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<br />SECTION 1: Executive Summary <br />Greater accountability to voters by ensuring <br />that elected officials serve in derision-making <br />capacities for regional transit investments <br />Encouraging continued cooperation <br />between the MPOs <br />Establishing a regional staff committee from <br />the working group that supported the work of <br />the STAC to consult, study and coordinate <br />the completion of the Regional Transit <br />Vsion Plan <br />Why Invest in Transit? <br />Our auto-dependency has far-reaching impacts <br />beyond our transportation system and threatens: <br />Our Economy: Increasing congestion and <br />unreliability of travel times threaten our <br />attractiveness to businesses and workers. <br />Without awell-functioning transportation <br />system that is reliable, cost-effective and <br />time-competitive for commuters and freight, <br />with a range of options for accessing shopping, <br />medical service and entertainment venues, our <br />overall competitiveness will decline. Fuel prices <br />and the other costs of auto ownership and driving <br />will continue to increase, draining individual <br />households of financial resources. Increasing <br />construction and roadway maintenance costs are <br />draining communities of the financial resources <br />needed to sustain basic services as well as the <br />arts, cultural and natural resources. <br />Our Communities: Building and expanding <br />roadways brings massive impacts on <br />neighborhoods and rural landscapes. The air <br />quality impacts of our increasingly high levels of <br />ozone pollution generated from vehicle <br />emissions are particularly hazardous for children <br />and the elderly. The time drivers spend in traffic is <br />unproductive and aggravating and takes time <br />away from family and community activities. The <br />separation between home and work by both time <br />and distance frays the social fabric of our <br />neighborhoods. <br />Our Environment: Continued expansion in the <br />number of vehicles and the distances they travel <br />each day will mean the region will face <br />challenges in meeting federal air quality <br />standards in the future. Reducing auto travel <br />will also reduce our region's contribution to <br />climate change by reducing our overall carbon <br />footprint. Development has taken up land at a <br />much higher rate than our rate of population <br />growth, threatening open spaces and agricultural <br />landscapes, and fragmenting natural habitats. <br />Our Future Mobility: By 2035, the population <br />of those aged 65 and older in our region will <br />grow from less than 10% to more than 15%. <br />A significant number of people will continue or <br />begin to live without a car, either by choice or <br />necessity; this group increased from 27,000 to <br />29,000 between 1990 and 2000. Continuing to <br />build and operate an auto-dependent <br />transportation system will exclude these groups <br />from full participation in the economic and cultural <br />life of our region. At the same time, our current <br />transit providers struggle to provide basic service <br />and do not have funding mechanisms in place to <br />meet the needs of our growing population. <br />The economic, demographic, environmental and <br />social factors signal that a new approach to our <br />transportation system is needed. Taking a fresh <br />look at the Triangle's transportation issues, the <br />STAC saw compelling reasons for giving transit a <br />much larger role in our transportation future: <br />Provide an alternative to costly and stressful <br />auto travel, and potentially reduce congestion <br />along key travel corridors <br />Reduce the need for and cost of new roads <br />and other infrastructure by optimizing the <br />capacity of existing roads and providing an <br />alternative to automobile travel <br />Enhance access to existing and future <br />employment, services, leisure, health, <br />education, cultural and natural resources <br />for everyone <br />