IVHS PLANNING IN A MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL URBAN AREA: DALLAS, TEXAS

Traffic management poses a unique challenge in a multi-jurisdictional environment. If local municipalities are of sufficient size to have a designated traffic and transportation engineer, there may be enough local politics and individuality to impede participation in coordinated transportation efforts. This autonomy may be particularly prevalent if one of the cities is considerably larger than the others or if another agency, such as the State DOT, the County, or the MPO, is perceived to be overbearing or dictatorial. Fortunately in the Dallas urban area this has not been the case. Over the past few years, a spirit of cooperation has prevailed, and this spirit has been most beneficial in the continuing development of an area-wide IVHS plan.