Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
24 <br />Attachment 5 <br />where people live or shop. These suburban-type land use patterns have generated an <br />increased demand for highways while discouraging non-auto alternatives. It is not <br />surprising that the past thoroughfare plans have not contained an integrated, multi-modal <br />recommendation. Now, the MPO has given strong emphasis to balanced, multi-modal <br />,.. _: alternatives in the transportation planning process as evidenced: by the:2030long-range <br />transportation plan, other modal plans, and the Transportation Improvement Program <br />(TIP) project priorities. <br />Based an changes in state law in 2000, NCDOT has carried out the process of <br />establishing Rural Transportation Planning Organizations {RPO's}throughout North <br />Carolina far all rural areas not yet within an existing MPO. Although, organized and <br />tasked in a manner very similar to MPOs, RPOs are grounded in state law rather than <br />federal and are intended to address and improve rural area transportation planning <br />processes. <br />An MPO's coverage is delineated by its Metropolitan Area Boundary (MAB) that is <br />supposed to include surrounding areas that are expected to become urbanized within the <br />next twenty years but are not yet within another MPO. Based on this factor as well as <br />others, some areas currently in RPOs may be considered qualified to become members of <br />the MPO and thus may be offered the opportunity to join. Current NCDOT policy is that <br />local municipal government may be members of either an MPO or RPO, but not both. <br />Depending on boundaries, county governments could be members of multiple MPOs <br />and/or RPOs although being members of more than one or two organizations could <br />become burdensome. <br />Organization <br />As required by federal law, the " 3-C" process in each urban area is carried out by its <br />Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). A Memorandum of Understanding {MOU), <br />signed by the participating local governing boards as well as NCDOT and FHWA, <br />establishes the specific framework for how each MPO operates. <br />In North Carolina, each urban area's MPO is defined as an "umbretla" organization which <br />includes alI member local governments, USDOT, NCDOT, and other providers of <br />transportation services (such as the Raleigh-Durham International Airport Authority). <br />The MPO administrative structure has three main components: <br />1. Transportation Advisory Committee {TAC) - is the governing policy board for <br />the MPO. The TAC's membership includes elected officials representing (and <br />appointed by) each local government, the area's representative on the North <br />Carolina Board of Transportation, advisory non-voting members representing <br />FHWA and TTA, and other members as may be authorized in the MOU. The <br />TAC provides.policy direction for the planning process, facilitates communication , .._ <br />and coordination between the member jurisdictions, and guides the development <br />of a coordinated, muItimodal transportation program for the planning area. The <br />TAC directs the " 3-C" process through its annual review and approval of the <br />