SACOG Conformity Determination

The SACOG Board of Directors, in its policy role overseeing long-range transportation planning
in the region, is ultimately responsible for adopting MTPs. In the development of the MTP 2025,
the Board was advised on the goals (shown in Table 4) and policies of the plan by the
Transportation Roundtable, a group composed of 55 stakeholders from around the region. The
Roundtable’s key recommendation was to use as much as one-third of regional transportation funds
to pursue community and environmental objectives, including community design projects to
support smart growth, clean air, bicycle/pedestrian, and demand management programs. The
Roundtable also recommended giving priority to public transit and expanding light rail, seeking to
improve accessibility in congested locations or corridors, aiming transit service toward commuters
and low-income, elderly, young, and disabled persons, providing alternative travel choices to
driving, and using new technologies. Extensive public outreach provided ideas and feedback on the
MTP 2025. Valley Vision, a regional organization of leaders primarily from the private sector,
provided financial support for regional forums and made the MTP a top priority of its members.
SACOG's technical committees and individual cities and counties made specific
recommendations considered by the Board of Directors. SACOG staff provided the technical
analysis for the MTP 2025, planned the Roundtable meetings with professional facilitators, met
with other agencies, interest groups, and the public, and in the end drafted the MTP 2025. The staff
also provided financial forecasts of amounts and types of funds expected to be available between
2002 and 2025 and information from the regional transportation model and other data sources.
Finally, the MTP 2025 took into account the plans of other agencies and corridor investment
strategies.
WHAT FEDERAL AND STATE REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET?
Federal statutes require adherence to eight planning objectives in the development of regional
transportation plans 5 :
• support economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global
competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency;
• increase safety of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users;
• increase the security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users;
• increase the accessibility and mobility options of people and for freight;
• protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, improve the quality of life,
and promote consistency between transportation improvements and State and local planned
growth and economic development patterns;
• enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between
modes, for people and freight;
• promote efficient system management and operation; and
• emphasize preservation of the existing transportation system
All of these federal objectives coincide with the adopted goals in the MTP 2025 that are carried
forward into this 2006 MTP, and were considered in defining the strategies and projects in the plan.
The elements of the federally-required congestion management system in SACOG's planning and
programming processes is included in Appendix H.
5 From the Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU),
August 2005.
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