WAC 365-195-325   Transportation element.  (1) Requirements. This element shall contain at least the following subelements:

     (a) Land use assumptions used in estimating travel;

     (b) Facilities and services needs, including:

     (i) An inventory of air, water, and land transportation facilities and services, including transit alignments, to define existing capital facilities and travel levels as a basis for future planning;

     (ii) Level of service standards for all arterials and transit routes to serve as a gauge to judge performance of the system. These standards should be regionally coordinated;

     (iii) Specific actions and requirements for bringing into compliance any facilities or services that are below an established level of service standard;

     (iv) Forecasts of traffic for at least ten years based on the adopted land use plan to provide information on the location, timing, and capacity needs of future growth;

     (v) Identification of system expansion needs and transportation system management needs to meet current and future demands;

     (c) Finance, including:

     (i) An analysis of funding capability to judge needs against probable funding resources;

     (ii) A multiyear financing plan based on the needs identified in the comprehensive plan, the appropriate parts of which shall serve as the basis for the six-year street, road, or transit program required by RCW 35.77.010 for cities, RCW 36.81.121 for counties, and RCW 35.58.2795 for public transportation systems;

     (iii) If probable funding falls short of meeting identified needs, a discussion of how additional funding will be raised or how land use assumptions will be reassessed to ensure that level of service standards will be met;

     (d) Intergovernmental coordination efforts, including an assessment of the impacts of the transportation plan and land use assumptions on the transportation systems of adjacent jurisdictions;

     (e) Demand-management strategies.

     (2) Recommendations for meeting requirements. The following steps are recommended in preparing the transportation element:

     (a) Local and regional transportation goals and policies for the following transportation modes, where applicable:

     (i) Roadways;

     (ii) Transit: Fixed route and demand response;

     (iii) Nonmotorized travel: Bicycle and pedestrian;

     (iv) Port and intermodal facilities: Water, rail, air, and industrial;

     (v) Rail: Passenger and freight;

     (vi) Freight mobility: Truck, rail, and barge.

     (b) A discussion of how the transportation element implements the land use element, how the transportation and land use elements are consistent, and how the transportation element is consistent with the regional transportation plan. Discussion concerning regional development strategies which promote the regional transportation plan and an efficient transportation system should be included.

     (c) Inventories, incorporating the level of detail appropriate for the planning jurisdiction:

     (i) Air transportation facilities inventory can include but not necessarily be limited to: A description of the services provided by the facilities and location of the air transportation facilities; a capacity analysis to compare current and projected airport needs; a capacity analysis of roads, rail, and navigational routes to assess freight and passenger access to airport facilities. Consideration of the current and projected surrounding land uses should be made with respect to uses that are compatible and available for projected airport needs.

     (ii) Inventory of water transportation can include but not necessarily be limited to:

     (A) A description of the ferry service, ownership, a map of the routes, the number of vessels, frequency of the service, passenger capacity, and vehicle capacity impacting the planning area; a capacity analysis of ferry service compared to current and projected needs. Consideration of the current and projected surrounding land use should be made with respect to uses that are compatible and available for current and projected ferry needs.

     (B) A description of the port facilities, service and location of the facilities; an analysis of freight movement showing the proportion of freight which is moved by rail and by truck to determine access adequacy. Consideration of the current and projected surrounding land use should be made in terms of compatibility and availability for current and projected port needs.

     (iii) Inventory of land transportation can include but not necessarily be limited to:

     (A) A map of arterials and limited access facilities; a description of the general travel market (i.e., commuter, tourist, farm to market, etc.) served by the transportation network; traffic volumes, functional classification, ownership and physical and operational condition. Consideration of current and projected surrounding land use should be made with respect to uses that are compatible and available for current and projected transportation needs.

     (B) A map of the rail lines and intermodal facilities; a description of ownership, condition, and identification of whether the rail lines are for passenger and/or freight movement. Consideration of current and projected surrounding land use should be made with respect to uses that are compatible and available for current and future projected land transportation needs.

     (iv) Inventory of transit facilities and services within the planning area can include but not necessarily be limited to, a description of the service, service area, routes, major transfer centers, population base, passengers carried, number of vehicles including seating capacity, miles of route and vehicle hours within the local jurisdiction's boundaries. Analysis of projected transit needs should be made based on projected land use assumptions. For example, transit improvements should be planned in areas of projected residential and/or employment centers. Consideration of current and projected surrounding land use should be made with respect to uses that are compatible and available for current and projected transit needs.

     (d) If the planning area is within a National Ambient Air Quality Standards nonattainment area, compliance with the Clean Air Act Amendments of l990 is required. The following should be included in the transportation element of the comprehensive plan as applicable to locally generated mobile sources of pollutants: A map of the area designated as the nonattainment area for ozone, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter (PM10); a discussion of the severity of the violation(s) contributed by transportation-related sources causing nonattainment and a description of measures that will be implemented consistent with the state implementation plan for air quality, in order to comply with the national standards for the air, land, water, and transit sections of the transportation element. Local jurisdictions should refer to local air quality agencies and metropolitan planning organizations for assistance.

     (e) Provide a definition of the level of service (LOS) to be adopted for the transportation system that includes at least arterials and transit routes. The definition of level of service is not restricted to the traditional Highway Capacity Manual approach, but could include district, area-wide, corridor, or other nontraditional level of service standards. Provide an inventory of the current level of service of at least arterial and transit routes. Adopted level of service standards should reflect access, mobility, mode-split, or capacity goals for the transportation facility depending upon the surrounding development density and community goals, and should be developed in consultation with transit agencies serving the planning area.

     (f) System expansion needs should include considerations for: Repair, replacement, or enhancement, and/or expansion.

     (g) Transportation system management (TSM) and transportation demand management (TDM) implementation measures can include, but not necessarily be limited to: Signal coordination, channelization, high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, ridesharing, trip substitution, trip shifting, increased public transportation, parking policies and high occupancy subsidy programs. Provision should be made for evaluating the effectiveness of these strategies, and funding sources should be identified.

     (h) The finance subelement should include, but not necessarily be limited to:

     (i) Results of the identification study of current and projected deficiencies;

     (ii) Development of cost estimates to alleviate deficiencies;

     (iii) Assessment of revenue forecasts/shortfalls;

     (iv) Development of financing policies; and

     (v) Development of a financing schedule which matches projects and funding availability.

     If sufficient public and/or private funding cannot be found, land use assumptions will be reassessed to ensure that level of service standards will be met, or level of service standards will be adjusted.

     (i) Intergovernmental coordination.

     (i) Jurisdictions should assess the impacts of their transportation and land use decisions on adjacent jurisdictions. Impacts of those decisions should be identified and discussion of strategies to address inconsistencies should be included.

     (A) A discussion of how the local transportation and land use goals relate to adjacent jurisdictions' transportation and land use goals, county-wide policies, regional land use and transportation strategies, and statewide goals outlined in the act.

     (B) Local jurisdictions should refer to the Washington state transportation policy plan for guidance on statewide transportation policy.

     (C) Local jurisdictions should refer to the regional transportation plan produced by the regional transportation planning organization for guidance concerning the designated regional transportation system. Local jurisdictions should also define their community's role in the regional transportation and land use strategy and produce transportation and land use plans, and development regulations which promote that role.

     (D) Local jurisdictions should refer to the responsible transportation agencies for information concerning current and projected plans for air, land, and water transportation facilities and services. Local jurisdictions and agencies responsible for air, land, and water transportation facilities and services should cooperate in identifying and resolving land use and transportation linkage issues.

     (ii) All transportation projects which have an impact on the regional transportation system must be consistent with the regional transportation plan as defined by RCW 47.80.030. A regional transportation planning organization shall certify that the transportation elements of the adopted county, city, and town comprehensive plans within the region conform with RCW 36.70A.070. Regional transportation plans, state transportation plans, and county and city comprehensive plans shall be consistent with one another.

     (iii) Traffic forecasts should be based on adopted regional growth strategies, the regional transportation plan, and comprehensive plans within the region to ensure consistency between jurisdictions. The forecast of at least ten years of travel demand should include vehicular, transit, and nonmotorized modes of transportation.

     (iv) The state department of transportation and the transportation commission will develop a state transportation plan as required by RCW 47.01.071, and identify and jointly plan improvements and strategies within corridors of regional or statewide significance coordinated and consistent with the RTPO's.

     Local jurisdictions should refer to the Systems Plan produced by the department of transportation for service objectives on state-owned transportation facilities, proposed improvements, and identification of deficiencies for the state-owned transportation facilities.

     The department of transportation should be involved with the regionally coordinated effort to set level of service standards for arterials and transit routes.

     (v) Key coordination efforts between interested public, private, and citizen groups should include: Transportation plan development; identification of needs; land use coordination; capital program development; prioritization of projects, financial plan, LOS standards development; capacity accounting procedures; development review process; timing of concurrency review; analysis methods; legal requirements (vesting, appeals); concurrency management system ordinance; LOS monitoring.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 36.70A.190 (4)(b). 92-23-065, § 365-195-325, filed 11/17/92, effective 12/18/92.]