Coalition for Regional Public Transportation Final Report and Recommendation (2.1MB)
Sponsor: Valley Regional Transit
Status: Completed January 2007

A group of Treasure Valley business leaders, legislators and local elected officials began meeting in Boise in fall 2005 to learn more about public transportation issues. This group, called the Coalition for Regional Public Transportation, spent seven months listening, learning and asking questions before developing its findings and recommendation to provide a stable source of funding for transit systems statewide.

 

Communities in Motion
Sponsors: COMPASS and the Idaho Transportation Department
Status: Adopted by the COMPASS Board in August of 2006

COMPASS has partnered with the Idaho Transportation Department in an effort to plan a transportation system that meets the needs of the growing communities in the region. COMPASS and the Idaho Transportation Department intend to develop this plan and expand its study area to include Boise , Gem, Elmore, and Payette Counties – in addition to Ada and Canyon Counties. The partnership between COMPASS, its members, local governments in the region, and the Idaho Transportation Department is an innovative approach that will evaluate various transportation modes and policies for maintenance, improvement, and development, enabling true regional transportation planning in Southwest Idaho. This study will be completed in a collaborative effort with Blueprint for Good Growth (Ada Guide Plan) discussed above.

COMPASS recently published the first Communities in Motion Performance Monitoring Report to track the implementation of the plan. This report can be found at the CIM website under reports.

 

Communities in Motion Implementation Guidebook
Sponsors: COMPASS
Status: Draft, currently conducting public outreach

Communities in Motion (CIM) was adopted as the regional long-range transportation plan for Southwest Idaho in August 2006. The success of the CIM plan will largely depend on the ability to implement specific strategies based on the broader vision of CIM. The Communities in Motion Implementation Guidebook (Guidebook) provides more specific strategies for land use and transportation necessary to move this vision into action. The guidebook provides a tool to stimulate discussion with developers, public agencies and the community at large on how CIM can be implemented.

 

Key Highlights of the Guidebook include:

• Guidelines for layout and design elements to maximize and improve the transit and land use interface.
• Improvement of access including increasing mobility and proximity. 
• A Regional Transit/Land Use Concept Map identifying locations that may be appropriate for more intense, transit supportive development.
• A section describing existing and proposed developments which follow guidelines for compact development and “community choices” growth. 
• A transit section features various transit technologies with visual descriptions and pertinent information regarding costs, functionality, and physical attributes.

Sponsor: COMPASS
Status: Ongoing, expected project completion August 2010

 

Communities in Motion Update
The regional transportation plan, Communities in Motion, was approved by the COMPASS Board in August 2010. Federal rules require that the plan be updated at least every four years. The update focuses on Ada and Canyon County and will incorporate new requirements under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Effective Transportation Equity Act – a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).

 

Downtown Boise Mobility Study
Sponsors: Valley Regional Transit, Ada County Highway District, City of Boise, Boise State University, Capital City Development Corporation, COMPASS, and the Idaho Transportation Department.
Status: Complete, adopted by the various sponsoring agencies in Winter 2005/2006

The purpose of this on-going study is to develop a comprehensive approach to mobility within downtown Boise and for people traveling from, to, and through the downtown area. The vision for downtown Boise includes:

• An urban, pedestrian-oriented setting characterized by ease of movement and freedom from congestion for people and manageable congestion for vehicles.
• A vibrant mix of uses, including housing, offices, services, retail, restaurants, hotels, public spaces, and cultural, entertainment, research and learning opportunities.
• An interconnected, multi-modal system of transportation that sustains this character and connects downtown Boise to the larger region.
• Smooth connectivity between various activity centers within the study area. Work on the study began in the spring of 2003.

The next steps for this study include collecting additional public input, creating the final draft, and obtaining approval from the participating agencies.