Submitted Public Comments - Hampton Roads Transportation ...

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HRTPO Public Comment
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RE: HRTPO Certification Review
Name: Mr. Ray Taylor
Date: March 16, 2012
Subject: HRTPO Certification Review
Public Comment Input (Via E‐Mail)
I have attached my public comment input for the subject recertification review
process. The attached input identifies and lists certain supporting documents.
At the public hearing meeting or before, I will provide a disc to the review team and to the
TPO staff for information that contains these supporting documents.
Attached Comments:
Public Comment Input
March 19, 2012
Public Meeting for the 2012 Quadrennial Federal Certification Review
of the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization
For the joint FHWA and FTA recertification review team,
Welcome back to Hampton Roads
Your professional recertification review efforts back in 2007 contributed enormously and
substantially to what, you will find, has been an outstanding four follow‐on years of
remarkable and impressive MPO reform here in Hampton Roads. Thank you for your
encouragement and for that shot in the arm which you provided in your last report.
You will discover that over 50 new best practices have been imported and adopted by the
HRTPO over the past four years. You will discover also, I believe, that the job—the reform
process—needs important and additional FHWA and FTA attention. Welcome back. I
believe that we (our HRTPO) and the state level oversight and support mechanisms both
need and seek additional solid guidance. Some recommended topics for review are
suggested below:
1. Regional Transportation Planning, the TIP and the STIP. Pursuant to General
Assembly legislation, a Joint Audit and Legislative Review (JLARC) audit of statewide
and regional transportation planning and programing was conducted. The superb
depth of effort and findings of this JLARC Audit were largely rejected and the three
reports required as listed in the final seven overall recommendations were never
developed. It remains evident to this observer that as minimums, (1) the state Code of
1