RVRC Council Approves Regional Transportation Development Plan

By JOHN KUYKENDALL
The River Valley Regional Commission (RVRC) Council recently approved a Regional Transportation Development Plan (TDP).
According to a news release by RVRC, after months of gatherng data and consultin with community leaders and transportation providers in the region, the RVRC Council voted on a resolution t9 adopt the regional Transit Development Plan on Feb. 26.
The TDP will be used to guide decisions related to iproving publicly-available transit optons un the region.
Moving forward, RVRC staff will be corodinating with regional municipalities and transportation providers to implement these uimprovements, where applicable.
The goal of this project is to help to strengthen public transportation options and infrastructure in the region and to help ensure that everyone in the region has access to reliable public transportation when it is needed.
The Regional TDP will help identify transit needs and opportunities and inform future transit system investments across the 16 counties making up the River Valley Region.
The TDP will allow the RVRC to pool resources and staff, create plans to consider regional needs and travel patterns, focus on local transportation issues and concerns, and identify implementable transit projects.
The River Valley Region includes the 16 counties. Nine transit operators currently provide public transit in the region. Columbus METRA Transit System operates ten bus routes in the Columbus-Muscogee County area, including Fort Moore. Dooly, Crisp, Clay, Macon, Talbot, and Taylor Counties provide demand response transit service within their respective counties.
The City of Americus also provides demand response transit service throughout Sumter County.
In addition, the Pataula Transit System, operated by The Lower Chattahoochee Regional Transportation Authority, provides demand response transit to Harris, Cussetta-Chattahoochee, Stewart, Georgetown-Quitman, and Randolph Counties.