Regional Transportation Plan Audit
Background
The Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is a comprehensive,
performance-based, multi-modal and coordinated regional plan through
fiscal year 2028. The RTP covers all major modes of transportation from
a regional perspective, including freeways/highways, streets and public
transit (including facilities and services such as a regional bus
network and light rail). The RTP identifies specific projects and
revenue allocations by transportation mode. The RTP is prepared, updated
and adopted by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), which is
the regional planning agency for the Maricopa County area.
In 2004, voters passed Proposition 400, a half-cent sales tax for
transportation in Maricopa County. The tax continues for 20 years,
through calendar year 2025 to implement projects and programs in the RTP.
The sales tax is used to construct new freeways; widen existing freeways
and highways; and improve the arterial street system, regional bus
services, and other special transportation services, and high capacity
transit services such as light rail, bus rapid transit, and express
buses. All projects funded from the half-cent sales tax are specified in
the RTP and provides over half of RTP revenues.
The Audit
A provision included in Proposition 400 requires a performance audit of
the RTP and the Plan’s identified multi-modal projects scheduled for
funding during the next five years beginning in 2010, and every fifth
year thereafter.
The Arizona Auditor General’s Office hired an independent auditor to
perform the audit. The purpose of the audit was to assess the
efficiency, effectiveness, and performance of the MAG RTP for Maricopa
County and to:
- Examine projects previously funded and their impact on relieving
congestion and improving mobility (2006-2010)
- Examine projects scheduled for funding during the next five
years (2011-2015)
- Review specific areas identified by the Arizona Auditor General
through interviews with and input from various interested parties
- Address statutorily mandated questions
- Recommend ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
the RTP
The Report
The final report from the auditor was released on December 22, 2011 and
is included below. Also included below is the response from the agencies
to the recommendations in the audit. Friends of Transit will continue to
keep you up-to-date as public meetings and/or presentations on the audit
are held.
Key Recommendations
To add further accountability into the development and implementation of
the RTP as well as increase efficiencies and effectiveness of the
transportation projects, we highlight our key recommendations below:
- Take immediate action to establish baselines or targets for
tracking performance of the RTP projects in achieving transportation
mobility goals as well as communicate performance of projects
completed to date through regular performance reporting;
- Continue to implement the current transportation system and
strive to continually reassess system performance to make
modifications as necessary;
- Create a “report card” for each project that reconciles
Proposition 400 promises through the incremental changes to current
RTP project status;
- Memorialize deliberations on project changes including rationale
and impacts, and provide this more detailed information to oversight
committees to ensure governing bodies have full information for
decision-making;
- Strengthen the role of the MAG Transportation Policy Committee
to provide greater guidance and establish protocols formalizing how
projects and activities within modes will be coordinated, changed,
and implemented in the RTP to maximize regional benefits;
- Task the region’s Citizen Transportation Oversight Committee
with developing guiding principles for its operations and providing
more deliberative actions and recommendations to oversight boards;
and
- Continue to investigate cost efficiencies and service
effectiveness that could result from combining bus transit and rail
operations at a regional level.
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