Northwest Regional Planning Commission is involved in transportation planning as part of Vermont’s Transportation Planning Initiative (TPI). This is a statewide initiative that is designed to include all segments of the public in planning the improvements to Vermont’s transportation system. The goal of TPI is to expand local decision making and planning of transportation priorities, projects and long range plans. This process, started in 1992, is funded jointly by the Federal Highways Administration as part of the Highway Planning and Research Program, the State of Vermont and Vermont’s Regional Planning Commissions.
NRPC has a Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) which oversees the transportation planning program. The TAC also acts as a liaison between local communities and the Vermont Agency of Transportation, and provides local and regional input regarding transportation issues important to the region. The TAC serves in an advisory capacity to the Board of Commissioners. The TAC typically meets the second Thursday of the month at 6:30p.m.
NRPC’s planning assistance to our local communities includes conducting traffic counts, collecting culvert inventories, funding intersection and road corridor studies, providing grant writing assistance and completing other special transportation projects. NRPC also participates in public transit activities, and coordinates the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail promotion.
For more information on transportation planning, please contact Kyle Grenier by email or at (802) 524-5958.
Safe Routes to School
The focus of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is to enable community leaders, schools and parents across Vermont to improve safety and encourage more children to walk and bicycle to school.
Schools interested in participating in SRTS can work with our regional team of partners (NRPC, Rise VT, and VT Health Department); partners can offer support in examining how this program might work with your school population and provide assistance implementing the elements determined to be priorities. This could include conducting self-assessments, actively promote walking and bicycling by students, and identifying infrastructure projects to make walking and bicycling safer. There are several co-benefits to a SRTS program including a reduction in traffic congestion, improved health and academic performance from associated physical activity, and cleaner air from the reduced vehicle trips, making communities more livable for everyone.
For more information on Safe Routes to School contact Kyle Grenier by email or at (802) 524-5958 or visit the Vermont Safe Routes to School webpage.
Franklin-Grand Isle Mobility Advisory Committee
The Franklin-Grand Isle Mobility Advisory Committee is the regional committee of Vermont’s Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities and O&D Program, Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities (O&D) Transportation Program | Agency of Transportation (vermont.gov). The Program supports community members through affordable transportation to medical appointments, local adult day centers, senior meal sites, and to access fresh food at the grocery store. The O&D Transportation Program is specifically designed to serve older adults and persons with disabilities. In our region this service is provided by Green Mountain Transit (GMT) in Franklin County and Champlain Islanders Developing Essential Resources (CIDER) in Grand Isle County. The providers use a combination of buses, lift-equipped vans, sedans and taxis, along with volunteer drivers who use personal vehicles to give rides to community members.