The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) is the fiscal agent for the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) that serves the eight-county region of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller. The MPO is the decision-making body that is responsible for overseeing the metropolitan planning process and decides how to spend federal transportation funds for capital projects and planning studies. Decisions are guided by information and ideas from a broad group of stakeholders, which include elected officials, planners, engineers, transportation agencies, the public, and other interested parties. H-GAC is required by federal regulation (49 U.S.C. 5304(f) and 23 CFR 450(b)) to develop a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), sometimes called a Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). The RTP is the long-range comprehensive transportation plan for a planning horizon of at least 20 years. The goal of the RTP is to guide how the transportation system within the region develops long-term over the next twenty plus years. A new RTP is required to be developed every four years, consistent with federal law. A financial model aids in the fiscal analysis portion of the RTP. H-GAC is seeking to update our financial model to make it more efficient and effective to use. A Regional Active Transportation Plan needs to be updated to better understand current alternative transportation users, develop a vision for the future, and create a pathway to bridge the gap. The goal is to create an “all ages and abilities” regional active transportation network that will enhance the first mile and last mile solution for multimodal transportation while promoting active transportation as a viable primary mode of travel. In addition to regional policies and programs, the revised plan will identify and prioritize active transportation infrastructure projects for inclusion within the long-range RTP, the ten-year plan, four-year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP), and the two-year Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). The goal is to develop a comprehensive vision and guide active transportation policies and infrastructure investments that meet regional needs through the year 2050. The plan will be used in conjunction with a toolkit to guide the region’s active transportation programs, policies, and projects to meet the 2050 vision.
