Are you, or is someone you know, interested in providing input into the regional transportation planning process? Recruitment will begin on November 9 for the 2019 committee.
The TPB is looking for new members to serve on its Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC). The CAC advises the TPB by providing citizen input. In the past, the group has weighed in on specific proposals, asked for certain considerations in the planning process, and advised the board and TPB staff on how to provide better public information on the transportation system and the planning process.
The CAC got its start in the early 1990s when a group of residents who regularly attended TPB meetings saw an opportunity to establish a formal committee to ensure more public involvement in the TPB process. Over the years, the CAC has pushed for more multimodal considerations, asked the TPB to incorporate scenario planning into its long-range planning activities, and led the effort to launch the TPB’s Transportation/Land-Use Connections program. In 2012, the CAC urged the TPB to adopt a regional policy endorsing “Complete Streets” and the TPB worked with its members to develop and adopt such a policy.
Over the last two years, the CAC provided input for the Long-Range Plan Task Force that led to the seven initiatives the TPB adopted. It also provided guidance and valuable advice for public outreach regarding Visualize 2045, the region’s new long-range transportation plan.
CAC members provide different perspectives from all over the region to help the board and TPB staff better communicate their plans and explain how the transportation planning process works. The CAC has 15 voting members and nine non-voting alternate members who each serve one-year terms. Members must either be elected by the outgoing CAC or appointed by the three incoming officers of the TPB. The outgoing CAC elects six individuals—two each from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia—and the three TPB officers for the coming year each appoint three voting members and up to three alternate members from their respective jurisdictions. The incoming chairman of the TPB appoints the new chairman of the CAC.
If you or someone you know is interested in applying to join the CAC, starting November 9, go to mwcog.org/TPBcac to learn more and fill out the application. The deadline for applying is December 12 and new members will start their term in February.