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      Second, the MTP supports livability with services and system
      accessibility for all Marylanders. This includes providing
      transportation for people with limited mobility options including people
      with disabilities, low income residents, seniors and children.

      Third, the MTP supports livability as part of a transportation planning
      process that results in facilities that meet local community needs. This
      includes projects that respect the human and natural environment in
      which they are located. That means care is taken to design projects that
      fulfill transportation needs while minimizing impacts to the environment
      and enhancing the culture and context of the communities that they serve.

      Challenge of Providing Transportation is Changing.

      Transportation of the 20th Century has been centered on the automobile,
      and building the roads and parking facilities to accommodate driving.
      Federal and State governments supported mobility with highway programs.
      Local governments followed suit by planning for residential, industrial
      and commercial developments designed around and for motor vehicle travel.

      These developments contributed to an unprecedented growth in automobile
      travel, an increase in vehicle miles of travel from 1980 to 1995 of 58%,
      that continues to grow to accommodate changes in American lifestyles and
      the economy. Some of the factors increasing the number of vehicles on
      the roads include rising household income levels that increase car
      availability, the additional commuting resulting from the influx of
      women into the workforce, the prevalence of

      "linked" trips and lunch-hour errands, the growing dispersion of housing
      and employment and the shift from rail to trucks in the freight sector.
      The popularity of the automobile and auto-oriented land uses contributed
      to the simultaneous decline in the use and availability of other
      transportation modes for personal travel including transit, bicycling
      and walking. The consequences of this modal imbalance are significant.
      Among these are air quality problems in Maryland's urbanized areas,
      costly congestion on many State highways and reduced opportunities for
      those Marylanders without ready access to an automobile.

      Maryland's strategic location on the Eastern Seaboard through which most
      north/south traffic must pass brings additional demands. To the extent
      that through traffic uses the toll facilities of the Maryland
      Transportation Authority, it pays its way. But to the extent that it
      uses other facilities, Maryland bears the cost of providing
      infrastructure without all of the attendant revenue.

      Demands on Maryland's transportation system are not solely linked to
      personal travel needs. Market factors such as economic globalization and
      technological advances in freight logistics also affect both the
      quantity and quality of transportation infrastructure and services
      needed into the next century.

      Providing for and balancing these diverse and sometimes conflicting
      transportation needs within the constraints of available funding is
      addressed in the MTP.
       
      MTP Results from Public Consultation.

      To ensure the proper identification and attention to the transportation
      needs correlated with these issues, MDOT consulted with focus groups of
      transportation stakeholders and experts to develop draft goal statements
      and supporting policies for each of the MTP's policy elements. Comprised
      of representatives of diverse backgrounds and knowledge including
      citizens, businesses, non-profits and public entities, focus group
      members worked to help us define MTP goals and policies. This effort
      highlighted the common ground found among the plan elements, as well as
      make use of the opportunities available through technology,
      public-private partnerships and public participation. The product of
      this process is a plan available for public comment. Following that
      public review the Governor will adopt the plan.
       
      The Vision: Setting the Stage
      How MDOT is Organized.

      MDOT is among the largest Maryland State agencies, with nearly 10,000
      employees and an annual capital and operating budget in excess of $2
      billion. MDOT is responsible for most State-owned transportation
      facilities. These responsibilities include the planning, financing,
      construction, operating and maintenance of various modes of

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