2. Vision, Goals and Objectives

THE REGIONAL VISION

The transportation system supports a region’s economy and society, thus a shared vision of the future of Ulster County is a necessary starting point for the LRTP. Input from the public and the Technical Advisory Committee helped to answer the question: “What will Ulster County look like in 2050?” This vision will create a foundation for setting goals and objectives for this Plan, which in turn was used to select and enumerate the priority projects, actions, and strategies to carry out the plan.

2050 LRTP Vision Statement

In the year 2050, Ulster County’s transportation system is capable of affordably supporting its vibrant communities, which are attractive to business and to people of all ages and stages of life. The transportation system provides appropriate links to the region and beyond, and is viewed by all as an economic and environmental asset and a major contributor to quality of life. Communities are supported by a transportation system that provides safe access by all modes of travel. There is a robust economy, with diverse businesses whose need for efficient freight and personal transportation service is routinely met.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The transportation needs that lead to the investment program in this LRTP were determined using the following overarching principles:

An Efficiently Maintained Transportation System: Affordability is a key determinant that underlies the discussion of need. With limited resources, every jurisdiction that owns and operates part of UCTC’s transportation system must consider what they can afford to operate, maintain and improve now and in the future.  Elements of the transportation system that are overbuilt may need to be realigned to new forecasts of population growth or economic activity. Pressure to accommodate high traffic volume at free-flow speeds even when it occurs infrequently, such as peak recreation or holiday traffic volumes, may need to be overlooked in favor of more pressing maintenance needs and changing trends may force investment for safety or sustainability reasons such as cycling or climate change.  The transportation system plan must be smart enough to adapt to these needs and flexible enough to direct financial resources where they are needed most. One example of this is consideration in the context of infrastructure age and condition, such as when bridge is nearing the end of its predicted useful life.  While it may be efficient on a life-cycle cost basis to replace it, resource limitations may mean that only a rehabilitation that will add ten years to the lifespan is affordable.

The needs in this Plan have therefore been constrained by forecasts of what the county’s transportation agencies can afford, given forecasts of future funding availability (see Section 8).

Land Use Focus: This LRTP focuses on Primary Corridors and the places they link in order to support an efficient land use pattern of compact development capable of serving the multimodal needs of urban centers.  These include Kingston, Ulster, New Paltz, Saugerties, Woodstock, and Ellenville as well as the smaller hamlets along these Primary Corridors, including Rosendale, Marlboro, Highland Gardiner, Wallkill, Stone Ridge and Phoenicia.  The corridors themselves will also receive priority in project selection for system preservation and multimodal mobility actions.

User Expectations: Another balance that must be struck is between the expectations of transportation system users and the feasibility of meeting those expectations. Input from stakeholder and public meetings and other forms of interaction (see Appendix F and G) was utilized to understand these expectations. With the advent of performance-based, outcome-oriented planning, the user perspective must be more explicitly considered in the development of the Plan. As UCTC moves ahead in measuring and reporting performance across a number of metrics, the public and decision makers will be given more explicit information on how planned investments are impacting their travel. An example of this is the regional Congestion Management Process. While the perspective of travelers helps UCTC and partners set priorities, fiscal constraint and engineering feasibility impose limits on the ability to meet the public’s expectations.

Technological and Social Change: This LRTP relies on the best-available forecasts of future conditions, some of which are seen in both national and NYS policies such as extreme weather, prevalence of alternative fueled vehicles, disruption in the transit sector, and the needs of an aging population. UCTC also recognized that unanticipated changes will happen with the possibility of profound impacts on community and transport needs. This is one reason behind the federal requirement that the LRTP be updated at least every five years.

This LRTP recognizes a number of potential major shifts from traditionally understood transportation system functions. While these do not explicitly affect the quantification of need, they are worthy of discussion.

  • Transportation technology: Many types of autonomous-driving features are now available among new motor vehicles today.  Example applications include adaptive cruise control, automated emergency braking, and self-parking. It is anticipated that the next generation of self-driving cars will be entering the fleet in greater numbers within the time horizon of this plan, including across delivery, freight and transit sectors. When these vehicles reach wide acceptance, they have the potential to influence everything from car ownership to travel demand. People currently unable to drive, including children, seniors, and those with disabilities, may be able to rely on autonomous cars for transport. Early examples of automated trucks are also in development. These may increase efficiency of long haul trips by obviating the need for driver hours-of-service rules; and assist in the implementation of off-hours urban delivery schemes. Transit operators can also benefit from increased safety of bus operation and reduced insurance claims. In addition to automation, connected-vehicle technology allows continuous communication between vehicles and with roadside infrastructure such as traffic signals. The primary focus is a positive impact on safety resulting from a variety of crash-prevention and crash-avoidance applications.
  • Shared Mobility: Shared mobility is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of transportation modes including carsharing, bikesharing, peer-to-peer ridesharing, on-demand ride services, microtransit, and other modes. Shared mobility has the potential to greatly decrease the costs of transportation for users by allowing riders to select the mode that best suits their needs, thereby releasing them from the burden of car ownership and single-occupancy trip generation.  Simultaneously, the distribution of the costs and benefits that shared mobility will have on public transit, local congestion, and transportation equity, are not yet fully known or understood.
  • Communications technology: There is no question that the Internet and related communication technology will continue to evolve. This will have unknown impacts across many industries, and on individual lifestyle choices, including greater emphasis and popularity of remote work and learning, which changes trip types and VMT generation, potentially affecting investment needs in the transportation system.
  • Sustainable communities: There is a growing focus on how to become more sustainable in terms of energy generation and consumption, locally sourced food, and urban form and structure. There may be unexpected improvements in any of these areas that can affect travel demand and mode choice. State policies as well as local goals will drive increase use of electric vehicles significantly altering the impact of the transportation industry over the life of the LRTP as well as seeing the introduction at scale of charging technology.
  • On-line Shopping: Increased use of on-line shopping, particularly during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, will create additional needs related to freight and local delivery while at the same time offer a reduction in congestion at major retail centers.
  • Mode Shift: Increase focus on walkable communities, trails, and bicycle use will drive the need to invest in pedestrian and bicycle facilities over the life of the Plan. Additionally, higher rates of working from home following the COVID-19 pandemic have shifted how and when residents interact with the region’s transportation infrastructure.

Addressing Vulnerable Populations in the Transportation System: It is a key value of this LRTP that strategies seek to mitigate negative effects related to the transportation system that impact or benefit the most vulnerable members of the community, such as low-income residents, Title VI populations, children, persons with disabilities, and older adults. Negative health effects related to the transportation system can fall hardest on these vulnerable members, with households in low-income areas typically owning fewer vehicles, having longer commutes, and having higher transportation costs. Inadequate or substandard infrastructure in vulnerable population communities can also prevent people from using active transportation, or even serve as a barrier to walking/cycling that separates neighborhoods.

GOALS AND OJBECTIVES

Goals form the foundation of this LRTP. They offer explicit guidance on the priorities for the investment of transportation dollars, the outcome of that investment and the importance to the region served by UCTC. Each Goal is supported by a series of objectives. Objectives add specificity, spelling out how implementation will support goal achievement.

The goals and objectives are founded on three core principles: that the transportation system must serve the needs of its community today, respond to change, and be affordable for all users. Implementation of these simple principles relies on understanding the complex interactions of preservation versus expansion, accommodation of new or expanding uses and different modes, and the use of new products or technology. Goals are the base on which stand the strategies, plans, and priorities for investment.

The goals and objectives in the LRTP were developed in coordination with the following:

  • UCTC leadership, through the Policy and Technical Advisory Committees.
  • Federal legislation including 2015’s Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which establish National Performance Management Goals that states and MPOs must use as a basis for performance-based planning.
  • The New York State Department of Transportation, which has a set of principles called the Forward Four. These principles define NYSDOT’s overall approach to its stewardship of the State Highway System:
    • Preservation First
    • System not Projects
    • Maximize Return on Investment
    • Make it Sustainable
  • Stakeholder and Public Input

Note: Goals are not in order of priority. Priorities are established as projects, strategies, and actions.

System Preservation: Invest in transportation system infrastructure to bring and maintain all facilities and modes into a state of good repair.

The UCTC is committed to evaluating the condition of our roads and streets, bridges, sidewalks, transit buses and facilities, and traffic signals and other devices. System Preservation will rely on utilizing a risk-based asset management approach. Investment decisions will utilize NYSDOT’s “Preservation First” methodology as opposed to a “worst first” approach. This approach applies low to moderate cost treatments to more assets that are in fair condition to extend their service life for several years rather than spending greater dollars fixing those assets that are already in poor condition and whose further deterioration does not greatly increase the cost of repair. Achieving this goal requires striking a balance between projects that address infrastructure that is already in poor condition and those that apply the preservation approach to fair infrastructure. The overall goal is to most efficiently allocate limited resources for maintenance and preservation.

Objectives:

  • Develop and implement a county-wide bridge system maintenance plan
  • Maintain or increase the share of transportation assets (such as roadways, bridges, and active transportation facilities) in good condition
  • Maintain the UCAT fleet to meet the FTA guidelines for service life
Safety: Continually improve the safety of all users of the transportation system by responding to identified safety deficiencies and proactively addressing future safety needs.

The public expects to be able to travel safely, whether they are driving, using public transit, walking, or bicycling. Safety is reflected primarily in the number and severity of crashes. Fatal and severe personal injury incidents are always of greater concern than those that cause minor injuries or only property damage. Because of the role of human behavior in crashes, safety is considered in terms of the “4 Es”: engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency response. The LRTP considers safety both reactively, by addressing high crash locations; and proactively, by looking at demographic and societal trends and getting ahead of problems. An aging population that maintains its mobility will require a greater investment in signage and wayfinding along with other proven techniques that address the unique safety needs of elderly drivers and pedestrians.

The LRTP also considers the content and objectives of the NYSDOT Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). UCTC supports the SHSP, which focuses on intersection, pedestrian, and lane departure crashes, with proposed actions to mitigate both crash frequency and severity.

Objectives:

  • Reduce the number of fatal and serious injury motor vehicle crashes
  • Reduce the number of crashes resulting in fatality and serious injury to pedestrian and bicyclists
  • Reduce the number of crashes involving transit vehicles that result in fatality or serious injury to zero
  • Reduce the number of crashes involving vulnerable user groups as defined in the NYS SHSP
  • Reduce the number of safety-related incidents at bus stops and on transit vehicles operated by UCAT, including protecting transit workers from assault
Resiliency: Ensure that transportation system users have a sustainable and secure environment, that the transportation system is capable of providing adequate service during severe weather events, and that the natural and built environment is protected and enhanced.

The sustainability of the transportation system infrastructure and the security of transportation system users is a critical investment factor in this LRTP. Experience with extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy, have made it clear how important it is for the transportation system be able to maintain operations during these events and provide security for residents through the evacuation, rescue, and recovery phases.

When considering future transportation projects in the region, it is important to consider the link between transportation and the environment. Not only should projects include the necessary resilience to overcome extreme weather conditions, but potential negative impacts of the transportation sector, such as the impacts of construction activities and energy consumption and pollution associated with motor vehicle travel, should be combatted.

Objectives:

  • Complete a Resilience Improvement Plan (RIP) for the top 50 locations identified in UCTC’s Phase 1 Resiliency Plan, which enhances the opportunity for discretionary federal funding.
  • Integrate ranking criteria from RIP results into the TIP project selection criteria for new federal aid bridge awards evaluated by UCTC.
  • Reduce all forms of pollution from on-road vehicles through support of travel demand management, alternative fueled vehicles, stormwater management practices, and other appropriate techniques.
Mobility: Provide for efficient and reliable travel by all modes by investing in strategies that mitigate congestion and create and maintain a well-connected transportation system.

A well-designed transportation system provides convenient, efficient, and reliable access to destinations within and beyond UCTC’s planning area. Whether people travel by car, bus, bicycle, or on foot, they need to reach destinations that include employment, school, health care, shopping, and other services. In addition to geographic access, the predictability of travel time matters to commuters, transit operators, and freight carriers. Recurring congestion can be addressed through a combination of roadway infrastructure projects that mitigate delay, traveler information systems to allow travelers to make informed decisions, and simultaneously investing in multimodal projects that give residents the option to minimize single occupancy vehicle travel.

Objectives:

  • Reduce vehicle-hours of delay that occur as a result of recurring congestion on principal arterials and arterial streets
  • Integrate intelligent transportation systems (ITS) into infrastructure projects
  • Develop a program of infrastructure projects to address truck bottlenecks
  • Increase transit access (geographic and temporal) in Kingston, New Paltz and Ellenville, and major intra-county corridors
  • Increase the number of people within a 10-minute walk/bike ride of trails, parks, and other key destinations
  • Increase the miles of bicycle and pedestrian facilities