Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2008 11:02:49 -0500
From: Randy Voller
Subject: Transportation
(This message was sent to me by a Chatham County citizen, Clair Kane, who is very involved with transportation issues. She was replying to another citizen and gave me the permission to post publicly to inform citizens. Happy Holiday, Mayor Randy Voller)
TRANSPORTATION:
For the status of scheduled Transportation Improvement Projects (TIP) I would suggest George Lucier and the NCDOT engineer assigned to Chatham. I have that info at the bottom of this email.
For most up-to-date report on progess towards a bus along the 15/501 corridor between Pittsboro and Chapel Hill, and Chapel Hill/UNC’s views on funding the service, I would suggest inviting:
Chapel Hill Transit Director Stephen Spade
Chapel Hill Transit Assistant Director Brian Litchfield
For report on where a bus serving Chatham fits into the Triangle Transit regional bus system Five Year Plan and CLEAR explanations of the funding of same (rules just changed this year), I would suggest:
John Tallmadge
Commuter Resources Director for Triangle Transit
For a report on Chatham participation in regional transit issues, I would suggest Randy Voller or anyone he suggests from the RPO (Rural Planning Organization). Tom Vanderbeck can update on Chatham Transit Network as can whomever he recommends. Names are escaping me because I have only talked to one other person (a very nice gentleman) about
Chatham Transit Network.
To expertly field questions or give an overview of present alternative transportation options (local, muncipal and regional transit, vanpool agencies, carpools, ridematching services, cycling, park & rides, carsharing) I would suggest: myself 🙂 Also, I can normally, fit it in to find out the status of a specific transportation project (highway included) and contact individuals for information in an informal manner.
The issue with Chatham is that we fall into many categories as far as government planning and I bet we don’t have sufficient staff to keep up with it all. I get the impression that Randy Voller both within the Rural Planning Organization (RPO) and as Pittsboro Mayor, has tried hard to funnel information to local stakeholders and that we have significantly more involvement then in the past. But just from a structural standpoint, it’s tough.
Here’s why:
There is the Rural Planning Organization (RPO). It covers most, but not all, of Chatham, and then Lee, Moore and large parts of Orange County. Then there is DCHC MPO (Durham – Chapel Hill-Carrboro Municipal Planning Organization. A small portion of northeast Chatham qualifies to compete for DCHC MPO project funding as do parts of Orange.
Then there is TJCOG is a planning agency which addresses Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange and Wake county issues. Their funding includes supporting us. But the squeakiest wheels get oiled. I’ve gone to meetings representing both NCSU and UNC-Chapel Hill. In that capacity, I could not help but notice, as a Chatham resident, that we were conspicuous by our absence. When I asked, I was told we didn’t send anyone. (This was a few years back.)
Everyone is shortstaffed. If we don’t contact them, we can’t count on them doing outreach to involve us. So the governments that stay active and in the loop are in the ones that benefit.
If you read this and think the current configuration seems to lend itself to a little confusion as to who is responsible for pushing for what – well, you would be right. But even more important: It’s a recipe for missed opportunities.
Chatham must make it a point to find out what opportunities exist by attending both MPO and RPO meetings as well as proactively finding out what is going on with TJCOG. Funding is competitive in many cases. Again, staff that attend meetings month in month out, (although it often feels like wasted time!) are the ones that find out when there are projects that might benefit the area they represent. Often, if you are not there, you never find out. They are only too happy to move forward with a smaller playing field.
NCDOT is the other important player of course. They have representatives to all these groups and they keep a very close watch on all the processes. They are often responsible for dispensing both state and federal funds either directly or though the MPOs. Their staff are good resources. This is the link to the list of NCDOT staff connected to our RPO. We also have a DOT engineer over Chatham. Chatham falls in NCDOT’s district 8, division 1.
Here is a link to the engineers who deal directly with our projects.
Best,
Claire Kane