§ 10b. Statement of policy; general
(a) The Agency shall be the responsible agency of the State for the development of transportation policy. It shall develop a mission statement to reflect:
(1) that State transportation policy shall be to encompass, coordinate, and integrate all modes of transportation and to consider "complete streets" principles, which are principles of safety and accommodation of all transportation system users, regardless of age, ability, or modal preference; and
(2) the need for transportation projects that will improve the State's economic infrastructure, as well as the use of resources in efficient, coordinated, integrated, cost-effective, and environmentally sound ways, and that will be consistent with the recommendations of the Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP) issued under 30 V.S.A. § 202b.
(b) The Agency shall coordinate planning and education efforts with those of the Vermont Climate Change Oversight Committee and those of local and regional planning entities:
(1) to ensure that the transportation system as a whole is integrated, that access to the transportation system as a whole is integrated, and that statewide, local, and regional conservation and efficiency opportunities and practices are integrated; and
(2) to support employer-led or local or regional government-led conservation, efficiency, rideshare, and bicycle programs and other innovative transportation advances, especially employer-based incentives.
(c) In developing the State's annual Transportation Program, the Agency shall, consistent with the planning goals listed in 24 V.S.A. § 4302 as amended by 1988 Acts and Resolves No. 200 and with appropriate consideration to local, regional, and State agency plans:
(1) Develop or incorporate designs that provide integrated, safe, and efficient transportation and that are consistent with the recommendations of the CEP.
(2)(A) Consider the safety and accommodation of all transportation system users-including motorists, bicyclists, public transportation users, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities-in all State- and municipally managed transportation projects and project phases, including planning, development, construction, and maintenance, except in the case of projects or project components involving unpaved highways. If, after the consideration required under this subdivision, a State-managed project does not incorporate complete streets principles, the project manager shall make a written determination, supported by documentation and available for public inspection at the Agency, that one or more of the following circumstances exist:
(i) Use of the transportation facility by pedestrians, bicyclists, or other users is prohibited by law.
(ii) The cost of incorporating complete streets principles is disproportionate to the need or probable use as determined by factors including land use, current and projected user volumes, population density, crash data, historic and natural resource constraints, and maintenance requirements. The Agency shall consult local and regional plans, as appropriate, in assessing these and any other relevant factors.
(iii) Incorporating complete streets principles is outside the scope of a project because of its very nature.
(B) The written determination required under subdivision (A) of this subdivision (2) shall be final and shall not be subject to appeal or further review.
(3) Promote economic opportunities for Vermonters and the best use of the State's environmental and historic resources.
(4) Manage available funding to:
(A) give priority to preserving the functionality of the existing transportation infrastructure, including bicycle and pedestrian trails regardless of whether they are located along a highway shoulder; and
(B) adhere to credible project delivery schedules.
(d) The Agency of Transportation, in developing each of the program prioritization systems schedules for all modes of transportation, shall include the following throughout the process:
(1) The Agency shall annually solicit input from each of the regional planning commissions and the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization on regional priorities within each schedule, and those inputs shall be factored into the prioritizations for each program area and shall afford the opportunity of adding new projects to the schedules.
(2) Each year, the Agency shall provide in the front of the Transportation Program book a detailed explanation describing the factors in the prioritization system that creates each project list. (Added 1989, No. 121, § 1, eff. June 22, 1989; amended 1989, No. 246 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1993, No. 89, § 20; 2005, No. 175 (Adj. Sess.), § 48; 2007, No. 75, § 34, eff. June 7, 2007; 2007, No. 209 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; 2011, No. 34, § 2; 2017, No. 139 (Adj. Sess.), § 10.)