Objectives

In general, Livingston County desires a transportation system that meets the needs of the 21st Century. A truly multi-modal system will operate to move people and goods safely and efficiently throughout the county.

Support Needs

The system needs to support community goals to balance the needs of a growing community and economy, with the goal to protect and preserve the natural, rural, and agricultural resource areas. A framework of transportation alternatives will support the physical and economic environments of Livingston County. Mobility and access will be maximized by a balanced system of roadway networks, transit, rail freight, pedestrian, and bicycle modes.

The Pilot Hub

The plan will include a pilot “hub” plan for Geneseo. The Village of Geneseo is the county seat, a National Historic Landmark District and tourism destination, serves as a regional shopping center for the county, and includes SUNY (State University of New York) Geneseo.

The Town & Village of Geneseo

The town and village jointly completed the 2007 Route 20A Access Management Plan. The village recently developed a Traffic Circulation and Parking Plan, has a pedestrian plan, and has formed a State Route 20A Pedestrian Safety Committee. The village is served by public transit and has “green” assets, such as the land preserved through the Genesee Valley Conservancy.

Centrally located within the county and being impacted by major traffic corridors, including State Routes 39, 20A, 63, and Interstate 390, the village serves as a logical “transportation hub” to launch a pilot plan project. The Pilot Plan needs to leverage and advance work already completed by the village and by the town in areas adjacent to the village.

Plan Recognitions

The plan needs to recognize the following:
  • Transportation is essential to Livingston County residents. It provides access to jobs, enables delivery of goods, materials, and services that residents want to purchase or sell, and allows residents to enjoy leisure time activities of their choice.
  • Major changes in the way transportation is planned and provided may be necessary to effectively deal with new pressing realities, especially when addressing the needs of the county’s aging population.
  • The existing transportation system is heavily weighted toward highways. Transportation planning and programming must be multi-modal and also focus on bicycling, walking, transit, and railroad modes.
  • Transportation alternatives should be “mode-neutral” and recommendations for funding decisions should be made based on the mode or modes that are most efficient and meet particular mobility needs in an environmentally responsible manner.
  • The transportation system needs to accommodate all people, including those who cannot or choose not to drive.
  • The transportation planning process must have open, ongoing, meaningful participation by a variety of persons and interest groups.
  • The plan needs to be fiscally responsible, but an unconstrained vision of the transportation system of the future may be necessary in order to innovate and lead positive change.
  • The plan needs to recognize the relationship between land use planning, the built environment, and the transportation system.
  • Though improvement needs are increasing, tax revenues to address those needs are threatened by a slowing economy and competing demands on limited resources.
  • Livingston County’s excellent town and country landscape and recreational opportunities, including Conesus Lake, the westernmost Finger Lake, continue to attract visitors and new residents.
  • There is renewed interest in the revitalization of the village downtowns and hamlet areas of the county.
  • There is a growing commitment at the local, state, and federal levels to providing “complete streets” that effectively accommodate all modes of travel.
  • The plan needs to leverage and build upon existing plans and studies, programs and activities including, but not limited to:
    • Livingston County Community Initiatives Council 2008 Community Needs Assessment
    • Livingston County buy Local campaign - "It’s LivINgston”
    • Livingston County Community Initiatives Council Consumer Spending Outflow Study, 2009
    • Genesee Transportation Council Regional Trails Initiative
    • Livingston County Public Transportation Strategic Plan
    • Downtown Revitalization Program for Livingston County villages and hamlet areas
    • Town and Village Comprehensive Plans
    • Local walkable community efforts and health initiatives (i.e. fitness trail at Avon Driving Park and Village of Avon)
    • Livingston County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and other relevant emergency preparedness and response plans
    • Livingston County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Office programs and activities
    • Livingston County Natural Resources Inventory
    • Genesee Transportation Council Long Range Transportation Plan 2035
    • Genesee / Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council Historic Transportation Gateway Inventory and Assessment
    • Genesee / Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council Inventory of Culturally Significant Areas
    • Genesee / Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
    • Genesee Transportation Council Coordinated Human Services - Public Transportation Plan
    • Livingston County Department of Health Achieve and Healthy Communities Programs
    • Healthy LIVINGston activities and health promotion activities
    • Livingston County Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan
    • Genesee Transportation Council Regional Goods Movement Strategy
    • Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages available from Livingston County, Genesee Transportation Council, and other agencies, such as, but not limited to, land use, zoning, roads, public transportation routes, population distributions, and GIS coverages from the regional coordinated Public Transit - Human Services Transportation Plan