ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority will hold two telephone call-in sessions this week, and an open house later this month, to seek public input that will help determine Orange County’s transportation needs for the next 20 years.
A draft copy of the Long-Range Transportation Plan, called Designing Tomorrow, was recently presented to the OCTA board and is now up for public review and comment on the OCTA website at www.octa.net/lrtp.
Opportunities for public input include:
- Telephone Town Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 12
- (Call: 888-400-1932 or, for Spanish, call 888-400-9342)
- 5:30 p.m. for North County (north of SR-55)
- 7 p.m. for South County (south of SR-55)
- Or receive a call to listen in by registering in advance at octa.net/tthm.
- Community Open House on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 9 a.m. to noon at OCTA Headquarters, 550 S. Main St. in Orange.
The public has several chances to give input on the plan, including filling out a survey online, which can be directly accessed at www.octaLRTP.com.
Those who take the survey can rank what transportation improvements they’d like to see in categories that include: expanding bus service, increasing rideshare, better maintenance and repairs, widening freeways and streets and expanding technology, among others.
“OCTA has earned a reputation for delivering a reliable and enviable transportation system for Orange County,” said OCTA Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett, also the county’s Fifth District Supervisor. “We welcome and need the public’s input to ensure we are successful in planning for our diverse transportation future.”
Every four years, the OCTA completes a Long-Range Transportation Plan that examines the county’s expected transportation needs, accounting for changes in demographics, the economy and available funding.
Orange County’s population is expected to grow by 10 percent or by about 311,000 people by 2040, and employment is anticipated to grow by 17 percent – or about 275,000 jobs – over the same time period.
The LRTP will identify projects to improve roadways, public transit and bike paths, while considering evolving technologies such as autonomous vehicles and on-demand ridesharing.
The plan addresses key issues and challenges, such as the high cost of housing, limited land for expansion of freeways and streets, challenging emissions standards and an evolving public transit market, along with funding challenges.
The Measure M program, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation, is the centerpiece of long-range planning. The LRTP includes Measure M projects and looks beyond at additional needs throughout the county.
After the public review period, which lasts through Sept. 28, necessary revisions will be made to the draft plan. It’s then expected to return to the OCTA board for approval this fall. The Long-Range Transportation Plan will then be submitted to the Southern California Association of Governments, where it will serve as Orange County’s input into the Regional Transportation Plan, the guiding document for transportation planning.
For more information, visit www.octa.net/lrtp.
