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141. Chapter 4 - San Marcos Tomorrow Thoroughfare Plan I Introduction The Major Thoroughfare Plan for San Marcos is the long-range general plan for guiding thoroughfare system improvements, including existing and planned extensions of city streets and highways. The primary objective of the Major Thoroughfare Plan is to ensure the appropriate alignments of roadways and the reservation of adequate right-of- way. This will allow the orderly and efficient expansion and improvement of the thoroughfare system to serve existing and future transportation needs. The Thoroughfare Plan is coordinated with the Future Land Use Plan and provides a mechanism for roadway expansions as property is developed. I The benefits provided by the Thoroughfare Plan include: Reserving of adequate rights-of-way for future long-range transportation improvements; Making efficient use of available resources by designating and recognizing the major streets that will likely require higher cost design of improvements; Minimizing the amount of land required for street and highway purposes; Identifying the functional role that each street should be designed to serve, in order to promote and maintain a proper relationship of traffic and land use patterns; Informing citizens which streets are intended to be developed as arterial and collector thoroughfares, so that private land use decisions can anticipate which streets will become major traffic facilities in the future; Providing information regarding thoroughfare improvement needs which can be used to determine priorities and schedules in the city's capital improvements program and capital budget; and Minimizing the negative impacts of street widening and construction on neighborhood areas and the overall community by recognizing where future improvements may be needed and incorporating thoroughfare needs in the city's master planning process. Accommodating and encouraging alternative modes of transportation, such as walking, bicycling, and mass transit. Specific objectives and steps in the preparation of the Thoroughfare Plan: a. Reviewing the existing thoroughfare system and determining what typical kinds of roadways exist in terms of functional classification. b. Analyzing the existing physical development and travel patterns within the urban area. I c. Projecting future travel needs and evaluated the adequacy of the existing street system to serve existing and future traffic demands. d. Assessing the identified classes of thoroughfares to determine their capacity to serve the desired mix of access versus traffic movement. San Marcos Horizons (Draft: September 17, 2004) 4-13