It has been said that congestion is the result of traffic planners trying to socially-engineer people out of their cars. The JLF recommended means of relieving congestion. Asheville just developed a bike plan to add to its regional multimodal transit plan. Jackson County is following suit.
Tax dollars go to the federal government, which skims a portion for administration before passing an allocation to the NC DOT. After skimming a portion for administration, the NC DOT passes an allocation to Regional Planning Organizations or Metropolitan Planning Organizations, whose existence is mandated by the federal government. One function of the planning organizations is to create transit plans, which are now supposed to be multimodal.
Faddish public forums are a great way to get the wee folks to feel inclusive in these plans. It is well-established that people in charge of municipal transportation systems dread these meetings for a classical reason why the free market works better than government planning. People demand mass transit with their mouths, but not with their wallets once it is provided.
