The second Municipal Group meeting with Groups 5 & 6 was held at the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest on January 21, 1999 and focused on the following topics:

• Introduction
• Overview of the Lake County Transportation Improvement Project
• Transportation System Performance Report Findings
• Upcoming Activities

Ike Magalis/Magalis & Associates welcomed representatives to the meeting and provided an overview of the meeting agenda. He mentioned that at the end of the meeting, an executive summary of the Transportation System Performance Report would be distributed.

Dave Lutyens/LCTIP reviewed the role of Municipal Group members, the meeting agenda, and the purpose of the Lake County Transportation Improvement Project. He then reviewed the project process and the expected project results. He recapped Municipal Group meeting #1, and the project activities that have taken place since the last meeting, including:

• Completion of Project Video #1
• Transportation Workshop and Fair
• Technical Advisory Group Meeting #2
• Distribution of Project Newsletter #1
• Development of a Project Website-www.lakecountytip.com
• Speakers Bureau Events
• Completion of the Transportation System Performance Analysis

Larry Martin/CH2M HILL and Jim Miller/CH2M HILL presented the findings of the transportation system performance analysis. Larry Martin began the discussion by explaining that the transportation system performance analysis describes the existing and expected future conditions of the transportation system in the project study area. The evaluation incorporates both technical analysis and public perceptions. It establishes a basis for evaluating the effectiveness of alternative improvements.

Larry explained that the project team gathered information on public perceptions from focus groups, telephone surveys, agency and elected official meetings, and the transportation workshop and fair survey. He reviewed the input from these various groups/activities. He then reviewed population and employment trends and forecasts for Lake County, as well as some travel mode characteristics.

Jim Miller/CH2M HILL presented information on the roadway system. First, he discussed daily vehicle trips that take place in, from, to or through Lake County. He explained that there are approximately 1.73 million daily vehicle trips-approximately 50% have origins and destinations within the county, and approximately 50% have destinations and/or origins outside the county (including through trips).

Jim then explained p.m. peak period travel desires in the project study area. This type of analysis is concerned with desired travel patterns rather than the actual paths taken by motorists in making trips. Travel desires are based on data supplied by the Chicago Area Transportation Study, the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for northeastern Illinois. He illustrated how travel desires are developed and how they are useful in planning transportation facilities. He explained that the 1996 p.m. peak period travel desires are heaviest in the eastern and southern tiers of the study area, and are oriented in the north-south direction. Highway travel demand in the p.m. peak period is expected to increase by nearly 40% by 2020. Travel desires for the year 2020 are expected to increase throughout the study area, predominantly in a north-south direction.

Next, congested links or roads in the project study area were discussed. Jim explained that this analysis focuses on identifying roads that can be characterized as congested, severely congested and extremely congested based on travel speeds, traffic volumes and roadway configuration. He explained that approximately one-third of the major roadways operated at "congested" levels in 1996.

Prior to completing a similar analysis to identify congested roads in 2020, the project team defined a 2020 No-Action highway network. This network represents a reasonable expectation of transportation improvements anticipated through the year 2020. The No-Action highway network includes approximately 74 route miles of improvements to the existing roadway system in the project study area. Jim showed an illustration of the 2020 No-Action network.

In 2020, approximately two-thirds of the major roadways will operate at "congested" levels. Jim explained that with the No-Action roadway improvements, by the year 2020 congestion will worsen by 55% on the major roadways, and will improve on only 6% of the major roadways. Jim noted that this forecast was the "No Build" scenario, which does not assume an extension of IL 53.

Larry Martin discussed the state of the public transportation system in the project study area. According to the 1990 Census, 3.7% of all work trips were made by rail. He mentioned that although the proportion of work trips completed by rail has been decreasing over the last few decades, Metra data indicates that actual ridership has been increasing. Metra ridership has increased by approximately 32% in Lake County over the last 10 years.

Pace bus ridership has also been increasing. Fixed bus service is most prevalent along the lakefront and southern tier of the study area. Larry also provided an overview of the other services offered by Pace.

Dave Lutyens discussed upcoming project activities including:

• Alternatives Development and Evaluation
• Future Meetings

He also provided an overview of the schedule through the public informational meeting and future Municipal Group Meeting discussion topics.

Dave opened the floor to comments and questions. Following is a summary of the comments and questions received:

• Are there any METRA rail projections available?
• Have any steps been taken regarding bike racks being available on bus/rail?
• How is congestion measured?
• Can you make a full size (24" X 36") exhibit of the LOS exhibits available? It is difficult to see the color differentiation in the Executive Summary exhibits.

The meeting concluded at 8:30 a.m.