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Public Review and Comment for: Proposed Mobilty Plan 2040 and FY 2017-2020 TIP Amendments with Air Quality Conformity Determination

The TPO is initiating a 30-day public review and comment period from September 24, 2018 to October 24, 2018 for proposed amendments to the 2040 Mobility Plan and the Fiscal Years 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

These amendments required an updated air quality conformity determination, which is also made available for public review. 

Please refer to the items below and provide any questions or comments to Mike Conger with TPO staff at: mike.conger@knoxplanning.org. Additionally, public comments may be made at the TPO Technical Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, or at the TPO Executive Board meeting on Wednesday, October 24, 2018. Both meetings are held at 9 a.m. in the City-County Building, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN. The Technical Committee will meet in the Small Assembly Room and the Executive Board will meet in the Main Assembly Room.

The online, interactive map to view Mobility Plan transportation projects has been updated to reflect the amendments.
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TPO Outreach Plan

The TPO prioritizes working with the public to develop transportation plans and programs.

Significant public outreach results in greater community support for plans that help achieve the region’s goals for the future. The TPO's Outreach Plan serves as a working tool for TPO staff to refer to with each new plan to ensure that adequate public notice is given and the community is engaged throughout the project. A draft of this plan was first made available for comment in April 2018. An updated draft of the plan, appendices, and a summary of changes can be found below. Adoption of this plan is anticipated at the regularly scheduled Executive Board Meeting on September 26, 2018. 

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TPO Call for Transit, Pedestrian & Projects

The TPO is accepting applications for TDOT's Multimodal Access Grant program through Aug. 27. These grants fund transportation projects along state routes for people accessing transit, walking and/or bicycling. Full information about project eligibility is available at this link. 

All applications will be reviewed by a committee made up of TPO staff and community representatives. The TPO Technical Committee and Executive Board will consider the ranked applications at their September meetings and will choose the top three applications to forward to TDOT. Applications are due to TDOT on Sept. 28.

Local governments outside the TPO's planning area will need to submit applications through their RPO (rural planning organization). Contact Ellen Zavisca (215-4014, ellen.zavisca@knoxplanning.org) for more information. 

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Complete Streets Consortium Report Available

The three entities received a set of three technical assistance workshops and three webinars that were held between September 2017 and January 2018.

This support was designed to develop strategies for collaborating with TDOT (Tennessee Department of Transportation) and implementing, funding, and supporting Complete Streets.

Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville each hosted one of the workshops, tailored to the region’s specific opportunities and challenges to Complete Streets implementation. The workshops provided participants with tools and strategies to implement Complete Streets that advance economic, health, and community vibrancy goals.

The report can be found here.

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Creating Quality Mixed-Use. Places

Ben Crenshaw with Southern Land Company visited Knoxville for four events on June 12 and 13, 2018, to discuss the benefits and challenges of building quality mixed-use development.

His experience includes “horizontal” mixed-use – projects including a mix of housing, commercial and offices in the same vicinity – as well as “vertical” mixed-use within the same building. Vertical mixed-use developments often including retail, offices, and jobs, and the mix of uses in one location gives people alternatives to driving for every trip they take.

More than 100 people attended the events, which included a public meeting the evening of June 12; a presentation at MPC’s Agenda Review that same day; a breakfast meeting with members of the development community hosted by the Knoxville Area Association of Realtors on June 13; and a lunch presentation before about 35 elected and appointed officials at the Knoxville Chamber later that day.

You can see a video of the Chamber lunch session here

Ben is Senior Vice President over design at Southern Land Company, where he jointly manages the design and engineering teams. Ben brings more than 20 years of experience to his position, including work recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Urban Land Institute.

Ben was the ninth speaker in the Active Knox series, which is funded through a grant from the Tennessee Department of Health.

The speaker series will resume in the fall of 2018. If you’d like to receive emails about the events, email ellen.zavisca@knoxplanning.org.

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Public Hearing Notice: Program of Projects for Transit Grant Funds

The Executive Board of the TPO will hold a public hearing at its regular meeting to consider public comment on the proposed Program of Projects (POP) funded by 2018 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds.

When: Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at 9:00 a.m.
Where: Small Assembly Room of the City-County Building
400 Main Street, Knoxville, Tennessee
Comment Deadline: Tuesday, June 26, 2018 by 4:00 p.m.

Public comment (both written and oral) on the proposed POP funded by Fiscal Year 2018 FTA Section 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Transit Grant funds and Section 5339 Bus and Bus Facilities Grant funds*. Interested persons or agencies and particularly private transportation providers are encouraged to participate in the process. Comments submitted by the deadline will be read into the minutes at the meeting.

View the proposed POP here

The public involvement process, including the times established for public review and for allowing comment on the POP, follows the TPO’s Transportation Improvement Program public involvement process, as allowed by FTA and in accordance with appropriate federal transit regulations.

If there are no changes to the POP it will be considered final. 

For information, to be mailed or faxed a copy of the POP, or to provide comments in advance of the meeting contact

Dori Caron
(865) 215-2694
dori.caron@knoxplanning.org
400 Main Street, Suite 403
Knoxville, TN 37902

If you need assistance or accommodation for a disability, please contact the TPO below, and we will be glad to work with you in obliging any reasonable request.

Knoxville Regional TPO
Phone: 865-215-2694
Email: dori.caron@knoxplanning.org

* The City of Knoxville is the official designated recipient of the FTA funds.

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Trends Identified for Traffic Crashes Involving People Walking and Bicycling

The Data

To compile the data used for these infographics TPO staff verified crash locations and assigned crash factors based on information obtained from individual crash reports, including crash narratives and information about citations issued.

There are four infographics available:

In addition to the infographics, this data can also be viewed on an interactive map that was released last fall. It allows users to explore information specific to the type of crash, crash factors and an overview of all the data.

On rural roads, lack of sidewalks is the most common factor in crashes involving people walking or riding bicycles. The footpath that runs alongside the road pictured here makes it clear that a sidewalk is needed.

This data is important to the TPO’s work because 90 percent of the crashes recorded from this five year period resulted in injury or death of a person walking or bicycling. The goal in identifying and analyzing the information is to prevent future crashes through engineering, education, and enforcement.

Solutions

Local solutions are being found for some of the issues presented. In the Knoxville Region, 39 percent of traffic crashes that involve bicyclists and 48 percent of those involving pedestrians are caused by a motorist failing to yield when making a turn. After identifying a high number of these crashes, the City of Knoxville banned right turns on red at the intersection of Cumberland Ave. and Melrose Place.

The pedestrians shown here are unable to cross the road, despite having a walk signal, due to traffic failing to yield.

Another solution is the use of a Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI), like the one that has been installed at the traffic signal at the intersection of Downtown West Boulevard and Ray Mears Boulevard. This technology gives pedestrians the walk signal three to seven seconds before motorists get the green light to proceed through the intersection, allowing walkers to establish their presence in the crosswalk ahead of motor vehicles.

A National Issue

National attention has been given to some of the same issues presented in these infographics. A recent news article reports that allowing right turns on red increases the risks of injury and death to those walking or riding a bicycle. Another article states that the number of people who die in a traffic crash while walking has risen significantly over the last decade, and that most of those crashes are occurring on arterial streets. The National Transportation Safety Board studied the dangers of speeding and found that 31 percent of traffic fatalities are speed related.