Comprehensive Plan Summary

TRANSPORTATION

GOAL

A transportation system which will provide accessibility to all persons in the area while maintaining the quality of the environment, and providing safe movement of people and goods.

OBJECTIVES

Transportation should be planned as a coordinated system of facilities; for private vehicles, commuter railroads, and buses and other means, as appropriate.

Land-uses and transportation systems are directly related since highway, roads, and rail lines are significant land uses, and as such, should be considered simultaneously and inseparably, with recognition given the potential for area wide transportation implications stemming from local decisions.

The roadway systems should be composed of, a) freeways and appropriately controlled interchanges, b) regional highways with continuity through the area, c) area roads with continuity within the area only, d) collector roads with limited continuity, e) local roads and streets to provide access to abutting properties, f) destination parking facilities for major activity centers and rail users.

Key elements of the transportation system should be as follows: a) regional traffic with external origins and destinations should wherever possible be routed around the BACOG area, rather than through it; and b) area wide traffic should be routed to avoid activity centers. The internal road system should provide access to surrounding areas, adjacent freeway systems and regional highways, but be designed to discourage its use and subsequent designation as a major highway system. IDOT's strategic regional arterial initiative with major BACOG area roads earmarked for significant upgrading deserves close study, alternative reconstruction or area negative response.

All feasible traffic engineering techniques, consistent with maintaining the character of existing roadway systems should be utilized to improve capacity, accessibility, and safety; prior to considering major forms of road improvement. The principle of road improvement restraint should apply to all area road systems and facilities. Again, the SRA programs the EJ&E commuter rail proposal in the CATS 2020 plan deserve continued monitoring and area response.

Options for existing roadway systems should be continuously investigated in recognition of likely future increases in roadway use, caused by growth, land use changes and intensification, and other causes.

All roads and right-of-ways within the BACOG area should be subject to unique design standards in response to the natural landscape and desired countryside environment.

The function of local collector roads should be limited to meeting local access needs.

BACOG ROADWAY SYSTEM
The BACOG roadway system must be coordinated with area land use guidance procedures to maintain the most reasonable accessibility compatible with environmental protection. Freeways and regional highways provide the framework of the roadway system. The improvement of some of these routes and diversion of through traffic around the BACOG area will make possible the retention of the countryside quality along collector and local roads. Area and collector roads will carry a relatively high volume of traffic but do not have or should not have complete continuity through the BACOG area. The objective of minimizing the widening or altering the character of area highways and roads means specifically that certain roadways should not be improved.

It is recommended that a high priority be granted the formulation of design standards for BACOG area roads, especially those, which are known to be included in short-range improvement programs of the state or county. BACOG should carefully monitor transportation planning to insure that the character of the roads remains compatible with BACOG area land use goals.

MASS TRANSPORTATION
To date mass transit planning in the BACOG area has been limited due to the low density of development. Other transit systems which may be feasible must be coordinated with overall regional transportation planning. The BACOG area should consider such options as: 1) a restored feeder bus service to the commuter rail station: and 2) feeder bus service connecting with the express bus system.

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM PRIORITIES
PRIORITY ONE. Essential to the BACOG area transportation system is a bypass grid of freeways and regional highways. Part of this grid is already completed - the Northwest Tollway and parts of Route 53 (432) on the eastern periphery of the BACOG area. Other bypass elements are also needed.

PRIORITY TWO. Area Roads. In order to provide convenient and safe accessibility within the BACOG area and to avoid the increasing build up of traffic congestion in the Village Center of Barrington continued planning must be directed to the improvement of specific area roads and to the analysis of alternate traffic routes both through and around the Village of Barrington.

PRIORITY THREE. Barrington Village Center. Continued efforts to expose viable routes, to study proposed development, and to examine and test options are needed to expedite traffic flow in and around the Barrington Village Center.