Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council
121 East Court Street, Ithaca, New York 14850 • Phone: (607) 274-5570 • Fax: (607) 274 5578 • e-mail: ITCTC@tompkins-co.org On the web at: www.tompkins-co.org/itctc Policy Committee: Carolyn K. Peterson, Chair Dooley Kiefer, Vice Chair Carl Ford, Secretary
Executive Director: Fernando de Aragón, AICP
Planning Committee: William Gray, P.E., Chair Dan Kwasnowski, Vice Chair
December 1, 2009 Mr. Jacob Roberts Connect Ithaca Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Mr. Roberts: I write this letter in support of Connect Ithaca’s efforts to attract the Podcar industry to the Upstate New York area and specifically Tompkins County. As the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council (ITCTC) is responsible for the planning and programming of federal transportation funding in Tompkins County. The ITCTC has been following with great interest the increasing activity of the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) industry over the last few years and exciting recent developments in this promising technology. The ITCTC will soon complete the update to its 20-year Long Range Transportation Plan. The plan recognizes the many challenges we will face as we address energy descent and global warming in the not so distant future. It is important that we encourage a new way of thinking about transportation with less automobile dependency and more options in all other modes. Podcars offer an intriguing opportunity to address car free mobility, particularly in our urban areas. I look forward to working with Connect Ithaca in efforts to bring Podcar technology to Tompkins County to explore its potential and find appropriate applications. Please contact me if I can be of further assistance. Sincerely yours,
Fernando de Aragón, AICP, Staff Director Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council m:\itctc\mpowork\correspondence'09\podcar-suport let-112409.doc
Tompkins County•City of Ithaca•Village of Cayuga Heights•Village of Lansing•Village of Freeville•Village of Dryden•Village of Groton•Village of Trumansburg•Town of Caroline•Town of Danby•Town of Dryden•Town of Enfield•Town of Groton•Town of Ithaca•Town of Lansing•Town of Newfield•Town of Ulysses•TCAT•Cornell University•NYSDOT•FHWA•FTA