The 2030 Regional Transportation Plan articulates the necessity to implement several very good transportation strategies, including application of context-sensitive solutions, complete streets, connectivity, and multimodality. However, the plan is based on the assumption of continuous population growth and relatively low energy cost—the two conditions that are highly questionable.

We are proposing that the plan’s priorities are vetted through a more inclusive public outreach process. Currently, the top three priorities—not reviewed by the community at large—are road maintenance and operations, safety, and community character. Perhaps different types of projects should be guided by a different prioritization of criteria.

The plan clearly emphasizes new road construction, widening or other type of road “upgrade” while almost no attention is paid to other tools available to planners. Flexible work hours, bus-only lanes, and parking restrictions—just to name a few—can effectively address vehicular congestion.

More emphasis should be placed on alternative transportation modes: we should strive to achieve high level of service for public transit, walking, and bicycling in the entire urban corridor (not just in the downtown and 4th street areas)—as healthier, more cost-effective, and more sustainable alternatives to driving.

The US 180 and US 89 Bypass and the J. W. Powell Blvd Extension street projects should not be included in the plan at all as their irreversible negative environmental impact cannot be justified. To relieve congestion and/or ensure safety the FMPO can employ other policy tools instead.

The plan needs to be appended with a clear implementation protocol, especially for the street projects. While engineering standards address the ideal circumstances, most of the street projects do not fall in this category. Clearly stated priorities and their application would ensure consistency, predictability, and ultimately a better design of the street network throughout our community.

At minimum, Friends of Flagstaff’s Future would like to see:

1. Thorough revision of the plan’s priorities through a representative community input
2. Specific planning assumptions (e. g. population growth expectations, energy prices projections and other conditions that impact the plan extend) explicitly and clearly stated in a separate section
3. A list of policy approaches outside of the road construction arena that can address the RTP primary objectives
4. Removal of the US 180 and US 89 Bypass and the J. W. Powell Blvd Extension street projects from the RTP as they are inconsistent with the Regional Land Use and Transportation Plan 2001 with witch the RTP is supposed to comply.
5. An appendix with a very specific decision protocol to be followed when evaluating and designing street projects