective: Protect future routes, rights-of-ways, and alignments identified in state and local route planning through state, county, city and tribal government partnerships; secure state funding commitments, approved route plans, environmental analyses, and implementation of city and county land use plans. (Also refer to Land Use Policies under B9.)

A-9 Policy: Route Public Roadway Access to Resource Lands to avoid environmental constraints that would cause significant impacts.

Objective: Prior to approval of major maintenance or reconstruction, analyze the potential environmental impacts of access roads to resource lands, and demonstrate that adverse impacts can be mitigated to "less than significant" levels.

A-10 Policy: Use Level of Service (LOS) standards to measure congestion on all regionally significant roadways that contribute to the regional transportation network. [Linked to Performance Measures: #2-Congestion; #9-Pedestrian Mobility; and #10-Bicycle Mobility.]

Objective: Develop and maintain a list of regionally significant roadways with minimum acceptable LOS for each, and periodically conduct traffic volume counts to determine whether minimum LOS levels are being maintained.

Objective: Coordinate traffic volume LOS with other LOS methods (see Bicycle and Pedestrian) to achieve balanced multi-modal use of roadways.

Highway, Road, and Street Funding Policies

A-11 Policy: Pursue legislation that will insure adequate funding to maintain existing roadways in Humboldt County region. [Linked to Performance Measure #1-Roadway System Preservation.]

Objective: Educate and lobby legislators to pursue such legislation, including providing them with costs and sample legislative language to generate revenue sources for local street and road maintenance and rehabilitation.

Objective: Support CTC guidelines that allow continued use of STIP funds to preserve and maintain the existing road system, and explore local options for developing a regional maintenance and preservation program.

A-12 Policy: Promote equity, cost effectiveness, and modal balance in programming processes. [Linked to Performance Measure #5-Equity and Cost Effectiveness.]

Objective: Program all funds based on multi-modal transportation needs and priorities as established in the RTP. Prioritize and balance projects based on cost effectiveness as well as need.

A-13 Policy: Promote a balanced fund distribution among regionally significant projects. [Linked to Performance Measure #5-Equity and Cost Effectiveness.]

Objective: Develop and adopt flexible funding and allocation guidelines to ensure a balanced and equitable distribution of funds between regionally significant projects. These guidelines are to include a process, using all funds available to HCAOG, to plan for and program projects based on anticipated receipt of funds.

B. TRANSIT

Goal: Provide adequate cost-effective public transit services, especially to accommodate student, workforce, elderly and disabled needs.

B-1 Policy: Provide efficient and cost effective transit service to county residents.

Objective: Complete periodic performance audits of public transit services to ensure that transit services meet needs identified in the RTP.

Objective: Conduct annual public hearings to determine whether there are any unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet according to the HCAOG criteria.

B-2 Policy: Promote interregional transportation service.

Objective: Re-establish daily bus service east between Eureka and Redding, via the State Route 299, as a vital interregional link between the Interstate 5 and US 101. Maintain bus service north between Crescent City and Arcata/Eureka via US 101 and bus service south to Ukiah via US 101.

B-3 Policy: Promote long range planning to guide transit decisions.

Objective: For each public transit operator and entity, maintain current transit development plans that provide long-range management and capital directions, and continue to apply system evaluation standards to measure the "success" of its system.

B-4 Policy: Provide technical support to improve transit operations.

Objective: Improve internal operational systems, and resolve scheduling/ funding allocation issues, with technical support and assistance grants to operators, coordinated and administered through HCAOG.

B-5 Policy: Support public transportation programs, including system improvements to increase transit cost effectiveness. [Linked to Performance Measure #4-Transit Cost Effectiveness]

Objective: Fund transit programs that extend public transit services and hours, especially where this would increase ridership and reduce single occupancy vehicle use.

Objective: Meet specific farebox recovery ratios for each transit system operating in the county, and strive to meet a standard 10% farebox recovery ratio for para-transit providers.

B-6 Policy: Support the transition to alternative energy and fuels for transit infrastructure.

Objective: Switch to alternative fuels for the acquisition of vehicles and the development of a fueling station.

Other Transit Providers and Options

B-7 Policy: Support the development of more park-&-ride lots near population centers to encourage bus ridership and carpooling.

Objective: Add park-&-ride lots in McKinleyville, Fortuna, Blue Lake, and other population centers as identified

B-8 Policy: Support specialized transportation programs for the county's disabled population.

Objective: Provide specialized transportation programs for persons with disabilities, including publicly provided services, and complementary program-oriented private non-profit transportation services.

B-9 Policy: Provide ongoing support for the Social Services Transportation Advisory Council.

Objective: Coordinate the transportation needs of social service agencies, private non-profit agencies, and users through the Social Services Transportation Advisory Council's (SSTAC) ongoing, pro-active forum.

Objective: Provide the SSTAC with support, access, and technical support as needed.

B-10 Policy: Integrate social transportation services with daily services where possible.

Objective: Promote integrated social service and public transportation services, using existing programs where possible, and seek available alternatives for independently providing client transportation services. In addition, encourage public and private non-profit specialized transportation providers to notify and apprise each other of all service changes that will impact programs or clientele.

B-11 Policy: Promote measures to reduce social service transportation operating costs.

Objective: Lower overall costs and increase selection of goods and services through group activities such as joint purchasing ventures, group insurance, and consolidated maintenance programs.

B-12 Policy: Support the use of private transit service.

Objective: Encourage private enterprise to provide identified transit service needs of Humboldt County residents whenever feasible.

B-13 Policy: Support the use of federal funds for vehicle acquisition by private non-profit agencies.

Objective: Fully utilize FTA Section 5310 vehicle acquisition program funds by having HCOAG work with eligible private non-profit agencies involved in transportation services programs.

B-14 Policy: Funding for private and non-private social service transportation programs is the responsibility of the administering social service agency.

Objective: Make potential funding sources known to all private and non-private agencies providing social service transportation programs.

B-15 Policy: Promote intermodal transit opportunities.

Objective: Make intermodal transfers as efficient as possible, through coordinated transit planning and scheduling by public and private transportation services entities.

Rural Transit Service

B-16 Policy: Re-establish transit service to east, south and north county.

Objective: The Humboldt Transit Authority will pursue partnerships with the County of Humboldt, Native American Tribes, and non-profit transportation organizations, that will help fund and facilitate the re-establishment of services to rural communities in the east, south and north portions of the County.

C. AVIATION

Goal: Maintain and manage the facilities and services at the public-use airports in Humboldt County to maximize linkages to the national aviation network.

C-1 Policy: Maintain and expand scheduled passenger airline service in and out of Humboldt County.

Objective: Identify projects for facility improvements or other needs that would retain and/or attract scheduled passenger competition, i.e., service by more than one airline, and provision of service to multiple destinations.

Objective: Encourage inter-modal coordination to compliment scheduled passenger airline service (e.g. airport shuttles, taxis, and public transit).

C-2 Policy: Support the implementation and construction of an Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control tower at the Arcata-Eureka Airport.

Objective: Coordinate Regional Transportation Plan and Airport Master Plan policies and programs necessary for the implementation and long term operation of a FAA airport traffic control tower.

C-3 Policy: Encourage long-term airport planning in the region.

Objective: Maintain the utility of County airports by encouraging airport operators (County of Humboldt, the City of Eureka, the Hoopa Valley Business Council, and Shelter Cove Improvements District) to regularly update airports plans and implement capital improvement programs.

Objective: Program funding to evaluate Arcata-Eureka Airport runway /facility capacity to accommodate larger passenger and air freight aircraft, including potential runway extensions for larger aircraft.

C-4 Policy: Support the Humboldt County Airport Land Use Commission's effort to expand Humboldt County based aviation services.

Objective: Provide the most current Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan to all member entities.

Objective: Annual Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan implementation reports to the HCAOG Board, for public-use airports within HCAOG's jurisdiction.

C-5 Policy: Promote full utilization of air freight capabilities in Humboldt County.

Objective: Maintain a current inventory of available airfreight services in Humboldt County and identify where additional capacity exists; disseminate this information to businesses with existing and potential future demand for those services.

Objective: Develop a marketing plan for airfreight services in Humboldt County.

D. Bikeways and Pedestrian Facilities

Goal: Create a transportation system that provides inter-community and intra-community non-motorized pedestrian, bicycle travel throughout the region.

D-1 Policy: Develop a cohesive system of regional bikeways that provide access to and among major activity centers, public transportation, recreation, and other destinations eliminating barriers to pedestrian and bicycle travel. [Linked to Performance Measures #9-Pedestrian Mobility and #10-Bicycle Mobility.]

Objective: Periodically evaluate designated bicycle routes and pedestrian facilities to identify barriers to local and regional pedestrian and bicycle travel. Prioritize pedestrian and bicycle roadway improvements that will eliminate those barriers, such as bridges, roadway shoulder widening, and gap closures.

Objective: Construct and maintain contiguous sidewalks and designated bicycle routes within one mile of all public schools, and between transit stops and nearby public facilities (libraries, parks, and community centers).

D-2 Policy: Encourage interconnectivity of the transportation network.

Objective: Update transportation plans to include an interconnected, well-planned, and efficient regional transportation network that includes bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Objective: Develop bicycle and trail facilities in the region through coordination among Humboldt County (Humboldt County General Plan), Caltrans, cities, non-profits, and other entities with planning responsibilities.

D-3 Policy: Encourage and support the creation or expansion of comprehensive safety awareness, driver education, cyclist education and diversion training programs for bicyclists and motorists.

Objective: Develop programs that improve the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists-including education of bicyclists, motorists, and pedestrians-and that actively enforce bicycle safety laws.

D-4 Policy: Encourage the pursuit of alternative non-motorized funding sources to the maximum degree plausible.

Objective: Secure alternative funding sources-such as grants and public-private partnerships-to finance bicycle and pedestrian facility improvements.

Objective: Develop alternative approaches for providing improvements to bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

D-5 Policy: Encourage bicycle-friendly design on all streets and roadways through new technologies, “best practices” standards, guidelines, and innovative treatments where appropriate on new roadways and multiuse paths.

Objective: Administer resurfacing programs for local streets to include appropriate provisions for bicycle facilities. All bikeways will be developed in compliance with standards adopted by Caltrans and as required by Sections 2375 and 2376 of the Streets and Highways Code.

Objective: Secure funding augmentations for roadway improvement projects to include bicycle and/or pedestrian facility improvements, such as bridges, roadway shoulder widening, and a dedicated facility for bicycle travel.

D-6 Policy: Maintain bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Objective: Program funds as available for HCAOG entities to maintain bicycle and pedestrian facilities in a condition favorable to use by the intended mode.

D-7 Policy: Encourage the adoption of ordinances requiring bicycle parking and storage for all new development and redevelopment.

Objective: Provide sample ordinances that promote adequate bicycle parking facilities as part of new development projects' off-street parking requirements. Ordinances are to be applicable to commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential uses. Encourage cities and County to adopt these bicycle parking ordinances.

D-8 Policy: Promote use of the Bicycle Level of Service concept.

Objective: Provide member entities with information on the Bicycle Compatibility Index and the Bicycle/Pedestrian Level of Service (B/P LOS) concept.

Objective: Use the Bicycle Compatibility Index as a resource for determining BLOS and bicycle facility needs.

D-9 Policy: HCAOG recognizes the high level of public support for provision of a dedicated bicycle and pedestrian facility between Arcata and Eureka.

Objective: Promote the study of alternatives for a dedicated facility between Arcata and Eureka.

Objective: Continue to support multi-jurisdictional group of stakeholders working to identify constraints and opportunities to develop a multi-use trail facility in NCRA corridor between Eureka and Arcata under a National Park Service Technical Assistance grant.

E. GOODS MOVEMENT

Goal: Establish and maintain stable and reliable truck, rail and marine transport systems for the continuous flow of goods in and out of Humboldt County.

E-1 Policy: Promote balanced growth in marine, rail, truck, and air transport of goods, and multiple use of transportation corridors for energy pipeline and data transmission purposes. [Linked to Performance Measure #8-Good Movement.]

Objective: Monitor goods movement volumes and support efforts by goods movement industries to interconnect modes and maximize use of transportation corridors.

Objective: Encourage a Goods Movement strategy that is developed as a joint effort between private business, airport management, NCRA, Humboldt Bay, County and City Governments.

Truck Transport

E-2 Policy: Support existing commercial truck weight fees and timber taxes.

Objective: Maintain and reconstruct city and county truck routes with proportional revenues from commercial truck fees.

E-3 Policy: Promote truck route improvements.

Objective: Support roadway improvements for commercial vehicle access, and conduct further studies to determine trucking industry needs and options to eliminate barriers to freight movement.

Rail Transport

E-4 Policy: Support Re-establishment of Rail Service.

Objective: Support and encourage the North Coast Railroad Authority's (NCRA) efforts to re-establish freight and passenger rail services in and out of Humboldt County.

E-5 Policy: Encourage Modernized Rail which will allow for improved Freight and Passenger Service.

Objective: Support NCRA efforts to include their lines in the California State Rail Plan, for federal rehabilitation and new facility construction fund eligibility.

Objective: Support the establishment of regional excursion and passenger rail service by supporting efforts of railroad groups working to establish this service.

E-6 Policy: Support NCRA Efforts to maintain safe Rail Crossings.

Objective: Provide and maintain safe at-grade railroad crossings with automatic gates and flashing lights, by coordinating NCRA's efforts with Humboldt County and affected cities, including seeking crossing safety devices funds from state and federal programs.

Marine Transport

E-7 Policy: Support Harbor District efforts to improve navigation facilities.

Objective: Improve navigational facilities in Humboldt Bay for safer and more efficient marine transport of goods in and out of the region.

E-8 Policy: Support Harbor District efforts to improve port facilities.

Objective: Improve Humboldt Bay port facilities, including public and private docks and petroleum terminals, modernization of the Redwood Marine Terminal and Fields Landing Marine Terminal, as important intermodal facilities that should be maintained.

Objective: Encourage Harbor District to develop a harbor marketing plan.

F. RECREATIONAL TRAVEL

Goal: Create improved infrastructure and facilities necessary to sustain and develop recreational travel as a significant component of the region's economy.

F-1 Policy: Coordinate tourism industry efforts to meet recreational travel needs.

Objective: Encourage coordination of local communities, visitor serving agencies and recreational service providers to meet residents and visitors recreational travel needs by:

Utilizing available funds to incorporate recreation needs early in transportation
Project planning and design;
Improving inter- and intra-regional access, including intermodal and transit services between air, bus and cruise destinations and regional recreation attractions;
Developing facilities including recreational vehicle and bus parking, boat-launching and river access, staffed visitor stations and roadside rest facilities; and
Improving marketing of area attractions by pursuing official state designation for eligible scenic byways, improving visitor signage along roadways, and developing information access to tourism activities.
Improving availability of recreational aviation fuel services at the region’s airports.

F-2 Policy: Support coordinated pursuit of alternative funding sources.

Objective: Encourage coordination by member entities to jointly pursue alternative sources of funding for recreational travel facility improvements including grants and public-private partnerships, as well as the development of collaborative partnerships between the economic development community and transportation planners.

F-3 Policy: Support non-motorized tourism development.

Objective: Improve bicycle and pedestrian tourist facilities, including multiple-use trails, within and between communities and recreational destinations as an important component of tourism development.

F-4 Policy: Support coordinated dissemination of information to travelers.

Objective: Provide travelers entering or leaving the region with information about regional and interregional attractions at coordinated locations such as publicly operated visitor centers and privately operated tourist facilities, and through implementation of the 511 Program for traveler information.

F-5 Policy: Support development of excursion rail, cruise ships and tour buses.

Objective: Identify local efforts to develop excursion rail service, expand tour bus travel, and increase cruise ship calls in the county (links with Policy 5.05).

F-6 Policy: Promote access to and use of regional recreation resources by residents.

Objective: Promote access to facilitate use of regional recreation resources, such as pedestrian and equestrian trails in roadless areas, boating routes on waterways, and coastal bikeways, through publicity, especially by resource management agencies.

G. TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT (ITS & ATS)

Goal: Minimize traffic congestion, reliance on single occupancy vehicles, and maximize public awareness of travel options through Transportation System Management (TSM) techniques (Intelligent Transportation System (ITS); Advanced Transportation System (ATS)).

Transportation System Management (TSM)

G-1 Policy: Link inter-county transportation systems to those in other areas of the state, and coordinate and integrate interregional travel patterns.

Objective: Coordinate existing and future public transit services so that service from rural areas is effectively integrated with urban service. Schedules should be designed for a better timed transfer between rural and urban buses. Fares should be integrated, and convenience facilities should be made available so that transfer areas are protected from the weather and bus information is provided.

Objective: Integrate automobile and bicycle transport with public transit by developing adequate parking facilities at major transit stops and, where feasible, transport bicycles on the buses along the inter-city bus routes.

G-2 Policy: Promote a balanced multimodal transportation system that provides equitable levels of access for all travel modes.

Objective: Encourage the use of alternative transportation modes through public education and incentives programs for public transit, bicycle commuting, carpooling, and other available alternative modes.

Objective: Support land use policies that encourage intermodal transportation connections, such as encouraging development near existing transportation services, integrating transportation improvements with infill developments, and allowing medium- to high-density development and mixed land uses.

Objective: Make intermodal transfers as efficient as possible, through coordinated transit planning and scheduling by public and private transportation services entities

G-3 Policy: Promote Transportation System Management (TSM) Measures.

Objective: Encourage the use of public transit, as well as ride-sharing, carpools, vanpools, bicycle commuting, walking, and telecommuting.

G-4 Policy: Implement Transportation System Management (TSM) and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies where clear opportunities and benefits exist.

Objective: Implement strategies of transportation system management (TSM) and transportation demand management (TDM) to conserve energy, improve air quality, and to provide congestion relief, as an alternative to capacity improvements.

G-5 Policy: Continue local and state coordination efforts to fund rural Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Advanced Transportation Systems (ATS), where feasible.

Objective: Encourage Caltrans, HCAOG members, and transportation system operators to continue evaluating and seeking funding for application of rural Intelligent Transportation Systems/Advanced Transportation System for the following:

Improved traveler information.
Safety enhancement.
Improved incident and emergency response.
Improved infrastructure operations and maintenance.
Improved transit and fleet operations and efficiency.

Objective: Encourage Caltrans and its Oregon partners to research technical, institutional, planning, maintenance, operational, and life-cycle costs and deployment issues relative to the California Oregon Advanced Transportation Systems (COATS) until the program sunsets. Specific tasks include:

Identify the transportation and information needs within the study area.
Determine beneficial and cost-effective ITS solutions within the study area based on identified needs.
Identify, design, and demonstrate initial small-scale projects/systems to test the feasibility of rural ITS.
Develop a "Model Deployment and Evaluation Plan" describing the strategic approach for implementing rural ITS strategies on a larger scale.

Objective: Support the Rural COATS Regional Architecture as a regional structure for development of ITS.

H. PIPELINE TRANSPORT, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, ENERGY CONSERVATION

Goal: Continue to meet the County's needs for water, natural gas, and electricity through safe, reliable, and environmentally compatible transmission systems. Plan and operate transportation systems to reduce energy consumption and its environmental and social impacts.

Telecommunications/Data Transmission

H-1 Policy: Encourage expansion of the high speed data transmission line and facility network in Humboldt County, and telecommunications links to connect with the rest of the world.

Objective: Develop and maintain state-of-the-art facilities by supporting efforts by telecommunications providers to provide fast and high capacity telecommunication/ data transmission facilities to County residents and businesses.

H-2 Policy: Encourage proactive design and siting of wireless telecommunication facilities.

Objective: Identify areas where future commercial public telecommunications facilities can be located, while minimizing the proliferation of antennas.

Objective: Ensure compatibility of telecommunications facilities with nearby land uses.

H-3 Policy: Encourage the use of telecommunications and technology to maintain and enhance County Government information resources and services provided to Humboldt County residents.

Objective: Continue to expand Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to facilitate E-government initiatives in providing convenient, user-friendly access to county information.

Objective: Utilize the Internet as a source of public information.

Pipeline Transport

H-4 Policy: Support good water transmission pipeline management practices.

Objective: Encourage City of Eureka and the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District efforts to maintain water supply transmission lines and avoid failures, which could result in widespread damage, health risks, environmental impacts (e.g., fish kills resulting from chlorinated water entering streams and Humboldt Bay), and roadway damage.

H-5 Policy: Encourage pipeline routing along State Highways.

Objective: Encourage Caltrans to reconsider their policy prohibiting routing pipelines parallel to state highways within the Caltrans right-of-way., Highway right-of-ways, especially in rural areas, are often the only routing alternative with least environmental impact and cost. HCAOG encourages Caltrans to allow pipelines within their right-of-way when alternatives would have higher costs and environmental impacts.

Energy Conservation

H-6 Policy: Consider energy conservation in transportation decisions.

Objective: Analyze and consider energy consumption impacts when planning both new transportation facilities and the maintenance or expansion of existing facilities. Caltrans and HCAOG member preference will be given to projects that:

Reduce the need for vehicle trips (for example, giving preference to mass transit, improved air and overland bus service, electronic information transmission);
Reduce per-trip energy consumption (for example, encouraging use of efficient vehicles or pedestrian travel, improving traffic flow) and;
Promote energy-efficient patterns of residential and commercial development.

Energy conservation is also a key objective of transportation system management policies.

I. LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION

Goal: Promote energy efficient and environmentally compatible land use patterns that foster accessibility using appropriate modes of transportation.

I-1 Policy: Promote land use based approach for transportation decisions.

Objective: Base transportation decisions on a comprehensive planning approach that considers at a minimum: existing land uses and future land development, and the need for multi-modal transportation facilities as proposed in adopted general plans, and plans of other governmental agencies.

Objective: To encourage regional entities to consider parking impacts in future developments through the implementation of independent parking ordinances.

I-2 Policy: Encourage Cities and County to plan for land use patterns that reduce automobile miles traveled.

Objective: Promote and favor development and redevelopment plans that minimize the energy used for commuting, such as higher density and mixed land uses, infill development, bicycle, transit and pedestrian oriented developments, and increased job-to-housing balance, maximum street interconnectivity, and minimization of cul-de-sacs.

Objective: Higher residential densities shall be encouraged in areas that are served by public transit routes and are close to major employment or commercial centers.

I-3 Policy: Encourage major Commercial, Business, Industrial, or Mixed-use facilities to develop transportation management plans.

Objective: Transportation management plans should address energy conservation measures such as connectivity to alternative transportation modes; preferential parking for carpools, vanpools, motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles; shuttle services; alternative fueling stations; transit passes; bike lockers; and locker room facilities.

Objective: Management plans should include policies to encourage local employers to offer flex-time and/or shifting work schedules which minimize employees’ impacts on peak hour traffic and to provide incentives for employees to use alternatives to the single-occupancy automobile mode of travel.

I-4 Policy: Integrate Land Use and transportation program implementation.

Objective: Implementation of transportation and land use planning programs in an integrated manner, using the following governmental mechanisms:

Cities and the County should plan cooperatively, through the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo), for appropriate uses and transportation improvements in areas surrounding the incorporated cities, in order to effectively guide growth, transportation infrastructure, and other public facilities.
In order to prevent premature land development, planning for new transportation facilities should be consistent with locally adopted land use plan timing and policies.
Caltrans should, in cooperation with HCAOG, Humboldt County, and the seven cities, plan and schedule the improvements and expansion of state transportation facilities so as not to adversely impact locally adopted land use and preservation plans.
Existing and future roads and public transit service will be continually evaluated by HCAOG to ensure that they effectively serve the community density and travel patterns.
Use land use planning techniques in corridor planning to emphasize protecting bicycle, pedestrian, equestrian, pipeline, and rail corridors for their transportation functions.

I-5 Policy: Consider transportation impacts in land use impact analysis.

Objective: Through the use of modeling data, analyze impacts to existing and/or proposed transportation facilities and services when making decisions to change or expand the land use of a particular area to minimize or avoid significant operational or economic consequences.

I-6 Policy: Encourage transit-oriented development.

Objective: Reduce automobile travel by encouraging cities to allow high density residential and mixed land uses (i.e., residential and commercial) in urban and urbanizing areas, integrated with public transportation.

Objective: Reduce vehicle trips and trip lengths by encouraging a better job-to-housing balance in land use planning and development.

I-7 Policy: Forecast travel patterns and volumes on land use and population basis.

Objective: Base need forecasts for long-range transportation system improvements on local and regional population growth and land use projections.

I-8 Policy: Consider intermodal implications of land use decisions.

Objective: Improve the region's intermodal transportation systems by having Cities consider intermodal facilities needs as part of land use decisions.

I-9 Policy: Limit access as a means of protecting resource lands.

Objective: Limit development of transportation where it could potentially cause prime agricultural and timber lands to be developed or converted to other uses, unless there are compelling social, environmental or economic reasons. Cost and benefit analyses of transportation improvements shall include the urban extension, air quality, water quality, energy consumption, mitigation costs, and the agricultural losses arising from conversion.

I-10 Policy: Protect environmentally sensitive lands.

Objective: Control access to environmentally unique lands, in accordance with locally adopted plans and programs, and control of access to designated environmentally unique lands, where they are or could be affected by overuse. Access control measures could include:

Control parking availability.
Control numbers of people entering sensitive or environmentally fragile areas.
Provide public transportation to reduce the number of autos and auto facilities.

I-11 Policy: Analyze the potential short-term and long-term environmental impacts of transportation decisions and identify potentially significant environmental impacts. [Linked to Performance Measure #6-Environmental Quality.]

Objective: Use significance criteria from adopted General Plans of the County and cities to determine potential environmental effects of transportation improvement decisions.

I-12 Policy: Compliance with California Coastal Act.

Objective: Transportation system plans of HCAOG members having jurisdictional areas within the coastal zone, must comply with the applicable requirements of locally adopted local coastal plans.

I-13 Policy: Encourage Cities and Counties to plan compatible land uses around airports.

Objective: Using their land use authority, the cities of Arcata, Eureka, and Fortuna, Humboldt County, and the Hoopa Valley Business Council, should plan compatible land uses in the vicinity of the public-use airports.

J. AIR QUALITY

Goal: Reduce transportation related air pollution through reductions in single occupancy vehicle trips, increased pedestrian, bicycle and public transit use, and conversions to low emission vehicles.

J-1 Policy: Encourage use of low-emission vehicles.

Objective: Convert to vehicles that pollute less than conventional diesel- and gasoline-powered vehicles. Identify appropriate fuel and vehicle technologies, develop the necessary expertise and funding, and purchase, operate, and maintain low-emission vehicle fleets in a cost-effective, fuel-efficient, and safe manner. Government agencies and the private sector should be encouraged to use low-emission vehicles and cleaner burning fuels in transit and other vehicles.

J-2 Policy: Reduce levels of PM₁₀, a pollutant for which the air basin is in non-attainment, through programs to reduce vehicle emissions and reduce vehicle trips. [Linked to Performance Measure #7-Air Quality.]

Objective: Incorporate transportation measures to improve air quality, as identified in the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District's PM₁₀ Attainment Plan.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The RTP includes performance measures to implement policies. They are found in Table III-1 on the following page.

Performance Measure*	Data Source	RTP Measure	RTP Objective
1. Roadway System Preservation	Caltrans, County, and City pavement management systems (PMS).	Minimum overall conditions index.	Provide resources to bring all roadways within the region to an acceptable O.C.I. (Condition Index). (Policy A-1)
2. Congestion	Caltrans, County, and City traffic volumes.	Minimum Acceptable LOS.	Provide Concept LOS by 2010 on all regionally significant roadways. (Policy A-9)
3. Safety	Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, County Department of Public Works.	Number of accidents on highways per 1,000,000 vehicle miles of travel.	Reduce the number of accidents on all highways below state average for similar facilities. (Policy A-3)
4. Transit Cost Effectiveness	TDA required fiscal and compliance audits.	Farebox Recovery Ratio.	Meet specific farebox recovery ratios: RTS 27%, ETS 22%, AMRTS 19% (rounded %), and a standard 10% farebox recovery ratios for para-transit providers. (Policy B-5)
5. Equity & Cost Effectiveness	CTC RTIP allocation estimates.	Ratio of RTIP allocations to county revenue shortfall for roadway projects.	Distribute transportation funds based on prioritized transportation needs as established in the RTP. Prioritize projects based on cost effectiveness as well as need.(Policy A-11 and A-12)
6. Environmental Quality	Significance criteria adopted in the General Plan and/or broader CEQA significance criteria from guidelines.	Avoid or minimize significant impacts.	Analyze the potential short term and long-term environmental impacts of transportation decisions and mitigate impacts to less than significant level. (Policy I-11)
7. Air Quality	North Coast Unified Air Quality Mgmt. District Attainment Plan.	Applicable air basin levels.	Reduce Pollutant levels consistent with Air Quality PM10 Attainment Plan. (Policy J-2)
8. Goods Movement	Annual volumes of goods moved for each mode.	Monitor goods movement volumes for balanced expansion for all modes.	Support efforts by goods movement industries to interconnect modes and maximize use of transportation corridors. (Policy E-1)
9. Pedestrian Mobility	Sidewalk surveys.	Contiguous sidewalks around schools and linking transit stops to public facilities.	Construct and maintain contiguous sidewalks within one mile of all public schools, and between transit stops and public facilities (e.g. libraries, parks, and community centers). (Policy D-1)
10. Bicycle Mobility	Bicycle system surveys.	Contiguous bike lanes along and/or connected to major route corridors and service areas.	Develop and sustain bicycle facilities which promote bicycle use within and between communities and services. (Policy D-1)