WELFARE REFORM AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROCESS

Transportation service is a critical component for transitioning people from welfare to work. This paper makes the case that a region-wide transportation-to-work plan needs to be developed in order to provide maximum region-wide accessibility and to avoid costly duplicative efforts. An approach is proposed to carry out such a transportation planning process at a regional level. The recommended plan development processes, while similar in structure to the Urban Transportation Planning System, has several special caveats to deal effectively with the needs and characteristics of welfare recipients. Challenges that may arise in developing such plans are identified. Recommendations on strategies that may be used to overcome these challenges are provided. The planning process should be initiated as early as possible so that transportation services are ready to be implemented before a large number of welfare recipients reach their public assistance time limits. The planning process should also include input of key institutional players as well as the transportation planning agency.