What is the future for Northeast Ohio?
Check out four possible paths toward 2050
Northeast Ohio is at a turning point and your input will make a valuable difference. The region is positioned to realize a new future due to its robust health care industry, plentiful natural resources, affordable cost of living and abundant cultural and recreational opportunities. To maximize the region’s potential, Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) needs your help to better inform its next long-range plan: eNEO2050: An Equitable Future for Northeast Ohio.
TRANSPORTATION SCENARIOS
BACKGROUND
In this scenario, 100% of transportation project funds goes toward maintenance of what is already built. The existing roads, highways, bridges and public transportation systems are the priority; there is no funding for expansion. The focus is on good repair and good service for the system that already serves Northeast Ohio. This scenario anticipates that employment and population will not change significantly from current numbers.
This scenario is nearly the flipside of CAR; it’s all about expansion of public transportation service in Northeast Ohio. This scenario entails the addition of autonomous shuttle and POD Routes from major transit hubs to major job hubs. Projects would include new walk and bike connections from major transit hubs to major job hubs as well. In addition to rail enhancement and expansion, this scenario would include future bus and bus rapid transit routes planned by the region’s transit agencies and more frequent service to Environmental Justice Areas. Finally, this scenario includes more high-occupancy vehicle lanes on area highways. This scenario anticipates slight employment and population growth as outlined in the scenario matrix.
In this scenario, the funding priority is to enhance the vehicular network of the region: roads, highways and bridges (not public transportation). The goal is to expand capacity much more than the current system through a number of different project types: add new, viable highway interchanges; reinvigorate the arterial network; optimize traffic signal timing; reduce highway bottlenecks; reduce average car commute times to major regional job hubs and regulate the flow of traffic that enters freeways (ramp metering). This scenario anticipates that employment and population will not change significantly from current numbers.
In the fourth scenario, the region does (pretty much) everything by 2050. Except for the addition of new highway interchanges, the TOTAL scenario essentially includes all anticipated projects in the CAR and TRANSIT scenarios. Additional projects in this scenario include: allocation of selected smart freeway & arterial lanes to autonomous cars and trucks; installation of extra electric vehicle (EV) charging ports; and construction of the Hyperloop station. This scenario anticipates more substantial employment and population growth as outlined in the scenario matrix.
For more detail and in-depth maps of each of the four scenarios, please see our Future Scenarios section where each of these are outlined in greater detail.
Given the information that summarizes each scenario, NOACA invites you to consider a set of performance measures intended to help differentiate among the future scenarios. These performance measures and the outputs for each scenario are available in the matrix below. The outputs are presented in a specific way to help digest the information clearly and concisely with the following guidelines:
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The baseline represents current conditions. The outputs reflect how the performance measure will change from the baseline under each scenario.
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The “-“ and “+” signs shown as outputs for each performance measure under each scenario indicate the direction of change. A “-“ sign indicates a decrease from the baseline and a “+” sign indicates an increase from the baseline. There are two sizes for each sign; they represent the magnitude of change (smaller signs indicate slight change; larger signs indicate more substantial change).
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The colors of the signs and numbers for each output are also important. Red color indicates a negative impact on the region, while green indicates a positive impact on the region. While many people commonly associate “-“ signs with a negative impact and “+” signs with a positive impact, that is not always the case. It is possible to have a red “+” sign, meaning the value of that performance measure will increase under a scenario, but that increase is a negative impact on the region.
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Where shown, the numbers displayed quantify the outputs for some performances measures, but not all. Some performance measures are qualitative and there may be words or nothing at all below the signs to help the reader understand how a scenario will change the output for a particular performance measure.
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Now it's your turn...
After reviewing the information presented about what the four scenarios mean to Northeast Ohio's long-term future, let us know what you think. We want your input on what you think is the best path forward. What makes the most sense for our region? Use the comment form to submit your feedback.