The purpose
of the UPWP is to serve as the annual work program for
the ITCTC. The UPWP coordinates all transportation and
transportation-related planning activities within the
agency’s planning area. The UPWP is
produced annually to match the New York State fiscal
year of April 1 to March 31. It provides
details of the transportation-related planning activities
that the ITCTC intends to accomplish during the program
year utilizing federal, state and local resources. It
also delineates responsibilities and procedures for
carrying out the cooperative transportation planning
process. Included in the UPWP is a budget, which details
how each fund source will be utilized. This permits
the UPWP to act as a grant application for federal funds
and also as a management tool for directing the staff
activities throughout the year. Federal regulations
require that all MPOs develop UPWPs. The draft UPWP
for each year is reviewed, and the final document approved,
during the regularly scheduled Planning and Policy Committee
meetings held in February and March, respectively.
The 2011/12
program year is the nineteenth year (April 1,
2011 - March 31, 2012) for which federal planning
funds are available to the Ithaca area under the metropolitan
planning program. This UPWP will continue to focus on
the general goal of preserving and sustaining the core
MPO activities and requirements with a focus on the
following emphasis areas for 2011/12:
Implement selected
recommendations from the 2030 Long-Range Transportation
Plan (LRTP).
Monitor development
of federal transportation legislation and any associated
rules and guidelines and ensure the ITCTC meets all
federal requirements of the metropolitan planning
process.
Manage project activity
in the Transportation Improvement Program.
Review/update the
TIP amendment and administrative modification request
process.
Assemble, collect
and/or distribute necessary data to support the transportation
infrastructure decision-making processes. This effort
will include work assembling and/or distributing accident
and traffic count data.
Manage implementation of the
Regional Transportation Planning project.
Manage implementation of
the NYSERDA funded project to provide online ridesharing
services in Tompkins County
Work with other local partners
to attract Automated Transit Network systems research
to the Ithaca-Tompkins County area.
Contribute to and support
the transportation planning efforts of participating
entities in the MPO process for the following efforts:
Implementation of transportation
related federal legislation
Continued implementation of
the Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation
Plan
Implementation of travel demand
management strategies in cooperation with the Way2Go
program.
Cornell Community Investment
Initiative
Participate in efforts to
address issues of "community livability"
and "social justice". In particular:
Cooperate with the Tompkins
County Planning Department in implementation action
items of the Tompkins County Countywide Comprehensive
Plan.
Cooperate with local municipalities
and community groups in development of transportation
plans and other efforts that support the goals and
objectives in the LRTP.
Provide continued emphasis and
support for the development of transportation modes
and programs that provide alternatives to the private
automobile:
trail development
public transportation
bicycling
pedestrian initiatives
car sharing
ride sharing
van pooling
guaranteed ride home
others
Coordinate with appropriate
agencies to ensure that transportation services are
seamless, comprehensive and accessible to all citizens.